Useful info for massive amounts of time off like Reading Week

If this were a useful blog, it would probably have information on how to stem the boredom and fight off cabin-fever that comes with being stuck on campus during Reading Week. In the spirit of sharing resources with others:

I like to leave as often as possible--even if just for a night of camping or a couple hours' drive to a good hiking spot. In the past these have included Coopers Rock or Harpers Ferry in West Virginia. Both are within a 3-hour drive. Just over an hour is Cunningham Falls (in the Catoctin Mountains) in Maryland. In Virginia there's Bear Creek down by Richmond (2-3 hours) and of course Shenandoah National Park is about 2.5 hours away.

My favorite spot, though, because it's only a 30-minute drive, is Great Falls National Park. It's really beautiful and easy as pie to reach. (Tell Mapquest to take you to the intersection of Old Dominion Drive and Georgetown Pike in Virginia.) You can hike for miles up or down the muddy Potomac River and catch views like this one: