DC Online - Trail Guide

D.C. Trail Guide

There are more than 50 miles of hiking trails in northwest Washington, DC (see map, right), within easy walking distance of Metro stations (in red).

Map Key - Trails are labeled with a letter at each end. Click on a trail name to go directly to a trail description:

A - Capital Crescent Trail (11.5 miles)
B - C&O Canal Tow Path (185 miles)
C - Battery Kemble Trail (1.3 miles)
D - Former trolley right of way (0.6 mile)
E - Wesley Heights Trail (0.8 mile)
F - Glover Archbold Trail (3.1 miles)
G - Whitehaven Trail (1 mile)
H - Normanstone Trail (0.9 mile)
I - Dumbarton Oaks Trail (0.8 mile)
J - Rock Creek Trail (4 miles)
K - Melvin Hazen Trail (1.1 mile)
L - Western Ridge Trail (4.3 miles)
M - Soapstone Valley Trail (0.9 mile)
N - Valley Trail (5.2 miles)
O - Potomac Heritage Trail (10 miles)
P - Mount Vernon Bike Trail (17.5 miles)

This web of interconnecting trails offers many options for short or long loop hikes that bring you back to your starting place. Beginning on the next page is information about the trails (including how to reach them and how they interconnect), and some recommended walking routes. Directions to the trails from the nearest Metro stations are listed at the end of each trail description under "Metro access." The National Park Service offers a more detailed trail at www.nps.gov/rocr/pphtml/maps.html
General notes: You can spot wildlife on any of these trails, including fox and deer (there are about 60 head of deer in Rock Creek Park alone), and beaver and great blue herons along Rock Creek, the C&O Canal, and the Potomac River. I have even seen deer grazing at night along Massachusetts Avenue where the Normanstone Trail (trail H) crosses it (in the 3000 block, across from the British Embassy, just 10 blocks from Dupont Circle downtown), and in the 4000 block where the Glover Archbold Trail (trail F) crosses. The trails are maintained with the help of Potomac Appalachian Trail Club volunteers. You can participate in trail work trips about twice monthly.
There are many more trails in the Washington area. And there are other trails in Washington that are not in this guide, including:

The 5-mile Fort Circle Trail goes through a series of forested parks southeast of the Anacostia River, from Fort Mahan to Fort Dupont (near Randall Circle on Minnesota Avenue) and Fort Stanton parks.
The Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens includes a 1.5-mile River Trail.
There are several miles of trails in the U.S. National Arboretum

Disclaimer: While hiking in the city you may encounter busy streets that do not have pedestrian crossings or walkways where intersected by trails, so please use reasonable care and common sense. DC Online expressly disclaims responsibility for the condition, depiction, or locations of trails and other features on these maps, or for occurrences on the trails at any time whatsoever.
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