Mid-Atlantic Hiking Group (A Nonprofit Charity)
Holiday Weekend Leaf Peep Hike! Seneca Creek Greenway Hike Series: Part 4 of 5 — The Beautiful and Peaceful Clopper Lake Area! An Easy-Side-of-Moderate 6 Mile Hike with Optional Post Hike Meal
This hike is 15 miles from DC and about a 45-minute drive from Baltimore
This five-part series takes you along the entire length of the 25 Mile Seneca Creek Greenway, the Schaefer Farm Trails, and around Clopper Lake for a total approximately 30 miles.
Description for Seneca Creek Greenway Hike Series Part 4: Just South of and Including Beautiful Clopper Lake
This section of the Seneca Creek Greenway is a 6.1 mile, modestly hilly water-side excursion with about only 550 feet of total elevation change. It passes through oak and hickory woods that also harbor dogwoods, redbuds, pines, and mountain laurels. It offers excellent lake and creek views, plus a multi-hued array of wildflowers and birds.
Seneca Creek Stat Park, composed of 6,300 acres, extends along 14 scenic miles of Seneca Creek, as it winds its way to the Potomac River. The Clopper Day-Use Area contains many scenic areas, including the 90-acre Clopper Lake, where we are hiking today. The lake is surrounded by very scenic forests and fields. What now keeps Gaithersburg and Germantown apart is the northern portion of Seneca Creek State Park. Starting in the 1950s, the state government slowly acquired 6,609 acres of fields and woodlands along Seneca Creek. Opened in 1980, the ribbony, creek-valley park winds across the county for roughly 16 miles north of Gaithersburg to the Potomac River at Seneca. Only the park’s northern section has been developed. Its centerpiece is woodland-enveloped, 90-acre Clopper Lake.
Transition Hike
This is a great hike for those wanting to transition from easy to moderate hiking since the main difference is distance. The hills are, for the most part, are very short but a few are a little steep but even those are short. All the hills are in spurts followed by nice long flat segments for plenty of recovery time. Also, we stop at the top of hills for our rest stops. Nobody gets left behind!
Mid-Atlantic Hiking Groups Seneca Creek Greenway Hike Series Information and Details
Mid-Atlantic Hiking Groups five-part series of day-hikes takes you along the entire length of the beautiful and very bio-diverse 25 miles long Seneca Creek Greenway, Schaefer Farm Trails, and around Clopper Lake (within Seneca Creek State Park) for a total distance of approximately 30 miles. By dividing the long trail into more doable sections helps make this a more inclusive hike versus only offering it as one very long day-hike. Also, it provides an opportunity for more people to enjoy the plentiful bounty of health benefits of hiking by encouraging participation in part of a series of hikes offered with as close to equal intervals as reasonable possible.
NOTE: Mid-Atlantic Hiking Group will issue a certificate of completion to hikers who complete all five parts of the series!
Part 1: September 25th — Seneca Creek Greenway: Southern Terminus to Black Rock Mill — We start from the beginning of the trail and follow it to Black Rock Mill: A Moderate 6.5 Miles
Part 2: October 2nd — Seneca Creek Greenway: Starting where we ended part two of the series (Black Rock Mill), we continue along the trail that takes us to/near the Schaeffer Farm area.
Part 3: October 22nd — Seneca Creek Greenway: Hiking from where we left off in part two, our trek along the trail continues as it approaches Seneca State Park. An Easy-Side-of-Moderate 6.1 Miles.
Today's Hike! Part 4: November 12th — Seneca Creek Greenway: Starting where we left off the trail in the previous section (part 3), we continue hiking along the trail as it enters Seneca Creek State Park and then we enjoy a jaunt around beautiful Clopper Lake. An Easy-Side-of-Moderate 6.1 Miles.
Part 5: November 19th —Seneca Creek Greenway: Northern Terminus — Beginning from where we left off in part 4 of the series, we complete our 5 part series upon reaching the Northern Terminus of the Seneca Creek Greenway! Copper Lake/MD 117 to Huntmaster and Davis Mill: A Moderate 7 Miles.
