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    Capital Crescent Trail

    4.3 (72 reviews)

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    This rail bridge over the canal is also a point of connection to a residential area in Palisades.
    John B.

    [Coronavirus review] For those looking for a place to be outside while maintaining a distance from one another not easily traversed by nasty viruses, the CCT is in vogue. Because it was built (in part) over an old railway, it's fairly wide, and offers a decent amount of space for people to walk and bike without constantly brushing up against each other. Regardless of the current situation, the CCT is always heavily trafficked during nice weather because it is scenic and goes a long way through a variety of settings, and because it starts in Georgetown, where transit is nonexistent and drivers fear to go. The Bethesda end will be expanded to Silver Spring eventually as part of Purple Line construction, which will make the overall scope of it even better. The thing that irks me most about the trail is the street crossings in Bethesda. In the DC section, you're never on a road with cars, but those crosswalks in Maryland, no matter how they're marked, are not ideal. Admittedly, one isn't supposed to write Yelp reviews of one's own "businesses", and I do always feel a sense of ownership with the trail as I picked up a few pieces of debris as part of the clearing effort when it was being built (I was in elementary school at the time). Hopefully no one minds.

    Rhonda J.

    Love this trail! Normally we do the C&O but sometime ya just get tired of having a dirty bike rolling on gravel for several miles. This trail is paved the entire way, mostly flat. It's nice because it had a mix of residential and nature. We stopped in downtown Bethesda before heading back. I'm excited to explore more of this trail, but typical it can get very crowded and you are dodging folks constantly. Off the trail, Bethesda has their version of Cherry Blossoms which is quite busy.....I like this better than DC's.

    Grace V.

    love this trail for running, and also for biking into DC from Bethesda! it's almost entirely shaded, so great option for hot sunny days. there is a good amount of downhill in this direction, so keep that in mind if running / hiking (will be mostly uphill on your way back to Bethesda). tip: you can rent one of the red Capital Bikeshare bikes in Bethesda and return it at one of the many stations throughout DC, if you would rather metro or uber back!

    Ken C.

    Well kept, safe and nice views Great way to unplug from the buz in DC or Bethesda Great use of the old B&O RR

    Capital Crescent Trail Bethesda Md
    Melissa G.

    Beautiful trail. Easy to walk, clean, has areas to rest & a lot to see! The trees cover the trail keeping the temperature down so it's easy to walk, run or ride a bike. Also nice to see deer out there! This is one of my favorite places to walk!

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    Ask the Community - Capital Crescent Trail

    Review Highlights - Capital Crescent Trail

    “This is my favorite rail trail in the DC area, and when you combine it with the Georgetown Branch Trail, the Rock Creek Trail, and Beach Drive it makes for the most scenic loop in town.”

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    Theodore Roosevelt Island - Covered trails that are also dog friendly

    Theodore Roosevelt Island

    4.4(205 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    My daughter and I visited here at night, and I definitely wouldn't recommend going after dark! We…read morewere the only ones there, and with the limited lighting, it was hard to see the spider webs hanging around. I turned on my phone flashlight and suddenly noticed so many spiders above us--I'm pretty sure one even brushed my forehead, lol! I would definitely suggest visiting during the day instead. President Roosevelt was clearly a beloved figure, and after learning more about him, I can understand why. The display was meaningful, but it still felt like it couldn't fully capture his impact. The outdoor exhibit added an entirely different experience of its own. It was unique, peaceful, and offered a completely different way to appreciate the history and legacy being honored.

    Overall, I thought Theodore Roosevelt was a so-so spot to go for a little walk to explore nature…read morethrough a 1.5 mile loop. Without having much information about the island prior to visiting, I was expecting (well, hoping) to see some city views of DC and Arlington from the island. However, not having these views was not a deal breaker. While the paths/trails were mostly clear, the island does not seem well-maintained. For instance, I was quite disappointed that the water fountains were not working. For obvious reasons, visitors definitely should bring their own water, but a lot of folks nowadays (including myself) are tethered to their Nalgene bottles or Stanley cups. I think this is a nice place to go for walk/run/very easy hike, if you live within walking distance or a couple of metro stops away from the island. Unfortunately, I live about 30-45 minutes away by car, so the odds of me visiting again (unless I'm in the immediate area) will be pretty slim. Also, I highly recommend visiting first thing in the morning (at least during the fall, spring and summer) because parking is very limited.

