The snow we have gotten this week here in VA has me missing the sunshine and warmer weather. One of my favorite things to do in the summer time is to go hiking all over Northern VA with Nathan. There are so many trails located around us, and the cool part is that many of them are old Civil War trails as well. We have a few favorite trails that we frequent a lot, such as Manassas Battlefield park, Great Falls Park, and there’s one close to Vienna that I can’t remember what it is called, but we’ve gone to that one a few times as well. 

Great Falls Park isn’t a Civil War trail, but there is a huge waterfall and a river that follow along the trail and the view is spectacular. The trail itself isn’t very long at this park, but it also has picnic areas and places where you can bring your canoes and attempt to ride the currents from the waterfall. I love walking to the end of the trail and just sticking my feet in the water with Nate to cool off before turning around to go back. We technically aren’t allowed to swim in this river because of the strong current, but we figured it was okay to go in a couple of inches and skip some rocks around. If you find yourself in the area, it’s a nice little place to unwind and enjoy nature. 

I believe I have probably mentioned Manassas Battlefield Park in one of my previous blog posts, but I didn’t go into much detail. This place has quickly turned into one my favorite places in Northern VA, and Nathan and I have gone there quite a bit since we discovered it last summer. The park is huge, with several different trails that take you through various battlefields where the Civil War took place all those years ago. There are a few remaining structures that still stand in the park, and there are signs that tell the history of them as well. I find it so interesting to learn about what went on during that time and how each building or object played its part in the war. The scenery here is beautiful as well, with wide open fields and lots of rolling hills, it makes for a quiet getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. While we do enjoy the history part about the park, Nathan and I also enjoy running some of the trails out there. It’s a great place to get the longer runs in, and the trail we usually do is roughly 7 miles long. I’m still waiting on my foot to get better so I can get back out there, and enjoy the trails again!

Finally, one of the cooler trails we have gone to in VA is another civil war trail that I cannot for the life of me remember what the name of it was. But it was close to Vienna, VA, and it was up in the mountains a little bit, not super high up, but decently hilly. Like Manassas Battlefield, it has a lot of remnants from the civil war, such as: an old, run down mill; a giant hole in the ground that was used for food storage, like an ice box almost; an abandoned cabin in the middle of the woods; and Nathan and I have even found a few relics like old tin cups and bottles that could have been left behind from the war. Obviously, they could have been left behind by other hikers as well, but it’s cool to believe they were left behind by soldiers! 😉 The last time we went to this trail, they had the mill blocked off, so we couldn’t get very close to it. However, the first time we were there, they did not have it blocked off and Nate and I were basically the only ones there, so we went exploring inside the mill. The mill was used for multiple purposes throughout the war, and had been burned down twice. Now all that remains, are the sides of the building, there’s no roof, and it is filled with rubble. It was so cool to go exploring in there, even though it was a mess and hard to move around, I thought it was amazing. I can’t get enough of all the history stuff!!

Even though I am not looking forward to the heat and humidity all that much, I am looking forward to some nice, dry weather so Nathan and I can get back out there and continue our exploring! I love that we both enjoy doing these kinds of things and are able to find more adventures all the time. We live in the perfect place to do it, and there are plenty more that we haven’t hit yet. Start planning Nate, cuz we have a lot of adventures to check off the list!

Hope everyone stays nice and warm, both here in VA, and back in SD. Looks like both places are supposed to be getting more snow soon. Just think of the warm weather and the fun summer time activities that are not too far away!

Until Next Time! 🙂

Megan Reiffenberger