Trail Information
Activity Type: Hiking
Nearby City: Gaithersburg
Scenery: Woodlands, Stream Valley, and Lake Views
Length: 6 total miles
Trail Surface: Mostly hard-packed dirt: very rooty only all around the lake
Elevation Gain: 550 feet
Trail Type: Modified Loop
Skill Level: Easy Side of Moderate Due to length and Hills
Season: Year-round
Exposure: Mostly shady, but less so in wintertime
Local Maps: USGS Germantown, Gaithersburg, Seneca
Topo Map: Seneca Creek State Park: Clopper Lake Section Topographic Map
Facilities: Toilets at the visitor center, off-trail at picnic areas.
Park Fee
There is no park fee for this hike.
Gear Suggestions
Click Here for suggestions regarding what to wear and what not to wear for hiking the trails.
Weather Information
We hike rain or shine. Click Here to view the forecast for the area where we will be hiking.
Hike Pace
This hike will be led at a moderate pace of about 2.5 mph (pace of an average hiker) unless otherwise posted or options are available.
Our RSVP Policies and Group Etiquette
Click Here to review our RSVP policies and group etiquette.
(Beaver Dam photo, above, and top and mid-page fall foliage photos credit courtesy of “viewthrumylens.com”)
Carpool Suggestions and Information
Note that you are responsible for knowing how to get from carpool locations to the venue. Mid-Atlantic Hiking Group is not responsible for transportation to and from events or carpools. Suggested carpool times and locations are provided as a courtesy because many members are either new to the area or unfamiliar with a particular hike or venues location. Please use the Comments section below, or reach out via e-mail to make arrangements for carpooling needs and/or offerings.
Baltimore Area Carpool Suggestion - Savage Station
To carpool or caravan from the Baltimore area, people can arrange to meet at Savage Station. Click Here for directions and additional information regarding carpooling from the suggested Savage Station location.
(Metro) VA East Area Carpool Suggestion - Vienna/Fairfax Area METRO Station
To carpool or caravan from Vienna/Fairfax area, people can arrange to meet at the Fairfax Area METRO Station. Click Here for directions and additional information regarding carpooling from the suggested Vienna/Fairfax Metro Station location.
If you can drive or want to carpool from any particular location, please post your offer to help those in need of a ride, and those looking for a ride, in the comment section below. Click Here for a list of suggested carpool locations, each complete with a physical address, GPS coordinates, driving directions and additional carpool information.
For those who need a ride, reach out to the drivers. Make friends, and support the environment — by just offering a ride!
Directions to the Trailhead
Click Here for Directions to Where We Meet for this Hike
Hike is at 10:00 a.m.
Carpool Time from Vienna Metro Stop is 9:15 a.m.
Carpool Time from Savage Station is 9:00 a.m.
MAHG is a charitable organization that values fellowship, camaraderie and practicing good hike etiquette and Leave No Trace principles. As a member-focused and mission-driven charity, our hikes are led by generous, dedicated, and qualified MAHG members who volunteer as hike leaders for MAHG's leadership team. Hikes also have a volunteer “sweeper”, to help ensure that no hiker is left behind. Our volunteers and members are very supportive, encouraging, and always focus on safety, all while enjoying excellent camaraderie, the many health benefits of hiking, and unplugging from the stress of day to day life. Sharing what we know and learning from each other is an important part of our core values, as is our dedication to the conservation of our natural resources and our commitment to Mid-Atlantic Hiking Group’s mission. Mid-Atlantic Hiking Group is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity.
A Well-Mannered, Leashed Fido is Welcome on this Hike!
Let’s have good times out on the trails and see you there!
Seth: 571.216.3934
Click Here to Learn about Mid-Atlantic Hiking Group’s Mission.
Mid-Atlantic Hiking Group is a mission-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity. Donations to MAHG are tax deductible. Click Here to Chip-In and help support our important mission.
, MD - USA
Saturday, November 12 at 10:00 AM
19
Price: 3.00 USD
http://www.meetup.com/Mid-Atlantic-Hiking-Group/events/234059236/