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    Theodore Roosevelt Island
    Theodore Roosevelt Island
    Theodore Roosevelt Island

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    Klingle Valley Trail

    Klingle Valley Trail

    4.0(3 reviews)
    2.1 mi•Woodley Park

    For context, this space used to be a road that ran through the a valley below most of the…read moreneighborhood. However, the stream that runs through the valley made the ground under the road unstable, and the road was closed for decades. The whole area was abandoned, and after debates on what to do with the space, a trail was constructed where the road used to be. The trail runs just less than a mile. The surface is very nice, but I am rather puzzled as to what we're supposed to do with this trail. Neither end of the trail has much going on, and the number of people trying to traverse it on a regular basis would only be locals from Cleveland Park try to go to Rock Creek, but it's hard to access that end due to the private school and other buildings that effectively block it off. There's no connection to Connecticut Avenue, which I kind of understand simply because it would have been expensive to build stairs down from the bridge several stories above, but the trail is completely inaccessible to the main thoroughfare in the area. Also, despite being near the zoo, the zoo has no entrance anywhere near the trail's end (which frankly has always been a flaw as the zoo forces traffic towards more crowded residential areas; it should always have had an entrance on Klingle when there was a road). The trail is also notable for being very well lit; with streetlights close together lining the entire trail. It's very noticeable when you look down from the Connecticut Avenue bridge above at night. However, given how both ends of the trail have very few people and the police would have real trouble getting to this trail, I would not go on it after dark, regardless of how light it is. It seems unsafe. All of which is to say that while I'm glad they finally did something, there's not much to recommend the trail as of yet. Soapstone Valley is similar, nearby, and a much nicer walk. I do have some hope that the trail will become more useful in the future, but it isn't much of a destination at present.

    Was actually driving to Glover Archbold Park when I saw this, the Klingle Vallery Trail. I thought…read morethat this was do. I didn't know the size of this park but it looked like fun. While reading about decommisioned Subway stations in New York I decided to look into what we may have here along those lines. What I found out about Klingle Road and how there are portions of it which are not longer open to vehicular traffic. That explains some of the trail but Klingle Valley Trail still confuses me. There's this whole Tregaron Conservancy business which I cannot explain. When you walk the trail you'll see what I mean. I loved how green everything was around me and the stream added to the experience. You could easily knock this out in an hour but with the amound of benches, you could also spend an entire day here because the amout of canopy above keeps the humidity at bay. Hopefully, next time I will better understand where Klingle Valley Trail begins and Tregaron Conservancy ends.

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    Klingle Valley Trail
    Klingle Valley Trail
    Klingle Valley Trail

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    Glover Archbold Trail - Trail

    Glover Archbold Trail

    4.3(25 reviews)
    2.2 mi

    Definitely drive with caution up to the parking lot because there are tons of pedestrians and…read morebicyclists along the side of the road and they don't always move over, so better safe than sorry. The parking lot is small and difficult to navigate and people always have to u turn to exit, so when entering this lot please try to stay to one side to let other people get out. The trails are a little confusingly marked but I just followed the instructions on Peninsula Open Space Trust's website for a nice little lollipop route of 3.5 miles. You can see some horses and birds and nice wildflowers, and during our visit, we saw a rattlesnake. Definitely keep your distance from the wildlife.

    Back to this trail starting from Van Ness Street after a couple of years and this time didn't…read moreencounter the swampy area which seems to be cleared up so we were able to emerge onto Reservoir Road with no problems. However our plan to reach the end on Canal Road was thwarted as the trail is again blocked before that with a metal fence but no signage explaining the reason. As before had to retrace our steps and exit via Georgetown U campus. Still this is a very shaded and easy trail without a lot of foot traffic - most of the people we saw seemed to be from the apt or condo buildings right next to the park walking their dogs (most of them unleashed as usual although none seemed unruly).

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    Glover Archbold Trail - It's definitely a quiet trail. Well marked and you'd never know you're in the city.

    It's definitely a quiet trail. Well marked and you'd never know you're in the city.

    Glover Archbold Trail
    Glover Archbold Trail

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    Capital Crescent Trail - hiking - Updated October 2026

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