Nestled in the scenic heart of Loudoun County, Virginia, Catoctin Creek Distilling Company stands as a testament to craftsmanship and community. Founded in 2009 by Scott and Becky Harris, the distillery is celebrated for its organic and kosher spirits, including the award-winning Roundstone Rye. But, beyond their distilling expertise, the Harrises share a deep appreciation for the natural beauty surrounding their Purcellville home.

Just a short drive from the distillery lies the Bears Den and Ravens Rocks Trails, a couple popular hiking paths that meander through the woodlands of Loudoun County, Virginia. These trails offer hikers a moderate challenge with elevations ranging from 600 to 1,760 feet, providing panoramic views and a rich tapestry of flora and fauna. The dense forest canopy and diverse ecosystems make it a haven for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts alike.

Scott, in particular, has a keen interest in birding. His passion for observing local avian species aligns perfectly with the opportunities the Appalachian region offers. The varied habitats along the trail attract a multitude of bird species, making each hike a unique experience for enthusiasts like Scott.

For those visiting Catoctin Creek Distillery, the combination of savoring handcrafted spirits and exploring the nearby Appalachian Trail provides a perfect blend of local culture and natural beauty. Whether you're an avid hiker, a budding birdwatcher, or simply someone looking to connect with nature, the Harrises' favorite pastime offers an enriching experience that complements their dedication to quality and community.

So, lace up your hiking boots, bring along your binoculars, and embark on a journey through the landscapes that Scott and Becky Harris cherish. Their passion for both distilling and the outdoors invites you to discover the harmonious balance between craftsmanship and nature.

Visit Loudoun returns as a "Trailblazer" sponsor of the Loudoun Appalachian Trail Festival. In this guest blog, Visit Loudoun shares favorite county hiking spots. For suggestions on places to stop after these hikes, see their recommendations here.

The Best Hikes and Trails in Loudoun

​From the woodland paths and riverfront views of Algonkian Regional Park and Ball’s Bluff Battlefield to the ups and downs of The Rollercoaster section of the world-famous Appalachian Trail, accessible at Bears Den Overlook, Loudoun is a playground for the active and energetic. Add in the paved Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad Regional Park, the narrowest park in Virginia, that perfectly bisects the county east to west, and you have a slate of hikes and trails to suit both the serious and leisure enthusiast. It’s time to hit the trail.

Waterfront
POTOMAC HERITAGE TRAIL. This trail serves as a central point for 15 miles of riverfront parks in Loudoun. Located in Sterling, the trail encompasses portions of Algonkian Regional Park, Bles Park and Bazil Newman Riverfront Park. Hike, bike or paddle your way to different trail sites in Loudoun! Learn more about the trails and what activities are available to you here.

ALGONKIAN REGIONAL PARK. Algonkian Regional Park features 838 acres of outdoor adventure with paved and natural surface hiking trails. The trails run through wooded areas and open fields and expand into cliffs with beautiful views of the Potomac River. There are 12 rustic winterized rental cabins within the park if you want to hang around for blazing sunsets or bright sunrises. Dogs on leashes are most welcome. 

BALL’S BLUFF BATTLEFIELD REGIONAL PARK. Located on high banks above the Potomac River north of Leesburg, this regional park contains one of the smallest National Cemeteries in the nation, burial place of soldiers who died in the infamous Battle of Ball’s Bluff on October 21st, 1861. The park offers a one-mile hiking trail with interpretive signs, which take you through open ground, past the cemetery through woodland to high bluffs overlooking the river and spectacular views all around.

BAZIL NEWMAN RIVERFRONT PARK. With more than 100 acres of open parkland nestled on the banks of the Potomac River, Bazil Newman Riverfront Park is where land meets water. Walk along the woodland trails to gain access to the Potomac and Goose Creek. The park also has a flowing river for canoeing and kayaking activities. It’s the one stop shop for outdoor adventure.

RESERVOIR PARK TRAIL. Part of the NOVA Parks system, this park and reservoir sprawls across 600 acres with a winding six-mile circular trail along its shore and through dense woodland. You’re in the suburbs but a world away. Accessible year-round, the trail is primarily used for walking and nature trips; dogs are allowed but must be kept on a leash. There is also kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding and fishing, the lake stocked with several species of bass and trout. Cast from the banks or hop into a non-gas boat to get the big ones out in the middle. A Virginia fishing license is required.

