Scott's Run, McLean, Virginia

I started a new job about seven months ago, and I have amazing coworkers.  My coworkers work together like a family, and I've been really lucky to be able to make friends and feel a part of something here.  I was ecstatic when they started talking about doing a group hike!  There were going to be like, 15 people there, and dogs, and we'd go at 7 in the morning, and we'd have all the rest of our Saturday and it was going to be awesome!  Right?

It really WAS awesome, but only two of my coworkers came, with one dog, and Anna and Julia and Aaron and me.  And it was a beautiful morning for a hike - crisp and really cold.  Julia, you may remember, is allergic to the cold, and so she was very bundled up.  We were prepared for her to get hives, and sure enough, she did, but we didn't let them stop us from having a good morning hike.

We opted for a trail that wasn't a trail at one point and went to a beautiful overlook of the Potomac and some lovely rocks for climbing.  Aaron and Anna had a good time climbing all the rocks, and the adults had a good time too.

The hike includes several river crossings on cement bumps in the water that are placed a wide foot-width apart.  This works very well, except for people who have to wrestle a large German shepherd who wants to go play with the numerous dogs who are allowed to hike off-leash in the park with their owners.  Luckily, nobody fell in the water.

We started off at 7:30 and got finished at 9, with a whole long day ahead of us.  There are beautiful views and in the early morning, it's really peaceful and has a great deal of solitude.  Wildlife on the trail is not as abundant,as it's a very used trail in McLean, but there are deer and squirrels and I'm sure many things we couldn't see and that's just as well.  If the snakes are sleeping, I say let them sleep.

Definitely planning to go back sometime and take the longer loop.  The trail was supposed to be 2.6 miles, but wound up being 3.2 after we took the extra leg for the cliff viewing.

Time spent on trail:  90 minutes.

Difficulty:  Easy if you're experienced, mildly moderate if not - there are rocks and roots and crossings.  No high elevation changes.

Bonuses:  Birdsong is beautiful in the trees.

View:  Lovely river views.

Kid-friendly:  Yes, easily.  Kids will like climbing on cliffs and splashing through water in warmer months.