W&OD Trail – Vienna, Virginia
Time: 2 hours (or whatever you like)
Gear: water – leash
Difficulty Level: 1 paw
Scenery: 1 paw
Pack: You and your dog
Comments: Lots of people traffic & bicycles
Lucky me, I live within a few miles of the W&OD Trail which is a beautifully maintained, paved, 45-mile trail from DC to Reston, VA.
We parked on the streets of the Town of Vienna where signs indicated there are no parking restrictions on Saturday. There is also a great farmers’ market on Church Street from 8-12 on Saturdays but the big “NO DOGS” sign kept us focused as we headed west on the trail.
At 8a on a cloudy day the trail wasn’t too busy and I only saw one other dog. There are some serious runners and bikers using the path so I kept Karma on a relatively short leash and responsibly heeded all the polite “on your left” call-outs from cyclists. You cannot let your dog wander all over the place when on the main path and you want to have confident control.
What’s cool about this and many sections of the W&OD Trail is there is often a parallel path that is mowed but not paved so Karma and I switched to that path the first chance we got (it sort of stops and starts). There I was able to let him have the full length of the Flexi Lead and wander and sniff to his heart’s delight. We actually came across several water areas where he could drink, stand and play (Karma doesn’t swim per se but that’s another story). I always look for water opportunities to help keep him cool not to mention he loves water so it ups the fun factor.
We walked about an hour and a half at a pretty good pace since I was wearing my heart monitor and wanted to count it as my workout too – ha!
One thing to remember on walks like this is “what walks out, must walk back.” It sounds obvious, but all too often people don’t turn around to come back until their dog starts to look tired and then it can be too late. Wear a watch and learn the limits of your dog even as you work to improve your dog’s fitness level.
When Karma was younger I took him on the same trail, starting out in the morning on a weekend day in September. I had grand visions of walking out/west at least an hour then coming back. Ha! The morning heated up faster than I expected and at the 20 minute mark Karma pulled over and flopped down in the grass panting. Of course I was dressed like Marathon Marge and all these hard-core fitness folks were laughing at the dog in the shade as they ran/rode by. It was funny but I was worried about Karma. It took us forever to get back as Karma kept pulling over and flopping in the shade. Obviously I ran out of water too. Times like this have made me hyper-aware of what it’s like to have this breed of dog in any heat whatsoever! So please, know your dog! And if you have multiple dogs – even if they are the same breed – treat them as individuals.
Shenandoah National Park – North District – 5-miler
Time: 3.5 hours
Length: 5 miles
Gear: daypack – lunch/snack – water – leash – map
Difficulty Level: 2 paws
Scenery: 4 paws
Pack: You and your dog – but trust your comfort level for hiking this distance in the woods on your own.
It’s a great thing that in little over an hour from Northern Virginia you can find yourself riding the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, along Shenandoah National Park’s Skyline Drive. A quick drive west on I-66 brings you to Front Royal, VA and the north most entry point for the park. This beautiful mountain range offers a menu of options to those of us adventuring with our K-9 companions.
On this day Julie, Karma, Cannon and I set out to complete a 5-mile day hike that had eluded us back in April. And with a summer full of hiking and camping trips planned we each finally bought the park’s season pass at the entry station($15 fee for one week access, $30 fee for the season pass; there is no day pass). Then it was on to mile marker 21, the parking lot just past Hogback overlook on the west side of Skyline Drive. This parking area gets full on nice weekend days. We ended up parking along the road.
There are two trail markers at the south end of the parking lot, so make sure you’re headed in the right direction (I learned this lesson the hard way). We picked up the Appalachian Trail (AT) heading north, which from the start crosses the Skyline Drive. Just over a 1/4 mile in we took a right onto the Sugarloaf Trail (blue-blaze). The mile-and-a-half we trekked on this trail offered up lush woodland views and the trail was lined with blooming wildflowers. Great photo opp. Due to the rain earlier in the week, we found mountain streams running across several sections of the trail. This only slowed our progress when the dogs wanted to stop to get a drink or play in the water.
Tip: This is not the situation you want to find yourself in if you hike in sneakers. If you’re going to hike in this park you should upgrade your footwear.
From here we took a left onto the Pole Bridge Link Trail for just a half-mile and then another left at Fourway Junction, which is cleverly named for the fourway trail intersection, onto Keyser Run Fire Road. At Fourway Junction we found a nice spot to stop for lunch. There’s a portion of a downed tree that you can use to sit on for resting and eating lunch. It’s a shaded but open area at the junction – you can’t miss it. As Julie and I downed some lunch and watered the dogs a family passed with a Golden Retriever. Their dog was pulling hard to come say hello and his owners asked “is it okay if he says hello?” just as the introductory sniffing began. Though we don’t mind saying hello to friendly dogs/hikers along the way this visit meant dropping our lunches and seeing our settled dogs get amped up once again.