Land
THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL. Make your way to Bears Den off Route 7 in the Blue Ridge Mountains above Bluemont and hike the short but strenuous Loudoun stretch of the Appalachian Trail – known as Virginia’s Rollercoaster. Bear’s Den has spectacular views from high rocks of the Shenandoah Valley to the west, pine trees all around. On the other side of Route 7, above Round Hill, the trail leads you down the mountain along a set of stones that form a natural staircase leading to the Blackburn Trail Center log cabins. A rustic 1910-built lodge, it’s a refreshment station for hikers and available for rent outside of peak season. Nearby, Dirt Farm Brewing has dedicated 3.5 miles of wooded trail at a 400-foot elevation overlooking the breweries farmland.

HAL AND BERNI HANSON REGIONAL PARK. Tucked away in southeast Loudoun near Brambleton is the massive Hal and Berni Hanson Regional Park. You can hike, walk or bike paved and natural trails at this 257-acre regional park. Beyond hiking, the park has no shortage of multipurpose athletic fields including four pickleball/tennis courts, two turf fields and four baseball/softball fields. 

BANSHEE REEKS NATURE PRESERVE. This little-known, 725-acre nature preserve south of Leesburg features more than 20 miles of marked trails through dense woodland in the rolling valleys along Goose Creek. Hikers can see diverse forest wildlife and plant life. To assist in preservation in 2016, goats from Willowsford Farm were guided through the preserve to manage unwanted vegetation.

WASHINGTON & OLD DOMINION RAILROAD REGIONAL PARK. Probably the best-known trail in the county, this 45-mile park – the narrowest in Virginia – runs from Sterling in the east to Purcellville out west on the bed of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad. While you can horseback ride it in sections, it’s best for cycling or hiking, particularly the flat stretch between Hamilton and Purcellville, beautiful farm fields all around.

—Visit Loudoun
​
mag

This guest blog comes to us from Mills Kelly, author of  Virginia's Lost Appalachian Trail. Historian and lifelong hiker Kelly will join us at the festival this year to  share a bit of his current project: A Hiker's History of the Appalachian Trail, a comprehensive chronicle of the A.T. told through the experiences of individual hikers.

When you go on a hike on the Appalachian Trail, what do you bring to eat? 
 
If you’re just out for a few hours or maybe for the day, you probably packed some energy bars, maybe some fresh or dried fruit and something snacky like trail mix or a candy bar. If you’re backpacking, you might have some freeze-dried meals, some oatmeal, some jerky and lots of energy bars, trail mix, or other high carb, high protein snacks.
 
But if you were hitting the trail in the 1930s, '40s or '50s, you almost certainly brought along some onion sandwiches—two buttered slices of bread and a nice, juicy slice of fresh onion. 
 
For my forthcoming book, A Hiker’s History of the Appalachian Trail ), I researched what foods hikers brought with them in their packs over the decades, and some of what I found was quite a surprise. Ever since I started seeing onion sandwiches on hiker “grub lists” from the 1920s to the '60s, I wondered if anyone I know had ever eaten one, much less taken such a sandwich with them on the trail. I asked around and the closest I got was one friend who told me that her grandmother used to eat them for lunch on Saturdays. As far as hikers are concerned, onion sandwiches have gone the way of the dinosaur.
 
But what about bacon? If you’ve ever camped at an Appalachian Trail shelter, there's a reasonable chance that you woke up to the smell of bacon sizzling in a pan either at the shelter or in someone’s tent site. I think it’s fair to say that long distance hikers get their bacon fixes in restaurants near the trail, but until at least the 1960s, they were advised to bring large slabs of bacon with them on their treks.
 
How did they keep that bacon from greasing up their packs, especially in warm weather? Simple! Abercrombie & Fitch, which used to be America’s most important supplier of outdoor gear, sold something called a “pork bag” that hikers used to keep all that grease at bay.
 
