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| By:
Mark
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Date of Hike: Sunday, July 9, 2017 |
| Was a beautiful Sunday out and tried to get into Great Falls Park with some nephews to go hiking there, but at 9:45 the line to get in was nearly 1/2 mile long and not moving so we drove to Riverbend Park with the idea to hike down the riverside trail to Great Falls. About 1/2 down the trail we ran into many groups that warned us about yellow jacket nests in various trees that had fallen with about 80% of the people having been stung (as well as some dogs). With two younger boys we did a detour on some of the trails in the woods to get to Great Falls which would have OK (pretty boring, but quick to traverse), but then as we got back to the riverside trail near the damn just before Great Falls there were some nests in the rocks there and myself and one of the boys was stung as were some other people. We had been in the visitors center talking to the nice lady there and not one warning about the nests from anyone with the park until we ran into a ranger from Great Falls preparing to put some signs up.
Certainly not a quiet place on a summer Sunday, but definitely less crowded than Great Falls. Probably would rate it a four if not for the yellow jackets.
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| By:
Bryan
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Date of Hike: Thursday, May 4, 2017 |
| Nice hike with a good mix of terrain. Easy for beginners, but not challenging. Trails are well marked throughout the park if you follow the markers. The area is beautiful, but there's no spectacular vistas along the trail.
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| By:
Thea
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Date of Hike: Friday, May 15, 2015 |
| The map here is not showing the exact track, so I had difficulties when trying to follow the printout of the HU map that I used for reference (I have been using this method for all of my hikes which follows HU directions, and so far succeed). Other than that this trail is pretty nice for a nearby walk/hike. Basically, follow green sign on the east side, and red sign on the west side. I finished in 1 hour and 45 minutes, total distance as per my gps is 4.02 miles - this includes several back and forth walk in an attempt to find the red sign after crossing the Conn's Meadow Farm area.
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| By:
TravelMad
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Date of Hike: Monday, January 20, 2014 |
| Pleasant - we did it in a little under 2 hours. But - you need to keep your eyes peeled for the red blazes of the bootlegger trail and not solely rely on these directions. (Although a few more landmarks in these directions would be appreciated...) This was our first time in Riverbend, and it gave us a nice survey of the park. I also do not think it would be particularly suitable for families with young children around Artillery Hill - it is a steep hill down - but there are plenty of connector trails to avoid that last bit. Thanks for posting the hike! We will do more off this website.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Friday, January 18, 2013 |
The directions are sorely in need of updating, it's been 2 or 3 years since the trail names have changed, and I unfortunately didn't pay close attention to the comments before setting out. I spent more time being frustrated with my map and less time actually enjoying the hike. :\
HikingUpward Note: Athryn, thanks for the notes about the new trail names. The map has been updated as well as the hike directions to now include the longer loop hike on the Bootlegger Trail.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Sunday, January 29, 2012 |
| My two boys, 9 and 12, the dog and I hiked from River Bend down into Great Falls and back again. They could scramble up and down the cliffs and rocks while I strolled along. The path is straight and usually dry (although when the river floods it gets muddy) and not at all strenuous. The Great Falls section is crowed with people while the River Rend section isn't. Nice views as well. Overall a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon with kids.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Saturday, January 21, 2012 |
| We hiked this on a Saturday with about an inch of snow on the ground. The visitor center is very well maintained with friendly and helpful staff. They were shoveling all the sidewalks when we arrived at 11:20. The visitor center had some really cool items that you should stop in and take a look at. About this hike, well it took us 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete adding 5.36 miles to this hike. Before we got to Carpers pond we kept going straight along the Potomac passing some really cool stuff a bridge, a huge house, Watkins Island Overlook and a washed out road that has a make shift waterfall. After the washed out road we kept going straight for a little longer. Adding this really adds some excitement to this trail and also a great workout. So in the end we did 3.5 hrs of hiking covering 8.36 miles of trails running into about 6 other people in an inch of snow it was a great day for a hike.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Sunday, August 14, 2011 |
