DC’s ultimate outdoor haven features 32 miles of trails for hiking, with plentiful paved, car-free roads for walking, biking, and exploring. Enjoy Rock Creek’s nature center, picnic areas, riding stables, tennis courts, plus two historic sites.
Rock Creek Park
Grab your trail runners or hiking boots to join the cyclists who trek their way down the C&O Canal Towpath, which traces the Potomac River from Georgetown 184.5 miles north to Cumberland, Maryland. Expect awesome visuals along the way.
C&O Canal Towpath in Georgetown
Only a 30-minute drive from DC, this 800-acre scenic parkland features hiking trails such as the popular Billy Goat Trail, cascading rapids, and spectacular waterfalls. Park admission is typically $20 per vehicle ($10 per individual on foot or bike), though it is free to enter on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the first day of National Park Week, National Public Lands Day, and Veterans Day (see the park website for more).
Great Falls Park
This new continuous 20-mile trail runs along both sides of the Anacostia River through Southeast DC’s Capitol Riverfront and Anacostia neighborhoods. Run, bike, or stroll down the revitalized waterway and continue exploring DC’s many green trails, like the Capital Crescent Trail, the Metropolitan Branch Trail, the Mount Vernon Trail, and the Klingle Valley Trail.
Anacostia Riverwalk Trail
One of DC’s loveliest parks, this historic swath—once a part of John Quincy Adams’s private estate—is now run by the National Park Service. The park still features the original cascading fountain, and on Sundays, locals gather for a boisterous drum circle.
Meridian Hill Park
Admire works from artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Alexander Calder, and Robert Indiana. The garden features seating for visitors and a fountain that turns into an ice rink in the winter. The park also hosts Jazz in the Garden on summer Friday evenings.
The National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden
Discover beautiful views of the Potomac River while exploring the nearly two miles of trails that traverse through forest and wetland, as well as a 17-foot-tall statue dedicated to the eponymous conservationist president of the island (accessible by footbridge off the George Washington Memorial Parkway).
Theodore Roosevelt Island
Add a jogging challenge on these famed stairs near the Arlington Memorial Bridge and close to the National Mall and Foggy Bottom. Or take on the Exorcist Steps in Georgetown, made infamous in the classic DC-based horror film from 1973.
The Watergate Steps
This gorgeous 446-acre property makes for an inspiring and visually captivating visit at any time of the year, with a diversity of flora and fauna—bonsai trees, azaleas, and flowering cherry trees, to name a few—and the ’Gram-worthy original U.S. Capitol Columns. The park also has designated areas for picnicking.
U.S. National Arboretum
About five miles northeast of Anacostia, this natural wonder blooms its summer flowers from late May through September. (Mornings are the best time to see the famed water lilies and lotuses.) Birding only gets better in winter as decreased foliage makes spotting bald eagles easier. Take a bike, the V2 Metrobus, or the Orange Line to the nearby Deanwood Metro station.
Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens
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Go beyond these top ten stops with maps from the Capital Trails Coalition, this route-making resource from goDCgo, plus running and riding tips from the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.
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