On Saturday some friends and I went on a pleasant hike at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, a small park in along the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia. The park features the closest waterfall to Washington DC and a beautiful overlook of the Potomac. It’s laced with streambeds and trails through rugged terrain, but it’s almost impossible to get lost because the park is so small and is bounded on all sides by the Potomac, Scott’s Run, I-495, and Georgetown Pike. The park’s small size can be something of a drawback, though, since parking is very limited and some side excursions along secondary trails are needed to get in a hike much longer than a couple of miles.

The day was overcast and cool, with the occasional sprinkle and a slight breeze, making for comfy hiking. Fallen trees and slippery trails slowed the pace a bit and caused a lengthy detour. But this was a good thing, since we ended up hiking over 5 miles without doing a lot of backtracking.

I put together a Google map for general orientation to help hikers find the place and get an idea of the route, and the Dranesville District Park map at Topoquest is useful, but the topo map (pdf) at the Fairfax County website is the indispensable reference to the park’s tangle of trails.

A wonderful hike with a fun bunch of folks! Not everyone could make it Saturday due to the limited parking or schedule conflicts, so we’re going back again next weekend. And unlike dessert, I’m sure a second helping will taste just as good!