And then there was “Dynamite Soup.” Over and over, I kept seeing references to this soup in the hiker advice literature. But despite my best efforts, I couldn’t find any trace of it in product catalogs or old advertisements. Like a small pebble in my hiking shoe, not knowing what Dynamite Soup was annoyed me. As things often go in the archives, I found the answer when I wasn’t looking for it. A couple of years ago, I was reading the correspondence of one of the founders of the Appalachian Trail and in a letter to a friend, he laid it all out for me:
 
"One of our mainstays is [a] soup or stew that is not always above suspicion. With a basis of a handful of rice we add any dehydro vegetables in sight, especially onions, and a stick of Erbswurst, also know from its appearance and its (later) explosive qualities, as dynamite soup—with a little slab of chopped bacon and anything else that is lying around camp." 
 
So there it was, “dynamite” because it was gas-inducing. I’m not sure how I didn’t think of that in the first place.
 
What hikers ate “back in the day” is just one of the many ways the hiker experience on the Appalachian Trail has changed over the past 100 years. Gear, the environment, the trail’s route—all are very different today. The A.T. is always changing, as are the hikers who put one foot in front of another heading north or south. Here’s hoping that onion sandwiches never come back.

--Mills Kelly
 
 
 

This guest blog comes to us from one of our returning "Trailblazer" sponsors: Old Dominion Land Conservancy. We thank ODLC for their continued support of our festival—and for their work to protect our green spaces.

Scenic open space and farmland are constantly under threat of development throughout Northern Virginia. Land trusts, like Old Dominion Land Conservancy (ODLC), seek to work with landowners to protect these imperiled lands in perpetuity via conservation easement or land donations. We look to protect arable farmland, forests, riparian and wetland habitat, historic or heritage properties and scenic assets such as the Appalachian Trail viewshed. ODLC partners with landowners who are interested in preserving these vital resources not just for their benefit, but for future generations to enjoy. 

“We are blessed to have the Appalachian Trail in our backyard, and protecting the view from the trail is vitally important. This makes the work of conserving land along the trail one of our highest priorities," explains ODLC Executive Director Henry Stribling.

Last year, ODLC worked with landowners to protect 436 acres of land in Northern Virginia with conservation easements. This included more than 110 acres of hardwood forest and 100 acres of active farmland within Loudoun County. Over the years ODLC has worked to protect close to 40 properties within the Appalachian Trail viewshed or with direct access to the trail. In addition to this, many of our projects have enabled ODLC to protect in perpetuity almost seven miles of Potomac River frontage and portions of many key tributaries within Chesapeake Bay watershed throughout Northern Virginia. Since 2008, ODLC has partnered with landowners to preserve over 21,000 acres of land via conservation easement. 

2025 also offers ODLC the opportunity to begin management of a donated 58-acre property bordering the G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area. This property was neglected for many years and has been overwhelmed by invasive species. Additionally, much of the forest on the property is filled with dying ash and oak trees while the underbrush and trails have been taken over by green briar. We have work planned with our summer interns and local volunteers to reestablish the trails present on the property and establish a pollinator garden with bee hives. We look forward to improving this property for the benefit of the local community and future generations. 
 
--Geoffrey Nichols, Old Dominion Land Conservancy

Our guest blog comes from friend of the fest/sponsor Rick Oxner, founder and owner of Warm Peet, the sock company with a heart. 100% of Warm Peet's profits go to mental health and nature conservation nonprofits (like ours!). Rick and Warm Peet will be joining us at the festival again this year.

Here we are, just days from Tax Day—and I am just getting started! The phrase, "I’d rather be hiking," has never been more relevant.

Speaking of hiking, last September–October, I section hiked on the Appalachian Trail from Great Barrington, MA, to Phillipstown, NY, approximately 110 miles, as part of my “Filling the Gaps” hiking tour. This tour is where I am going back and hiking small sections I skipped on my 2017 SOBO adventure for one reason or another. So, this one hike completed MA, CT and NY for me. Check!

Joining me was a friend from my Air Force days, Mike, and this was his first section of the A.T. It was great catching up with him, sharing my love of the A.T. and the outdoors, and learning more about him and his family. 

