Wilderness in Washington: Activities for the Fall | The Kojo Nnamdi Show

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Wilderness in Washington: Activities for the Fall

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Guests

Candy Thomson

Reporter, The Baltimore Sun

King Montgomery

Outdoor and Travel Writer and photographer

Michelle Scheele

Publicity Director, Capital Hiking Club

Fall foliage, D.C. region.

Jason Novak, WAMU

Hikes / Parks / "Hidden Gems" Mentioned on the Show

• The Patuxent Branch Trail (Howard County, MD) Five miles. Starts at Savage Park and ends at Lake Elkhorn. It's a rail trail. Recommended by Candy Thomson.
• The Gold Mine Loop Trail off the C&O Canal. A little over three miles. No bikes. Start and end at the Great Falls Visitor Center. Recommended by Candy Thomson
• Cross Island Trail (Centreville MD) Just over the Bay Bridge. 5 miles. Asphalt surface. Great views of Chesapeake Bay inlets and wetlands. Recommended by Candy Thomson.
• Weverton Cliffs an Appalachian Trail hike to the Potomac River/Harper's Ferry overlook. As a 12-mile out-and-back hike, park at Gathland State Park off Route 67 and follow the white blazes for six miles. Pick up the blue blazes to the Weverton Cliffs spur trail. To cut the hike in half, make it a shuttle with one car at Gathland and the other on Weverton Road under the cliffs. Or for a shorter hike, park on Weverton Road off Route 67 and take the AT from the south end of the parking lot to the top. It's steep, with about a dozen switchbacks. Recommended by Candy Thomson.
• Huntley Meadows State Park (Alexandria, VA) Recommended by King Montgomery.
• Washington Monument State Park (Boonsboro, MD) Recommended by Michelle Scheele.
• Gambrill State Park (Thurmont, Md) Recommended by Michelle Scheele.
• Michaux State Forest (East Fayetteville, PA) Recommended by Michelle Scheele.
• Hawk Mountain (Kempton, PA) A private reserve, home to thousands of migratory raptors. Recommended by Candy Thomson.
• Patapsco Valley State Park (Ellicott City, MD)
• Mason Neck State Park / Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge (Woodbridge, VA)

Great Hiking without Driving

Capital Hiking Club and Wanderbirds Hiking Club both offer bus service for group hikes in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Capitol Hiking club is also running a "Moonlight Hike" along the C&O Canal on Friday, October 30th at 8:30pm

Finding the best Fall Foliage

Trail Voice has a useful collection of resources for "leaf peepers" and outdoor enthusiasts.

Fishing Resources

If you're a first-timer or a seasoned angler, Candy Thomson and King Montgomery recommend checking out the Potomac-Patuxent Chapter of Trout Unlimited. They both highly recommend checking out Gunpowder Falls State Park. King recommends Backwater Angler in Monkton, MD.

Hiking with Dogs

In a previous "Wilderness in Washington" show, Candy and Paul Elliot discussed dog-friendly hiking. A listener recommended K9 Trailblazers, "a dog hiking club ... dedicated to encouraging responsible hiking with your canine companion".