Places to Go - Spring Family Hikes at Potmac Overlook Park (Arlington, VA) & Riverbend Park (Great Falls, VA)

Can we all admit that it was a LONG, COLD winter? Usually in VA we'll have a few days of freezing cold, followed by a 60 or 70 degree "break" period. But not this year. This year the cold came and stayed, reminding me of Michigan winters. Luckily spring has arrived, so we've spent the past two weekends hiking as a family. Turns out my children NEEDED to run.















1. Hike Number One - Donaldson Run Potomac Overlook Park - My kids love this hike because it involves multiple stream crossing (hence, multiple opportunities to become wet and dirty). Last week's hike was a little trickier than usual because T slid and FULLY IMMERSED himself in the stream, so we had to cobble together various scarfs and sweatshirts to keep him warm. Still, this is a favorite hike, especially in spring, where an overlook gives you full views of the Potomac (you can actually hike to the Potomac as the path merges with the Potomac Heritage Trail, but with a soaking wet child, we decided to turn around). I have no idea what the total mileage is. And this IS NOT stroller friendly.

Directions - I found this map online. We take the Brown Creeper Connector Trail down to the stream. At the bottom of the hill, the Brown Creeper connects with the Donaldson Run Trail - if you follow the trail to the right, you'll eventually hook up with the Potomac River. If you opt for the trail on your left, you'll loop back to the parking lot. We usually hike to the Potomac then turn around and follow the Donaldson Run trail through the woods and back to our car.

















2. Hike Number 2 - Riverbend Park to Great Falls, VA - This is more of a walk than a hike, as the trail stays flat and there are no stream crossings. But the views are gorgeous, especially in early spring/late winter when the trees are still bare. We even saw a swan. Plus, if you hike into Great Falls you don't have to pay admission (score!!) and my kids love climbing on all the boulders on the sides of the path.

Directions - We learned about this hike from Kidfriendly DC, click here to read her wonderful directions. The total hike is around 3.5 to 4 miles. And, while I've seen people with strollers navigate the path, it does not look like an easy thing to do (esp. through the "boulder field").

Places to Go - Hiking/Playing at Potomac Overlook National Park (Arlington, VA) (plus Cherish This Day, The Stories We Tell, and Random Links)

Sorry for the incredibly long post title, it is the last Friday before school starts, so I crammed a lot in.

Anyways, last week, I took the kids hiking at Potomac Overlook (previously reviewed here). We actually made it all the way to the overlook (it's real! it's real!), but the kids had the most fun playing in the water and rock hunting. Sometimes I forget how the simplest pleasures really are the best - a warm (though not hot) day, wet feet, rocks that glisten in the stream, following a path with no clear understanding of where it leads. And as much as I love/like/accept Great Wolf Lodge, the wolf ears really needed some time to roam free in the wild . . .

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!! Don't forget to click through to Cherish This Day & The Stories We Tell for some wonderful summertime inspiration.

RANDOM LINKS:

* A Coloring Book for Adults. Hysterical.

* I want to read this.

* Women listening to men in western art history. FUNNY. (thank you Cup of Jo for the link)!

* A night at the museum - how fun does this sound?

* Global parenting habits that haven't caught on in the US.

* Nicely stated.

* Cabin Porn - I cannot stop browsing (link courtesy of Mother).

Places to Go - Potomac Overlook Park (Arlington, VA)

I haven't posted lately on any local places to go, mainly because we've been frequenting old haunts more than new places. I need to change this. Last Friday, I took P, T, and a friend to Potomac Overlook Park; we hadn't visited in quite awhile and I almost forgot how much we love it here. A small playground sits right off the parking lot (with bathrooms and picnic tables and lots of trees). We had the whole place to ourselves and the kids insisted on eating their picnic lunches in the "treehouse."

After lunch, we meandered over to the nature center (which is about a 5 or 10 minute walk from the parking lot) and again we were the only visitors there. The upstairs of the nature center contains several displays and exhibits on energy, for my kids the highlights of which were a microscope and bees. The downstairs contains animals (snakes and turtles) and a small but nice kids' room called the "cave" where we spent over 45 minutes exploring and pretending.

After the nature center, we walked over to the birds of prey (a hawk and two owls) and the garden. Outside the garden a small pond contained dozens of frogs. So we sat for a long time, trying to find every one, which was oddly fun. The kids all proclaimed themselves "official frog finders" and ribetted as we walked/ran to the car. A great day.

If you're interested the nature center is open 10-5 Tuesday-Saturday and 12-5 on Sundays (closed Mondays). Every Sundays from 1:30 to 5:30 the park hosts special games, activities, and refreshments, no reservations required. And on certain Saturdays throughout the summer free concerts play on the park's outdoor stage. Click here for more information.

The main trail is stroller-friendly, but offshoot trails are not (by the way, there's no actual overlook, just so you know).



My camera battery died, so I had to iphone it. How many frogs can you find in the bottom picture?