Tip: If you’re traveling with your dog remember to ask first if it’s okay to visit and don’t assume the answer will be “yes.”
It was a brief visit. We packed up our daypacks and headed up the fire road. This section of trail is wide enough to accommodate at truck. It was a nice break from the single-file formation we’d taken walking in.
At the top of the trail we crossed over the skyline drive for the second time. We quickly came to a T and headed left, back on the AT but this time heading south. With that last turn behind us, we ascended a short rise and were rewarded with an overlook on Little Hogback Mountain to the Shenandoah Valley and beyond. Moving on – we descended a short distance and followed the trail right (double white blaze) to descend further and then make our way up the first crest of Hogback Mountain. There are approx. 10 switchbacks here to help you up the slope. We took a short stop half-way up to get some water and then it was a quick couple more minutes until we reached the top. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any views through the trees.
The trail wasn’t without its rewards though. A little further on the AT and we came to a rocky overlook that sits next to a radio tower. Karma thought he was in heaven as he stood at the edge of the rock jetty. He was truly in his element. This is the highest point in the park’s North District and Hogback Mountain’s second crest. After several photos were taken, Julie called Karma to press on.
We descended towards Skyline Drive and crossed over for the third time. A short distance and we could see our cars and headed over the drive for the fourth and final time. The trip took us just around 3.5 hours to complete. We didn’t take much time loading the dogs back into the car and hit’n the road. After all we had to reward ourselves for the afternoon hike and so we stopped for ice cream on the way through Front Royal.
In review: I highly recommend this trip! The Hogback Mountain switchbacks were the most strenuous part of the hike. Otherwise, I’d categories this as an easy trip. If you wanted to do this hike and skip the switchbacks, you could follow the Skyline Drive south (left) when you come to the top of Keyser Run Fire Road. You can either hop back on the AT further down or walk the road back to your car. There’s plenty of grassy shoulder to keep walkers safe along the drive and the speed limit is only 35 mph. This makes for a safe walk even with dogs and kids.
Directions for this hike:
- From the parking lot after Hogback Mountain Overlook, mile 21, cross over the skyline drive on the Appalachian Trail (AT) north
- Turn right onto Sugarloaf Trail (blue blazes)
- At the T go left onto Pole Bridge Link Trail (blue blazes)
- At Fourway Junction stop for lunch or a snack and then go left up Keyser Run Fire Road
- Cross the Skyline Drive and take a left at the T to hop back on the AT, heading South
- Ascend Hogback Mountain via the switchbacks
- Continue straight on the AT and then descend, crossing Skyline Drive
- Follow the AT, cross Skyline Drive to return to the parking lot
- Celebrate with an ice cream and a treat for your pup
Shenandoah National Park – North District – Hogback Overlook
This past Saturday I had the good fortune to do my first hike of the year with two great friends, two cute dogs and on a gorgeous but windy day. I’m all about planning, so before the trek I carefully picked out a route that 1) I hadn’t done before so I could see some new sites and 2) would be just the right amount of time to scratch the outdoors itch but not leave me limping for the next three days. I made a list of gear to bring and an itinerary for the day, which I shared with my gal pals. All there was left to do was make it out to Shenandoah National Park and hit the trail.
The girls and I parked at the lot just past Hogback Overlook. The dogs were going crazy greeting each other and I just couldn’t wait to get going. Having thoroughly reviewed the map of the 5.2 mile loop and having read through the hike description several times we were off! Start at the cement marker at the south side of the parking lot, check. At the next trail marker take a right and follow the blue blazes down a wooded hillside, check. Pass by Mathew’s Arm campground… errr, wait, what? Ugh… Mathew’s Arm campground is not on the map and I should know cause I’m supposed to be the leader of this hiking party, the one who’s got all the details covered, right?
Fortunately it was a good time to stop and grab some lunch and let the dogs play. As I pulled out my map and directions and stared dumfounded I realize that there must have been a second cement marker at the south side of the parking lot, one that would take us across Skyline Drive and around our planned loop. How could I have missed this? My hiking partners were good sports about it all, though I’m sure I’m not gonna live this one down for a while (1 year, 2 years – only time will tell).
At the end of the day, we put in a good 3 hours of hiking and there’s the promise a do-over to conquer our originally planned trek. The dogs were tired. We felt somewhat accomplished and happily celebrated with some hike’s-end cupcakes :) Did I feel dumb? Yeah. Will I redeem myself next time? Definitely!!
