forest trail in mount vernon

A few weeks ago, we were both in DC & decided to use the time wisely to see if there were any great hikes in the region. After a little searching, we found we could mix tourist duties with hiking! So we jumped at the chance to walk the Forest Trail, on the historic Mount Vernon George Washington estate.

• Trail: Forest Trail (no map available)
• Location: Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens, Mount Vernon, Va.
  
• Length: 1/4 mile
  
• Hike time: 15 minutes (take your time)
  
• Terrain: dirt road, some steps, wood bridge
  
• Path visibility: Very clearly marked
  
• Difficulty: easy
  
• Cost: $13 per adult for admission to Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens
  
• Highlight destination: realization that you are walking where George Washington once did
  
• Beware: nothing - have a great time!
  

Can you think of anything better than taking a nice winter walk in the woods on the private property of President George Washington? The trail begins just off the hill where the main house sits.

At the start of the trail, you're greeted by a few cows & some historic replica farm equipment. Yeah, I'll admit it. I climbed into the wagon for a picture or two, but you won't find that evidence posted here! Walking along to the right side of this area into the trees to the trail, you cross a nice wood bridge to the thick of the woods.

And that is where it hits you.

Not only are you walking on George Washington's property, he likely walked these woods every morning to survey the land.

There were tons of signs along the way, pointing out species of plant or animal life that were present in Washington's time & a few fun quizzes as well.

The walk itself curved around various parts of the forest, but at 1/4 mile it wasn't long enough to get the heart going. This is, after all, basically a museum activity. (If you want a serious hike, you should probably do the 18-mile Mount Vernon trail, which leads hikers along the Potomac from Rosslyn to Mount Vernon.)

The forest trail ends at a farming area exhibition, which recreated a barn and various planting areas all overlooking the Potomac River.

The walk in the woods gives the estate visitors a chance to reflect on how amazing the Mount Vernon historic experience is & really walk a few steps in Washington's world.


Tipped off: We found this one on the Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens Web site when researching tourist activities in DC.

william heise desert view trail

After an afternoon of apple picking in Julian, Calif. yesterday, we decided to check out a hike in the Cuyamaca mountains which promised a great walk in the pine woods and spectacular views of the Cuyamaca and Lunguna mountains, Anza-Borrego Desert & Salton Sea.

• Trail: Desert View Trail (map)
• Location: Julian, Calif. - just over an hour northeast of San Diego
• Length: 2.25 miles
• Hike time: 45 minutes up, 40 minutes down
  
• Terrain: steep incline. Seriously - how was it that it felt like 85% of the entire hike was going straight uphill?
• Path visibility: Mostly clearly marked - but we took a wrong turn on what we thought was part of the trail on the way down but that didn't delay us much.
• Difficulty: moderately difficult - probably not for kids (but other trails in the park would probably be fine)
• Cost: $3 to park
• Highlight destination: Glen's View in the northeast corner of the trail
• Beware: poison oak overgrown into path & sometimes hard to pass ... and SNAKES!

This was a great hike that I'm glad we did. It was a gorgeous warm autumn day (around 70 degrees) & even a little chilly in the shade. Heh. That didn't last long once we made our way from the car to the trail.

We went up the trail taking the eastern approach. Let me tell you, that was smart because it meant we went up the short route & down the long. Trust me, this is not cheating. Five minutes into the hike we were taking on some of the steepest inclines I've ever done.

There is no way to escape the sun, so bring water & any cover you might need (sunscreen, hat).

It took us about 45 minutes to get to the promised vista at the top of the mountain - Glen's View. It was gorgeous. In one direction you could see mountains & enjoy what you had just climbed then to the other you could make out the desert in the distance. It wasn't clear enough to see the Coronado Bridge, but they had a neat contraption up there pointing out what was where. It was a much different experience than the San Diego urban hikes because much of the surrounding areas have been left alone & are undeveloped.

The hike was a good mix of walking through the shaded woods & exploring an exposed mountainside. It is hard to believe that 70% of the park was destroyed by the big Cedar Fire in 2003. That was more than 700 acres of the park. Even now, 4 years later, there is evidence all around of the fire. It didn't get everything though, we actually saw a tree still growing leaves that was charred on the outside but was still healthy once you scraped into the bark.

There is a lot of regrowth all around - sage, oak, pine trees, poison oak, lizards jumping ... and yes, snakes!

Even though some people think I am over-reacting .... well, YOU try being the one that a snake lunges and hisses at. This is what happened: I was following my sandal-wearing hiking partner and looked down at the path. A little baby snake! So I yelled ahead, "snake! Watch out!" Then I realized the only way to safety was to PASS the snake. At that moment, the little harasser lunged at me (just like on the Discovery Channel) and hissed. I swear I saw little fangs. My fearless parter plots a way to get me out of this position as the snake slithered sideways back into the brush, letting me safely pass to freedom. We looked him up online later & think it might have been a western yellow-bellied racer. Only mine had fangs. I know, that doesn't sound dangerous but you try being the one under attack then get back to me.

Tipped off: We first saw this hike online & then bought the new edition (May 2007) of Jerry Schad's Afoot & Afield in San Diego County at a local bookstore which got us motivated to actually do the hike after a day of eating apple pie & caramel apples.