Covid Hikes
NEW!! Covid-19 is a challenge for everybody, even Venturing Crews. This webpage features "Covid Hikes" that can offer a way to provide outdoor adventure while managing the risk posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. What are "Covid Hikes"? Simply put, they are hikes that do not require carpooling and likely will avoid crowds. For us, this means identifying hikes that are mostly within Fairfax County, the home of Crew 128.
Safety First!
Under state law and BSA policy, Crew 128 strictly observes all state and local pandemic precautions. The precautions change frequently, so they must be verified for each adventure. In general terms, however, it means that everybody wears masks, remains distanced, avoids inside gatherings, avoids car pools, and affirmatively represents that they are not sick or experiencing symptoms. Further, we comply with the group size limits set by government authorities.
Our List of Covid Hikes
The list below offers many hiking options. Expand the description by clicking on the control on the right side. Click on the title to go to a website for further information from the county or other source.
A 17-mile trail in southern Fairfax County. This beautiful path takes visitors through more than 5,000 acres of scenic woodlands. Along this track one will also find one of the region’s richest untapped historic resources. This area played a vital role at different times in our history from the Revolutionary to the Civil War. Sites along the trail include various battle points and land features, as well as the more curious, like a grouping of earthen mounds that once comprised a make-shift Civil War fort.
This is a 10-mile footpath between the trailhead for Theodore Roosevelt Island (and the Mount Vernon Trail) and Live Oak Lane (adjacent to the American Legion Bridge/I-495), including a parking area within Scott's Run Nature Preserve.
This is a good hike that can be completed in a morning. In fact, it begins a short walk from the homes of many Venturers in Crew 128 It crosses from Fairfax County to Arlington County, and back again. Over three miles of this circuit hike is in parkland as it goes down the Pimmit Run, parallels the Potomac River, and then ascends the Gulf Branch.
Opportunities exist for both short and extended hikes. Before setting out on your hike, stop by the park visitor center to obtain a trail map. Or download the park's Hiking Trail Map. Note that there were two battles here, one in 1861, and the next in 1862. Naturally, there are two sets of trails that highlight these events.
The CCT runs from Great Falls to the southern tip of Fairfax County at the Occoquan River. The link leads to a series of ten maps that show the trail. While this trail is great for mountan biking, it is also good for hiking. The northern most maps (7 through 10), are particularly good for hikes along the Difficult Run.
While some trails on this website are absolutely crowded on the weekends, others offer some pleasant surprises. Check out, for example, Riverbend Park. Or consider connecting the Lake Fairfax Trails with the CCT Trails (see map 9) to make a long hike with ample parking at Lake Fairfax.
Many crew members are familiar with the Alonzo Stagg hike, held annually in the Chain Bridge District. Perhaps the 20-mile hike or the 25-mile hike is a good candidate for a crew outing. The maps and details are available on the Troop 111 website.