Follow along from home or take our tips for finding waterfalls, rock formations, and beautiful views

Stephanie Lugbill
Communications intern

*Please note: While a little drizzle shouldn’t discourage you from getting outside, hiking during heavy rain can sometimes be dangerous for you and the river.

Avoid wet and slippery rocks for your safety and avoid muddy areas on riverbanks where hiking could lead to erosion.

Here are some safety tips for hiking in the rain.

As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. Unfortunately, this year spring also brought social distancing. But staying healthy doesn’t necessarily mean staying off the trails! (Here are some tips for hiking safely during the COVID-19 outbreak.)

While spring rain isn't always welcome by hikers, a little drizzle can lead to less crowded trails and unexpected adventures!

Whether you just want to join virtually from home or tackle this trail yourself, follow along with Team Potomac member Stephanie on a rainy day hike she mapped along the Potomac Heritage Trail.*

Glancing out the window, I watch as the rain shifts from a gentle mist to steadier patter. Perfect! It’s time to go for a hike. I throw on my rain jacket and boots before heading out the door.

I park near the Rosslyn metro station in Arlington, the closest stop to the trailhead. I hop on to Key Bridge to snap a photo of the Potomac. Fog rises up from the river, giving it a classically spooky look.

After dodging cars’ puddle sprays on the half-mile walk from the station, I find myself on the Potomac Heritage Trail. The Potomac Heritage Trail is part of a large network of trails that connect the mouth of the Potomac all the way to the Allegheny highlands in Pennsylvania. If I continued to follow the trails from this spot, I could end up as far north as Pittsburgh. 

I stop to look around. I’m right in the city, but there isn't a soul in sight. It's beautiful and calm. Unlike John Muir, I don’t have to scurry up a tree in a lightning storm to appreciate the beauty of trail walking in the rain.

Gnarled roots and dormant plants complement the spookiness of the fog levitating just above the river. Dreary days produce gray backdrops and brown puddles, but like a good decorator, nature remembers to surprise with pops of color even before spring fully emerges. Burgundy lichen, vibrant green moss, and stark white mushrooms are speckled across the otherwise monochromatic scene.

As I set off, the weather seems to have ensured me solitude, which is hard to come by on urban trails usual abuzz with “On your right!” cyclists and cheerful greetings from other hikers. The weather allows a completely different experience along the Potomac. That is, of course, until a car drives by on the George Washington parkway, monopolizing the moment.

After a brief walk along the parkway, the trail takes me back into the woods.

And . . . there’s a cart sticking up in the river? Yes, a shopping cart. I took this as the Potomac’s reminder that the peace and beauty of a rainy day walk shouldn’t lull me into complacency. The scene left me thinking about what more I can do to protect our river. It reminded me that spring river cleanups were only a few weeks away, and I knew dedicated volunteers would be out along the shorelines soon!

(Update! Volunteers did pull a shopping cart out of the river near Teddy Roosevelt Island, not far from where this photo was taken, just a few weeks later. We are pretty sure it was the same cart, and we're thankful to the Team Potomac volunteers either way!) 

Leaving the wallowing cart with an “I’ll be back,” I turn and notice the clichéd ending of winter – bright green shoots piercing through the decayed leaves. Will they be yellow daffodils from bulbs that floated from someone’s garden during a flood and landed right here? Or perhaps some wildflowers preparing to bloom.

The second half of the walk turns into more of a hike. Now, instead of drinking in the landscape, I’m trying to remember some tips REI had about hiking in the rain. I'm concentrating on where to place my feet, and I’m using my hands to scramble over some rather slippery rocks. This is really fun, but it is takes a bit more focus.

Wait, there are waterfalls, too? Man, this is a cool walk!

Chain Bridge is now in sight, and I feel like my walk is over, even though I still have four miles left to go. At this point, I could keep going on the Potomac Heritage Trail, turn back and retrace my steps, or cross Chain Bridge and make a loop by walking back on the C&O Canal.

I chose the Canal for some great puddle jumping and low-effort walking, but it was definitely the cushy choice after the PHT.

After five hours of wandering through the woods, I find myself in the middle of Georgetown. I was just in the wilderness, and now I’m in one of the toniest areas in, like, the world? I love this city!

Feeling satisfyingly tired, I crossed the bridge back to Rosslyn and returned home for well deserved late lunch and to research other hidden hiking gems.

My route: http://www.mapmywalk.com/routes/view/1976415299

Start time: 10:00 a.m.

End time: 3:00 p.m.

Total Mileage: 9.16 miles

Average Hiking Speed: 33 minutes/mile

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