Local Winter Adventures
When the mercury starts dropping, some feel the urge to stay indoors. But excellent outdoor excursions are just a short walk, drive, hike, or snowshoe away. Whether it's skiing in West Virginia, ice fishing in Maryland or ice skating on the National Mall -- we get advice on winter outdoor fun.
Guests
Related Links
Our guests suggested the following destinations for winter fun.
Candy's Recommendations - Hikes and More
Cunningham falls
Gathland state park
Bombay Hook, Delaware - great place for migrating birds
Blackwater National Park
Wisp Resort - Skiing/snowtube/snowboard
Cabin John - Rents ice skates
Ian's Recommendations - Hikes and More
Sugarloaf Mountain, MD
Kenilworth Gardens - A quiet place with a frozen marsh
Catoctin Mountain Park
Roundtop Regional ski resort
Liberty - Regional ski resort
Whitetail - Regional ski resort
Cannan Valley - Highly recommended ski resort a little further away
Laurel Hill Park - A new mountain bike trail
Sports Rock
Earth Treks - When it's time to take your outdoor activities indoors Sports Rock and Earth Treks are two good rock climbing gyms.
Listener's Recommendations
Old Rag
Shenandoah National park
Blueridge Parkway
Skyline Drive
Lake Fairfax Park, Reston
Burke Lake Park, Herdon - Lake Fairfax and Burke Lake are both good locations in Fairfax County for snow football.
Zoolights at the National Zoo
United States Botanic Gardens - A great location to get out of the cold and surround yourself with nature.
Advice on Dress
Clothes should be worn in layers. The first layer should be long johns made out of silk, then wool or fleece layer, and finally a waterproof/windproof shell layer. Remember foot warmers and hand warmers.
Ian's snowshoes? MSR Denalis - Snowshoe for snow and ice with composite material, a blade on either side.
Casual adventure in Arlington
The Ski Center in DC - Casual Adventure and The Ski Center are two of the local stores recommended by listeners clothing and equipment for the season.
Comments
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Don't forget that kids need outdoor time at this time of year too. It's healthy for them and it relieves some the anticipation angst they are feeling. The National Wildlife Federation has some fun and cool outdoor activities for kids at beoutthere.org
Thanks for the link, Mary. Feel free to get in touch with me and I'll help promote some of those National Wildlife Federation events.
I want to recommend ZooLights at the National Zoo as a fun outdoor activity for families during the holiday season. It runs every night through Jan. 2nd. In addition to the illuminated animals and live entertainment, it could be your last chance to see Tai Shan before the baby panda's return to China in early 2010. Plus, it's much more affordable than other holiday events happening around town (only $5 for FONZ members and $8 for nonmembers). For more info, go to www.fonz.org/zoolights.htm