​This stretch was more difficult than I imagined, especially Connecticut—roughly one-half of the planned hike. This was probably due to the seven years that had passed, zero training and, well, it was hard…but stunning, none the less. The end of Massachusetts, southbound, seemed to lull me into thinking: OK, this is going to be an easy ten days out, then Connecticut, WHAM! Right in the forehead!

Some parts of this short section challenged me and would have seven years ago, as well. It was rugged with some climbs seeming to be vertical; many required all four extremities, and a few caused some expletives to make their way into nature's silence. Still, the views this time of year were stunning as the leaves were changing from their lush green summer hues to the kaleidoscope of a northeast fall. Stunning!
 
Part of my difficulties, I learned and acknowledged eventually, were my boots. I have worn the same make and model for many years and knew this pair were on their last leg. I had worn them extensively prior to this—both hiking and volunteering at a farm. But I told myself for that last 100 miles, eh, they would be fine.

By the time we made Pawling, NY, (our shower day and overnight), I knew they had to go, because my brain was focused on being finished and taking my boots off, spoiling any chance to really enjoy the hike. At Pawling, I got my Brooks Adrenaline 23s back and immediately felt like a new hiker!

We finished on October 2. It all seemed too short, a mere 10 days. This was an incredible stretch of the A.T. and I would highly recommend it, especially in the fall. Afterwards, I remained a little secluded at home trying to immerse myself back into the world that we were never far away from physically, but millions of miles away from mentally and emotionally. I can't wait for the next one. Maybe Mike will join me again, and we will continue the journey.

Oh, and if anyone was wondering, I wore one pair of Warm Peet OG Hiker Crew socks the entire time! Hope to see you out there someday—or at the festival on June 7th!

--Rick Oxner, Warm Peet

Thanks to Visit Loudoun, festival "Trailblazer" sponsor, for this shoutout in its  Loudoun "Must-Do Experiences" article:

Hike the Appalachian Trail
in its Centenary Year
2025 marks the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the non-profit that oversees the maintenance and conservation of the world-famous 2,200-mile trail that runs from Maine to Georgia. Loudoun is home to a spectacular 13-mile stretch of the AT known as The Rollercoaster, a swooping, rocky hike along the spine of the Blue Ridge on the western border of the county.

Celebrate the 100th Anniversary with a short hike from Bears Den Overlook above historic Bluemont, opposite Bear Chase Brewing Co. The northern stretch from Bears Den across Route 7 takes you up and over rocky outcrops and boulders to the Blackburn Trail Center, a rustic 1910-built lodge and refreshment station north of the Town of Round Hill.

You can hike the trail year-round but a good time to visit in 2025 is June 7 for the Loudoun Appalachian Trail Festival. The festival celebrates the “trail towns” of Hillsboro, Round Hill and Bluemont.

Visit Loudoun article by Douglas Rogers.

We have great bands lined up! (More on this soon.) We have great speakers on board! (More on that, too.) We have another art show in the works! 

And, of course, all those family friendly activities: climbing wall, nature crafts, camping demos, pony rides and ice cream!

Also joining us as the festival: Appalachian Trail Conservancy, A.T. Museum, Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, Virginia Master Naturalists and Gardeners, Blue Ridge PRISM, Sweet Run State Park, American Chestnut Foundation, Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains...and more great organizations working to protect all our green spaces.

To make all this happen, we count on volunteers (that could be you), sponsors (ISO more sponsors) and our online auction (now collecting donations). We would love to have you help with any of these—and we hope to see you all on June 7th at the Old Stone School grounds in Hillsboro, VA. 

Please send us all questions and suggestions—and get ready for Loudoun's biggest celebration of the A.T. and all the Great Outdoors. 

On October 5, we hosted a work day at Bears Den.  Caretaker Glen lined up projects and a happy band of volunteers came to get the work done. Together, we fixed up the entrance driveway, cleaned up trails and the overlook, stacked firewood, and repaired privy roofs and vents. And we got to connect with dozens of A.T. hikers and scouts to talk about the A.T. and the work of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC.) (Sad you missed this? Visit www.patc.net for more opportunities to get out and do some trail work!)