Located in the northwest section of Washington, D.C., Rock Creek Park is the oldest and largest urban park in the national park system. Established in 1890, Rock Creek offers more than 1,700 acres of natural area for a variety of uses. Trails are numerous and are a mix of natural surface for for hikers, runners and equestrians and paved paths for cyclists and other users.
The paved trail runs parallel to Beach Drive and Oregon Avenue, although many other routes are available. The trail systems runs from the Maryland Border at Beach Drive south to the Roosevelt Bridge (I-66) behind the Kennedy Center. At the Maryland border, you can continue north on the paved
Rock Creek Trail.
Hikers and runners should use caution on the unpaved off-road trails. Equestrians, note that only some of the off-road trails are marked for horse use.
Cyclists should be aware that there is no off-road bike path option on the northern section of Beach Drive. While this section of road is marked as an on-road bicycle route, bicycling here is not recommended on weekdays. On weekends and holidays, though, Beach Drive is partially closed to through traffic, creating an on-road route that bicyclists, in-line skaters and walkers and runners flock to. For more information, including maps of the park, please see the Trail Website.
There are dozens of places to park to access Rock Creek Park trails. Visit the
National Park Service website for more information.
I Am not a big fan of urban trails but if you are in the D.C. area put this on your bucket list as it is a great system of trails. On a weekends you can expect to run into lots of Bikers some of them are going way to fast for me. This is a Greenway so ...
This trail is a must if you live in the city or visiting the city since Rock Creek park runs straight through the city so you avoid all that city traffic and ride through the park instead. The trail terminates at the Potomac near the Watergate and from ...
"I like this trail because it is near my house and I don't need to travel by car to get to it. It's good because I can run straight to the Lincoln Memorial. Also, it goes past the zoo and I can stop in there and take a peek. Running near the water is ...