What we’re about
** NEW! SHOP CHC GEAR!!! **
Come ride our bus to day-hike adventures at the region's many beautiful outdoor destinations! Experience the trails 52 weeks a year with Capital Hiking Club, a non-profit group that's been operating since 1937, welcoming the public to join us on all hikes. We specialize in hiking options that challenge a range of skill levels and fulfill the varied interests of our hikers. Saturday weekly hikes: Long hikes averaging 9-12 miles and shorter hikes averaging 6-9 miles, plus social time with post-hike refreshments. The Club's chartered bus starts picking up hikers near 17th and K Streets (Farragut Square) in downtown DC and makes more pick-up stops in either VA or MD (depending on the destination) for most Saturday hikes. Occasional trailhead or carpool hikes are offered. We also lead moonlight hikes on the C&O Canal Towpath as well as full-moon hikes downtown.
*** Find the complete quarter's hiking schedule by going to www.capitalhikingclub.org ***
-------------------------
CAPITAL HIKING CLUB MISSION STATEMENT
To provide the Washington, DC metropolitan area with safe, quality hiking and outdoor activities, and to promote fellowship, the sport of hiking, and love and respect for natural environments.
Our values are:
Safety – to ensure that all Club activities are conducted in the safest possible manner
Inclusion – to welcome persons interested in the sport of hiking without regard to race, religion, sex, national origin, or economic circumstance
Accessibility – to provide hiking opportunities in the Washington, DC area, within reach by public transportation to the extent possible
Preservation – to promote love and respect for, and preservation of, natural environments
Community – to foster fellowship among those who take part in the Club's activities
Volunteerism – to develop a core group who support the Club by such means as leading hikes, serving on committees and the Executive Board, and assisting with other necessary tasks
Longevity – to employ sound management and financial principles to ensure the continued existence of the Capital Hiking Club as a going concern
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Hike: Massanutten Trail/Buzzard Rock/Veach Gap, VA17th Street Northwest & K Street Northwest, Washington, DC$36.00
PATC Map G / VA Bus
$36. Long hike: 12 mi., 2500 ft. elevation gain. Moderate hike: 9 mi., 2000 ft. elevation gain.
We frequently cover the Signal Knob area of Massanutten Mountain, but today’s hike will explore the other side of the historic Fort Valley. Long hikers will take the Buzzard Rock Trail to ascend to the Massanutten Trail and proceed to the junction with the Shawl Gap Trail. Moderate hikers will ascend to this junction on the Massanutten Trail from Elizabeth Furnace. All hikers will then proceed on the Massanutten Trail along the ridgeline and descend to the road via the Veach Gap Trail, descending through the lovely Mill Run gorge.
-------------------------------------
COVID PRECAUTIONS
All participants should be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Anyone experiencing symptoms of upper respiratory illness should not attend the event.***
RESERVATIONS
Capital Hiking Club is a non-profit group, and the public is invited on all trips. Reservations are accepted as late as Friday, but reserving before Wednesday night helps ensure your spot and prevent cancellation of the hike due to low sign-ups. RSVP through Meetup and pay through PayPal. Please be sure your RSVP gives your full name and phone number and where you'll be boarding the bus. We don't want to leave you behind!FIRST-TIME HIKERS
If you're a first-time hiker with us, please notify the leaders in advance so they can make sure you have the info you need. Hikers must be able to keep at least a 2 mph pace.BUS STOPS: VIRGINIA ROUTING
Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes before times listed below. All our bus stops are Metro accessible. If you're driving to meet the bus, we strongly advise using the Vienna bus stop, as parking is extremely limited at the others. Bus stops and times are as follows (click links for maps):- DC: Near 17th and K St. NW downtown (east side of Farragut Square). Bus leaves at 8 a.m. SHARP, so it's essential to arrive well before 8.
- VIENNA METRO: NORTH parking lot, last bus shelter (Nutley St. Exit off Interstate 66 on North/Vienna side of I-66) at approximately 8:25 a.m. Note: There is a "south" parking lot where there are also bus shelters. If by 8:15, you're not with a group of hikers who say they're Capital Hiking Club, you're likely at the south lot. There's a walkway over I-66 to the north lot.
LIABILITY
By RSVP'ing for a CHC hike, you acknowledge and accept that hikers are responsible for their own safety and must assume risks and liability for all outings. CHC leaders, officers, and representatives shall not be liable for any injuries, loss or damage to persons or property, direct or consequential, arising out of any trips or club activities. Participants will be asked to sign a waiver the day of the hike.CANCELLATION POLICY
To cancel and receive a full refund less a $5 processing fee, you must change your RSVP to "No" on Meetup before 12PM the Thursday before the hike. If you change your RSVP after 12PM the Thursday before the hike, no refunds will be issued.MORE DETAILS -- SEE THE FAQS ON OUR WEBSITE
- Gokyo Lake Trek, NepalDulles International Airport (IAD), Sterling, VA
Greetings, everyone, I'm excited to say that I'm putting together a group to go to Nepal in the fall of 2025. This will be my fifth trip, and I'm psyched to see a portion of the country that I've not seen. I'm working with Bhairam Thapa at Trekking in the Himalayas of Nepal - Himal Eco Treks. I've already done three trips with him (and sent some other folks to him, too).
The Gokyo Lake Trek takes us to the eastern part of the country, which means Everest and Everest base camp, without doing the standard Everest base camp trek. Crucially, I think this will be a great route both for people who've never been to Nepal and for people who have been before.
Essentially, the proposed dates are 10/31-11/16 or so, with 14 days in Nepal and four days in the airports. Since you'll be arranging your own flights, if you wanted to stay longer in Kathmandu, or stop in Dubai or whatever, you can do that.
I can take ten people, and I've got five spots already spoken for. I'm going to post this here and on DCUL. I will screen for people whom I know and like (if we don't know each other yet, we have time), and who are proven to be pretty good hikers. You need to be MO or higher in DCUL terms or comfortable doing CHC's long hike. The typical Nepalese stage is not that long or fast, but you should be a good hiker. The high point of this trek is pretty darn high (18,000 feet), so you should think of that. This is teahouse trekking, with a guide and porters, so you're spending every night inside with hot meals, etc.
A rough estimate for the trip is about $4000. The trip itself is $1550 (that includes food in the teahouses), airfare seems like it will be another $1500 or so, and the rest is miscellaneous. Nepal is quite inexpensive once you get there, especially if you don't drink. Just as a note, I'm paying my own way and not making a penny off this--I don't intend to touch your money.
With my fifth trip, I have a fair amount of Nepal experience--I've done the Annapurna Circuit, the Langtang Trek, Upper Mustang Valley, and the Manaslu Circuit. I say that to communicate that I have a strong idea of how I want to run the trek. If you're coming with me, that means you're signing on to doing the trek my way. If you'd like to do something different, well, you can definitely book another trek.
At this point, I'd like us to mark the dates, and I'd like to fill the remaining spots with people who are serious about going. Feel to reach out if you have questions.