| The trails in Riverbend have been re-named and re-blazed. The former "Paw Paw Trail" is now part of the "Bootlegger Trail". The "Upland Trail" is now blazed gold and is called the "Follows the Hollows Trail". There are still some posts marked as "Upland", but I'm guessing they will be removed or re-branded at some point. Here is a link to the latest trail names and blazes: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend/trails.htm
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| By:
Adam Peat
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Date of Hike: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 |
| We did this hike early in the morning during the weekday and were the only ones on the trail. The trails were generally narrow and there were many cross trail spider webs (every few feet) so we eventually used a stick to clear the the path. A hiking hazard, I know, but this was excessive. The hike itself was not too scenic (although we did enjoy the meadow) and all of the other potomac river hikes we've done have had much better river views. A nice, easy hike, but our least favorite that we have done.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Saturday, July 2, 2011 |
| Great Hike! Beautiful views of the Potomac. Started in Great Falls Park and then into Riverbend with my son. We started about 7am and it there were no people. By 1130 am it was much busier. A great 7.5 mile hike.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Saturday, May 28, 2011 |
| My husband is new to hiking, and I'm getting back into hiking. This was a nice hike for us. It was not too challenging, but it wasn't boring, either. We went on Memorial Day weekend, in the middle of the day, and expected the park to be far busier than it was. The busiest section of the hike was along the Potomac. Once you got off the Potomac, the number of people dramatically dropped off (we saw one other person more than 50 yards from the river). The pond was full of frogs and their croaking was delightful. Our hike took much longer than it should because I took so many photos of the frogs. I expect we'll be back again.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Saturday, March 13, 2010 |
| Due to the heavy rains and the high water in the Potomac River, the trail from the Visitor Center heading upriver to the Heritage Trail is flooded out as of 3/13/2010. As an alternative, you can go behind the the Visitor's Center to the parking lot, turn left up the long "stairs" (behind the boats stored for the winter), then right on the Center Trail (which will eventually bear left), then right on the first trail to the wildlife clearing. At the next intersection, turn right downhill back to the river, (this is the Nature Trail), then after crossing the wooden brige, turn left to continue upriver to intersect with the Paw Paw Passage Trail. At this point, follow the original directions to continue the hike. You will circle back around to the Center Trail to connect with the Upland Trail. I cut it short due to time, so I didn't do the entire Upland loop (gate locks at 5pm still). As for the hike itself today: wet, muddy, deserted...what else could you ask for! :) Saw a muskrat, geese, ducks, and the Potomac (up close and personal...seriously). I hike this area often, and prefer going when the weather is a deterrent to most. This park can get busy during the nicer weather.
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| By:
Tony
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Date of Hike: Sunday, December 21, 2008 |
| I hiked a short distance(about 45 minutes) from Great Falls to Riverbend with my 8 year old son. The temperature was about 30 degrees and slightly windy. Along the way an elderly couple invited us to view an American Bald Eagle through their spotting scope. It's a perfect hike for beginners and kids. We experienced a simple traverse along a narrow path over a rocky/boulder's edge, river's edge path, a rocky, rooty uphill (Upland Trail), and beautiful views. We got our boots muddy (day after a rain), a warm-up, and we left feeling like we hiked a bigger hike. It was a great day out and another awesome reason to become closer as father and son. We will return.
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| By:
Anthony Sr.
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Date of Hike: Saturday, January 6, 2007 |
| I had the pleasure to make this hike on an exceptionally nice and sunny day for the time of the year. As a senior of 70+ years I had no trouble following this route; especially, not after the gentle start walking the flat track along the Potomac River. I would recommend it for anyone with a need to gradually improve their cardiovascular performance or to introduce young children to the pleasure of hiking. Don't forget a picnic basket for a break at the any of the well situated picnic tables.
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