Hemlock Overlook Regional Park

Enjoying the winter weather this morning. Hiked a mile to the railroad bridge. Great day to be outside. Why was there a bulldozer on the trail just passed the bridge.

The ride to this park is as beautiful as the trails inside the park itself. Highly recommended, the trails are well maintained and there are multiple trails to explore. The walk by the stream is refreshing and the serenity of the place just adds to the whole experience. I would go back for sure, can't imagine how beautiful this place will be during Spring and Fall.

What a beautiful treat! This readily accessible park has a network of fairly well maintained hiking trails to enjoy. Ranging in difficulty from easy to moderate, they allow users to spend just 15 minutes in nature or several hours, depending on what combination of trail legs you take. What I noticed was how quickly my husband and I were transported to a feeling of being surrounded by forest. A variety of foliage and trees fill the park, with lots of oak and beech. The beech, with their white bark, were particularly beautiful, providing a contrast in texture and color to the more typical woods found in much of northern Virginia. One improvement the park could use is better trail signage. The free version of the AllTrails app (Android, for us) helped quite a bit, as we could follow along with the GPS-guided map as we progressed through the park. (Tip! Take screenshots of the trail network on the app before you enter the park, as you'll lose the signal at various places. Otherwise, you have to have the paid version of the app to download the full trail map in advance. Sneaky, hee hee.) We wanted to reach the stream, the lazily flowing Bull Run, and the app really helped us decide which way to turn at the trail intersections. There are some pretty dated trail maps on signboards at the entrance to the park, but once you're in the park, it would be hard to tell exactly where you were. Not impossible! Just more challenging. There are no paper maps at the entrance and there's really minimal signage along the trails. So definitely room for improvement there. Parks always suffer from budget constraints, so it's easy to understand why the regional authority can't cover it all. Parking was available in two different lots, rather close together at the entrance. But you can join the trail network at two different places from those lots, so choose the one that suits you best. Or the one with available spots! We had no problem parking when we arrived on a gorgeous summer weekend soon after lunch. But when we returned a couple of hours later in the afternoon, the lots were pretty packed. By the way, both lots are right next to a local winery with picnic tables, in case you want to have a Walk & Wine experience. Choose which one to do first wisely!

It's a beautiful place to hike! The elevation gain can be a bit much, so be mindful of that. Make sure to bring enough water! As for the trail, its nicely marked, and very easily distinguished from the forest. There are places to stick your toes in the river, and have a little rest. It's a very easy, and quick hike. Possibly a nice way to start your day! There is plenty of parking at the start of the trail as well. Get outside, and enjoy yourself!

Wonderful Spring hike through a forest and along the river. Relaxing hike, with some decent inclines here and there but not too rigorous. Perfect if you want a nice easy trail away from the crowds. Convenient location if you like wine, as there is a winery across the street from the trailhead. Parking can be a challenge, but patience is rewarded.