A short hike through Fraser Preserve offers glimpses of the many natural habitats found in the Piedmont region, including fast, clear streams, lush cold-spring swamp, marsh, mature hardwood forests, open meadow, ponds, river and stream floodplain forests and thickets, steep rocky bluffs, springs and seeps, and various stages of old field succession. The terrain slopes down to the Potomac River.

Join The Nature Conservancy to experience an intimate presence in nature as the seasons change and autumn brings the rustle of leaves beneath your feet while the vast blue sky invites you to contemplate your connection to the world. Our bodies, minds and spirit are rooted in nature and everything we do matters as we experience life on our ever-changing Earth.

• Read more about Fraser Preserve
• Trail Difficulty: easy to moderate. We’ll go down & up (in that order) 100 feet of elevation 3 times on this 3-mile walk, and are likely to encounter mud along the way. lollipop hike, map
• Free and open to the public
• No bathroom facilities. No pets. Read tips on going to the bathroom in the woods.

Location: Park along Allenwood Lane and meet at the corner of Allenwood and Springvale. Please try to carpool as much as possible as parking is limited.

Bring: water, hiking shoes (tennis shoes or boots), dressing in layers is recommended, you may want a hat, insect repellent and sunscreen. Bring binoculars if you wish.

Led by volunteer naturalist, Margaret Chatham. Margaret has been poking around Fraser for over 20 years, celebrating the native plants and trying to discourage the invasive exotic ones. She’s always happy to share what she’s seen, and keeps coming back because there’s always something new to look at. She is a Virginia Master Naturalist, member of the Virginia Native Plant Society — and has a very wild yard, full of native plants.

Photo credit: Tom Hamilton. Fraser Preserve.