60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Washington, D.C.

Renee Marchese Sklarew is a native Washingtonian who enjoys exploring her city’s many attractions, including its parks and trails. As a young girl, her father received a temporary assignment that took her family to Switzerland, and that’s where she began her passion for hiking and exploring. Today, her family makes surveying nature’s wonders a priority, and they love visiting America’s National Parks. Renee regularly contributes travel articles and photos to newspapers and magazines, including the Washingtonian, Northern Virginia Magazine, Boston Globe, and Washington Post. She is co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Washington DC and Fodor’s Washington DC Guidebook. Recently, she joined the team of “Oh Ranger!” editing guides to national, state, and local parks. Renee hopes readers will use 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Washington D.C. to discover new trails and meaningful destinations. Rachel Cooper is a freelance writer and has been the Washington, D.C., Expert for About.com (now TripSavvy.com) since 2004. Rachel is also the author of the book Images of Rail - Union Station in Washington, D.C., and has written numerous articles for local and regional publications. She especially enjoys outdoor recreation, including hiking, biking, skiing, kayaking, and stand-up paddle boarding. She met her husband, Brian, through a local windsurfing club, and they have spent more than 25 years together seeking new adventures as they travel across the region and around the world. Paul Elliott works as a writer/editor and plays primarily as a social and solo hiker. He has been leading hikes year-round in the Washington metro area and beyond since 1990, most recently for the Sierra Club and Appalachian Mountain Club. His forte is getting people with a taste for adventure to sample the pleasures and surprises of the area’s remarkable array of hiking opportunities.

Overview Map

Acknowledgments

Foreword

A Few Words About Using Our Maps

Map Legend

Preface

60 Hikes by Category

Introduction

WASHINGTON, D.C.





Anacostia Riverwalk Trail
Capital Crescent Trail: Fletcher’s Cove to Georgetown Waterfront Park
Columbia Island
East Potomac Park and Jefferson Memorial
Glover Archbold Park Trail and Potomac Heritage Trail
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail
Rock Creek Park: Boulder Bridge Trail
Rock Creek Park: Northern Section
Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial
Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park
United States National Arboretum

CLOSE-IN MARYLAND SUBURBS (Parts of Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties)





Billy Goat Trail: Sections A and B
Black Hill Regional Park
Brookside Gardens and Wheaton Regional Park
C&O Canal Towpath: Great Falls to Old Angler’s Inn with Olmsted Island
C&O Canal Towpath: Old Angler’s Inn to Carderock Recreation Area
Cabin John Regional Park
Cosca Regional Park
Greenbelt Park
Lake Artemesia Natural Area and Northeast Branch Trail
Lake Needwood and Maryland’s Rock Creek Regional Park
McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area
Patuxent Research Refuge: Cash Lake Trail
Sandy Spring Underground Railroad Trail: Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park
Seneca Creek State Park: Lake Shore Trail
Seneca Greenway Trail: Frederick Road (MD 355 to Brink Road)

CLOSE-IN VIRGINIA SUBURBS (Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax Counties)





Burke Lake Park Trail
Difficult Run Stream Valley Park: Gerald Connolly Cross County Trail
Fort Hunt Park and Mount Vernon Trail
Fraser Preserve
Glade Stream Valley Park
Great Falls Park
Huntley Meadows Park
Lake Accotink Park Trail
Mason Neck State Park and National Wildlife Refuge
Potomac Overlook Regional Park and Nature Center
Riverbend Park and the Potomac Heritage Trail
Scott’s Run Nature Preserve
Turkey Run Park and the Potomac Heritage Trail
Winkler Botanical Preserve

RURAL MARYLAND (Parts of Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties; Anne Arundel, Calvert, and Frederick Counties)





Calvert Cliffs State Park
Catoctin Mountain Park
Cedarville State Forest
Cunningham Falls State Park
Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary
Little Bennett Regional Park
Magruder Branch Trail and Lower Magruder Trail
Monocacy National Battlefield
National Colonial Farm at Piscataway Park
Quiet Waters Park
Rachel Carson Conservation Park
Sugarloaf Mountain

RURAL VIRGINIA (Clarke, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties)





Algonkian Regional Park
Appalachian Trail: Raven Rocks
Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve
Bull Run-Occoquan Trail
Leesylvania State Park
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Prince William Forest Park
Sky Meadows State Park

Appendix A: Hiking Clubs and Other Information Sources

Appendix B: Hiking Stores

Index

About the Authors