The Potomac Heritage Trail at Elizabeth Mills Riverfront Park

Sunday, 8 April

We decided to seek out a change of venue from BRRP for at least part of today.  Having scouted out some parks last night after Mui went to bed, I presented him with several options this morning and let him decide where we would go for a walk and a picnic lunch.  I have to admit that I wasn’t surprised when he chose Elizabeth Mills Riverfront Park (EMRP).  After all, a trail overlooking the water would have been my first pick too.

Since the temperature was a mere 46F (8C) when we rose this morning, we dallied for a while to let the day warm up a bit before we set out on the 27-mile (43 km) drive to Lansdowne, a planned community near Leesburg in Loudoun County.  (Enough “L” words for you?)

Traffic was reasonable for a mid-morning drive on Easter Sunday and the GPS took us to the destination as programmed.  At first, we doubted we were in the right place as we looked to be in the midst of a residential neighborhood with nothing but palatial-sized single-family homes around us.  No sign of a park or the Potomac River anywhere.  Turning right on the last street at the end of the cul-de-sac, however, took us where we wanted to be.  At least the sign and map in the parking lot said we were at the park.  We had to walk a short distance through the manicured grounds of a golf course to get to the trailhead before we were sure we really were at EMRP.

From "You Are Here,” we follow the short trail through the golf course and take a
left at the river to walk the Potomac Heritage Trail to the ruins of the canal locks.

It felt odd to be walking through a golf course to get to the trail, but that’s what
the directions said, so that’s what we did.

Our plan was to walk a small portion of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail where it runs through this park.  (The trail is comprised of a network of trails that add up to hundreds of miles in length.)  At the trailhead, we stepped down to the edge of the Potomac, hoping to get out to a spit of rocks jutting into the river.  Alas, the ground was wet, making for slippery footing and it was very buggy, so we quickly continued on our way.

No way to get through the slippery mud to get out to the tip of the rocks.

The narrow, dirt path was shaded, but with plenty of light streaming through the trees, which weren’t so dense as to obscure the river view.  With the golf course on one side and the Potomac on the other side, we headed west, enjoying a quiet walk on the all-but deserted trail.  We came across a couple of runners and a few people walking their dogs, but otherwise had the trail to ourselves.  Though there were birds chirping in the tree canopy above, we saw none to photograph.  The waterfowl for which the trail is noted were noticeably missing in action; as were the damsel and dragon flies.  We did see a few butterflies, but they were quick to fly off no matter how quietly we tried to approach them.

On the trail ...

… We enjoyed views of the Potomac river and trees like this giant that was impossible to
photograph in its entirety.

Wild flowers on the trail; do leave a comment if you can help ID it.

These shelf mushrooms came as a set of three: saucer, dessert plate, and dinner plate.

We were both intrigued by the patterns and textures of the bark of this decaying
tree next to the trail.

No Virginia trail would be complete without bluebells at this time of the year.

At the confluence of Goose Creek (to the left) and the Potomac.

Remains of the double-locks on the canal system known as the Goose Creek and Little
River Navigation.  The canal, built in the 1850s, carried boats around the rapids on
Goose Creek.  It connected to the Potomac and the C&O Canal.

The ruins marked our turnaround point for today’s walk.  As usually happens with us, the walk in took longer because I was stopping frequently for photo ops.  On the way back, our tummies grumbling as the lunch hour had come and gone, we made fewer stops.

Had there been a cross-over spot to get to the kayak rental place on the other side of
Goose Creek, we might have joined these guys enjoying a quiet paddle on the Potomac.

dryad’s saddle (AKA pheasant’s back) mushroom
It must be our day to see fungi in groupings of three.

Our hope to eat lunch overlooking the Potomac was dashed by the lack of benches along the way.  In truth, even if there had been a place to sit, it was too buggy to eat near the river — especially when the breeze died down.  Instead, we took a seat at the golf course snack shop, which was not yet open for the season.  There, cooled by the gentle breezes, we enjoyed a quick meal in the shade — something that we welcomed since the temps were up into 71F (22C) and the sun was shining bright and strong.

Our return drive to BRRP was uneventful, but the mile or so through the park to the campground was nothing like it had been when we left mid-morning.  All of the picnic tables and shelters were filled with crowds of people playing, eating, and having a grand ole time on this Easter Sunday.  They sure had a beautiful day to enjoy the outdoors and it was nice to see so many people doing so.

As for us, we high-tailed it to our Phaeton, leaving the crowds behind for the quiet sanctuary of our campsite.  We settled into our chairs on the woodland side of the site, laptops at the ready, and set about planning for our spring outing.  It was a beautiful afternoon, with the awning and the coach providing shade and the sun keeping us comfortably warm.  I did remember to take pictures this time …

Looking out from the coach towards the rest of our campsite.
Somewhere out there, hidden behind all those trees, is another campground loop.

Yeah, that’s a posed photo, but we really did spend the afternoon checking out maps
and planning our spring outing.

A quiet night at home rounded out a great day.  The Potomac Heritage Trail at Elizabeth Mills Riverfront Park turned out to be a gem.  In 2009, we did another small portion of the trail that runs across the river from Georgetown (DC) — post and link to photos here.  If time permits before we leave the area, there are a few more segments of the trail network that look to be right up our alley.  I guess we’ll have to wait and see if we can squeeze them in.