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From Downtown through the suburbs, to the mountains in the west and the marshlands in the east, the Washington metro area has something to offer anyone looking for a good hike.
List of contents
WASHINGTON, D.C.
1 Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park
2 Columbia Island
3 East Potomac Park and Jefferson Memorial
4 Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial
5 U.S. National Arboretum
6 Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail
7 Anacostia Riverwalk Trail
8 Rock Creek Park: Boulder Bridge Trail
9 Rock Creek Park: Northern Section
10 Capital Crescent Trail: Fletcher's Cove to Georgetown Waterfront Park
11 Glover Archbold Park Trail and Potomac Heritage Trail Network
CLOSE-IN MARYLAND SUBURBS
12 Cabin John Regional Park
13 Lake Needwood and Maryland's Rock Creek Regional Park
14 Black Hill Regional Park
15 C&O Canal Towpath: Great Falls to Old Angler's Inn with Olmstead Island
16 C&O Canal Towpath: Old Angler's Inn to Carderock
17 Billy Goat Trail: Sections A and B
18 McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area
19 Lake Artemesia Natural Area and Northeast Branch Trail
20 Greenbelt Park
21 Patuxent Research Refuge: Cash Lake Trail
22 Cosca Regional Park
23 Brookside Gardens and Wheaton Regional Park
24 Sandy Spring Underground Railroad Trail to Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park
25 Seneca Greenway Trail: Frederick Road (Rt. 355) to Brink Road
26 Seneca Creek State Park: Lake Shore Trail
CLOSE-IN VIRGINIA SUBURBS
27 Gerald Connolly Cross Country Trail: Difficult Run Stream Valley Park
28 Winkler Botanical Preserve
29 Fort Hunt Park and Mount Vernon Trail
30 Huntley Meadows Park
31 Turkey Run Park and the Potomac Heritage Trail Network
32 Scott's Run Nature Preserve
33 Fraser Preserve
34 Riverbend Park and the Potomac Heritage Trail Network
35 Great Falls Park of Virginia
36 Potomac Overlook Regional Park and Nature Center
37 Mason Neck State Park and National Wildlife Refuge
38 Burke Lake Park Trail
39 Lake Accotink Park Trail
40 Glade Stream Valley Park
RURAL MARYLAND LOCALES
41 Monocacy National Battlefield
42 Magruder Branch Trail and Lower Magruder Trail
43 Little Bennett Regional Park
44 Rachel Carson Conservation Park
45 Sugarloaf Mountain
46 Cunningham Falls State Park
47 Catoctin Mountain Park
48 Patuxent River Park: Jug Bay Natural Area
49 Quiet Waters Park
50 National Colonial Farm at Piscataway Park
51 Calvert Cliffs State Park
52 Cedarville State Forest
RURAL VIRGINIA
53 Manassas National Battlefield Park
54 Bull Run-Occoquan Trail
55 Prince William Forest Park
56 Leesylvania State Park
57 Algonkian Regional Park
58 Sky Meadows State Park
59 Appalachian Trail: Raven Rocks
60 Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve
About the author
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.
Summary
From Downtown through the suburbs, to the mountains in the west and the marshlands in the east, the Washington metro area has something to offer anyone looking for a good hike.
