This is a section of the Rock Creek Park pretty much just a patch of greenery between Tilden and…read moreRodman Streets. If you following the trail from one street to the other it's only about a third of a mile long. There is a new foot bridge there now parallel to Rodman which leads out to Connecticut Ave through an alleyway (the trail continues on the east side of Connecticut leading into the main part of Rock Creek Park). Due to its limited size it seems to be generally quiet. Not a bad place to take a short stroll or as an alternate to walking on Connecticut Ave if you just want to escape into the woods for a moment.

This park is a nice spot to stroll, stretch your legs, enjoy a bit of green away from Cleveland…read morePark. One great thing about Washington DC is the amount of small little parks that are available for contemplation and meditation...

Photography by 3Spade7Star (Instagram: @3spade7star_photography)…read more The Mt Vernon Trail begins by the parking lot by the historic manor Mt Vernon, the home of George Washington. It is a paved trail with dips, bridges, and little man made paths in the woods running off the trail down to the sandy coastline area of the Potomac River. An information display of the map of the Mt Vernon Trail shows how it runs through Alexandria, Riverside Park, Ft Hunt, and goes up north of Old Town Alexandria. The trail is 18 miles. It takes about a mile to reach Riverside Park. We walked back and forth the trail , the park, and back to the entrance area of Mt Vernon manor for a leisurely walk and to view wildlife & nature. There are so many beautiful sights of the Potomac River and nature on the trail. I was fascinated to read a history display informing how Mt Vernon was comprised of 8,000 acres and five farms in 1799. Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying that George Washington valued being on the farm more than his position in politics and the military. Despite running alongside the woods and a busy road, the trail is peaceful and a small distance away from where we live. It was a good first experience for both of us to just get away, exercise, and enjoy nature. We walked a total of 2.5 miles that day. It is an easy walk. Lots of free parking at the start of trail. There are many birds and wildflowers alongside the trail - great for photography.

Another nice trail right before long ridge park. A little more winding but not as nice as long…read moreridge park. Running near the water it is another nice option in the area for stroll.

Small, but serene trail. There are two entrances near the Van Ness Metro; which can get a bit…read moreconfusing as the marking isn't great. Just follow the stream. There's some moderately difficult rocky areas, and after rainfall it can get a little tough to navigate as the trail crosses the stream several times. Despite being surrounded by residential areas, the valley is deep enough that you can't hear or see them much. The unusual rocks and plant life provide a slightly different aesthetic than the rest of Rock Creek Park. It's a very nice place; a good start to a longer hike as it ends on Beach Drive and the accompanying trails along Rock Creek. Word of warning: the end of the trail requires you to walk on a road a bit to get to anything else in Rock Creek Park. Stay cautious there; there isn't much space.

The trail system is a gem, tucked in the ravine between two residential neighborhoods. Lots of…read morestream crossings, but there are rocks to keep your feet dry. Especially pretty in the fall with all of the crunchy leaves.

This is a smaller park to the west of Glover Archibald park. It's long and narrow in shape and has…read morea couple of trail paths - one lower along a creek (a small section of it has some big rocks) - and one higher with a slight bit of elevation. Mostly quite green with not very tall trees. People in the neighborhood who walk their dogs there tend to have them off leash. End to end from MacArthur Blvd to Nebraska Ave is 1.3 miles. Can get quite noisy with the sound of planes overhead coming and going from National Airport.

Once a Civil War defense protecting the city is now a public park with a small parking lot, trails,…read moreand hills used for winter sledding. In the mornings, dog walkers can be found along the trails. If you want a place to escape the city noise without leaving it, go to Battery Kemble Park.

I took a walk along the capital crescent trail recently and it was so beautiful. It's situated in…read moreGeorgetown along the water, and the views were calming and beautiful to observe while walking. I did find the bikers on the path to be entitled and a bit aggressive, so if you're walking, keep that in mind, but this does not reflect on the trail itself at all. There are numerous places to get a bite to eat or drink after your walk, so make sure you check around.

Beautiful trail! I love to run from Bethesda to Georgetown and to a metro. Trail is clean and safe…read more Only two crosswalks.

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).

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.

Exploring areas around the DMV and finally made it to this gem in Maryland. Great Visitor Center…read morewith friendly & informative Staff. She went over map of area, described the trails, what was closed for repair or Eagle nesting. She also gave us a bird check-list which upon reviewing will definitely be back in Spring in hopes of getting a couple Lifers. Clean restrooms and plenty of displays of local wildlife. We visited 09 Feb 2024 (mid-day) so bird activity was somewhat quiet, but did spot several types of Woodpeckers to include a few Red-Heads. We also saw some sparrows, tufted titmouses, robins, crows and seagulls. Trails were nicely marked and not too strenuous. Plenty of boardwalks and viewing blinds to view wildlife. Plenty of parking and entrance fee of $6 is reasonable to support the upkeep of such a nice Sanctuary. They also have memberships which we would do if a little closer to home. Will be back for sure.

Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary is a perfect day trip from Washington, D.C. A 30-minute drive from the…read morecity, it's 1,500 acres of boardwalk wetlands and wooded hiking trails. Here are a few things to note: 1) Parking: The park opens at 9am and parking is free during the week. If you go on a weekend, it's $6 per vehicle. 2) Classes: Once you park and walk to the education center, you'll notice the array of classes and events they host from kayaking to birdwatching to gardening. The center is closed due to the pandemic, but they do lay out helpful maps outside to guide your visit. 3) Exploration: There are many trails throughout the sanctuary with signs that guide you. There's a boardwalk out into the wetlands with beautiful views of the Patuxent River. As you walk along the boardwalk, look for wildlife like frogs and heron. Most of the trails are wooded with fun things to find along the way like a blue tic-tac-toe board made from shells. There are observation decks along the trails as well. 4) Points of interest: Nearby the actual sanctuary are a few other fun things to visit like the Glendening Butterfly Garden and Nature Preserve and the Mount Calvert Archeological Park. Jug Bay Wetlands is a great place for a day trip for adults and kids! It gives you a little bit of everything from nature to wildlife to history.