Explore the best rated trails in Mitchellville, MD. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the MA & PA Heritage Trail and Meadowlark Connector Trail. With more than 104 trails covering 4563 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The Cross County Trail is a multi-use trail that generally follows the various stream valleys in Fairfax County, Virginia. Some sections are wheelchair/mobility scooter accessible but not all...
The Anacostia River Trail begins in Cottage City, Maryland, at the split of the Anacostia River into its northeast and northwest branches. Those traveling south on either the Northeast Branch Trail or...
The Burke Lake Loop Trail offers a nearly 5-mile route for a pleasant walk or bike, while enjoying the beautiful scenery around Burke Lake in Fairfax. Since the Burke Lake Loop Trail is within Burke...
The Patuxent Branch Trail is part of a 20-mile trail system over and around the rolling hills of Howard County that follows a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line along the Patuxent River. The...
The Savage Mill Trail in Savage Park travels along the rolling Patuxent River through the grounds of an old cotton mill. In the early 1800s, Savage was a major manufacturing center, harnessing power...
Maryland's Cross Island Trail spans Kent Island, east to west, in Queen Anne's County, providing multiple points of access to everything from libraries and schools to ball fields and the waterfront....
The Broadneck Peninsula Trail is 1.2 miles of asphalt walking and biking pathway in east Annapolis. The trail runs parallel to College Parkway, from Green Holly Drive to Old Cape St. Claire Road,...
Running parallel to Beulah Street from Franconia to Fort Belvoir in southeast Fairfax County, the paved Beulah Street Sidepath provides a link to numerous neighborhoods along its route. A parallel...
The Matthew Henson Trail runs along a paved surface (rough in places from tree roots) through a narrow band of forested green space between the Rock Creek Trail just south of Veirs Road and Alderton...
Between 1900 and 1935, the Chesapeake Beach Railway whisked vacationers from Washington, DC, to the grand hotels, beaches and boardwalk of the resort town of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. Now tourists...
Maryland's Intercounty Connector Trail serves as an important commuting route across Montgomery County and Prince George's County. It gets its name from the Intercounty Connector (also known as State...
Although less than two miles long, the Meadowlark Connector Trail provides a terrific link between the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens and the popular W&OD Trail. The trail meets the W&OD in Vienna;...
The 11-mile Capital Crescent Trail follows the former route of the Georgetown Branch rail line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. It begins in Silver Spring, Maryland, east of the Rock Creek Trestle,...
The 11-mile BWI Trail was primarily designed for area commuters; however, the trail also makes for a great recreation venue. Despite being close to BWI-Thurgood Marshall Airport, much of the trail is...
The Strawberry Lake Way Bicycle Path is a 2.2 mile trail that is located between Laurel and Annapolis in Anne Arundel County Maryland. The trail starts at Piney Orchard Elementary School, and ends at...
The Klingle Valley Trail spans just shy of a mile in a leafy, residential area of northwest Washington, DC. The trail opened in June 2017 and is accessible to the neighborhoods of Cleveland Park,...
This short sidepath parallels Herndon Parkway on the eastern edge of Herndon in Northern Virginia. Much of the trail is the width of a standard sidewalk, and it includes crosswalks and curb-cuts at...
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 Park offers more than 1,700...
The Suitland Parkway trail is a short paved multi-use path that runs adjacent to Suitland Parkway in SE D.C. to the border with Maryland. Proposed construction may extend the trail to the Branch...
The Custis Trail is a popular urban route that links Virginia's D.C. suburbs with the District itself, connecting to both the W&OD Railroad Regional Park Trail at the latter's 4-mile marker and the...
The Wayne Gilchrest Trail, which opened on Earth Day in 2012, runs along the southern edge of the historic Maryland Eastern Shore community of Chestertown. The trail connects Washington College to the...
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Rock Creek Trail forms a winding path, at times narrow, through the urban greenway of Rock Creek Regional Park. The trail extends between Needwood Lake northeast of Rockville, MD, and the Washington,...
The Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail provides a safe pathway for students, from kindergartners to doctoral candidates, to walk and bike to school in College Park, Riverdale Park and Hyattsville. The...
The Lone Wolf Trail is a 1-mile trail in Anne Arundel County Maryland. The trail is connected to two already existing trails: The Strawberry Lake Way Bicycle Path, and the WB&A Trail. Although the...
The Broadneck Peninsula Trail is 1.2 miles of asphalt walking and biking pathway in east Annapolis. The trail runs parallel to College Parkway, from Green Holly Drive to Old Cape St. Claire Road,...
The Mount Airy Rail-Trail will one day span nearly 4 miles across the town of Mount Airy and through a scenic, wooded area. The first completed section of the trail covers a half mile and is surfaced...
The Northwest Branch Trail—an integral part of the Anacostia Tributary Trail System—runs between the Maryland towns of Hyattsville and Silver Spring, linking two bustling suburbs of Washington, D.C....
The Bluemont Junction Trail is a short paved trail that branches off from the popular Washington and Old Dominion Trail (W&OD) in the heart of Arlington. The trail was built on a spur line that once...
A winding line of asphalt meanders between Glenn Dale Park in Lanham to Annapolis Road. The trail is sheltered amongst the riparian woodland of Folly Branch. At the north end of the trail can be...
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The Long Branch Trail is a neighborhood trail tracing the Long Branch Creek beginning at its confluence with Sligo Creek in Takoma Park, to Piney Branch Road in Long Branch. The trail is an easy ride:...
Between 1900 and 1935, the Chesapeake Beach Railway whisked vacationers from Washington, DC, to the grand hotels, beaches and boardwalk of the resort town of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. Now tourists...
This bike and pedestrian path threads through the park of the same name. The trail exists in 2 sections: the northern segment begins in the Fairland Recreational Park and winds south, eventually...
The Holmes Run Trail offers a scenic pathway through the heart of a busy residential area in Alexandria and adjoining Fairfax County, both suburbs of Washington, D.C. The trail, which is divided into...
The Klingle Valley Trail spans just shy of a mile in a leafy, residential area of northwest Washington, DC. The trail opened in June 2017 and is accessible to the neighborhoods of Cleveland Park,...
Baltimore’s Herring Run Trail runs through scenic Herring Run Park, centered on a tributary of the Back River. The winding trail follows Herring Run through a woodlands environment so peaceful you're...
The Carl Henn Millennium Trail is Rockville's bicycle beltway. The 10-mile trail creates a circle around the city, providing a safe and convenient way to get around town or enjoy a leisurely...
Annapolis' Poplar Trail runs for nearly 1 mile on a section of the old Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis right-of-way in the heart of Maryland's capital city. Although short, the trail is a vital part...
Running parallel to Beulah Street from Franconia to Fort Belvoir in southeast Fairfax County, the paved Beulah Street Sidepath provides a link to numerous neighborhoods along its route. A parallel...
Rocky Run Stream Valley Trail is part of the countywide trail system. This trail runs from the Fairfax County Parkway to Ellanor C. Lawrence Park. The distance along the trail from the Parkway to the...
The Lake Artemesia Trailone component of the larger Anacostia Tributary Trail Systemcompletely encircles its scenic eponymous lake in Prince George's County, Maryland. The trail is also a great...
The Fairfax County Parkway Trail parallels Fairfax County Parkway/State Route 286 on its route across Fairfax County, Virginia. While the paved trail varies in width and condition, most of the trail...
The Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail provides a safe pathway for students, from kindergartners to doctoral candidates, to walk and bike to school in College Park, Riverdale Park and Hyattsville. The...
The Cub Run Stream Valley Trail offers a paved route meandering through Cub Run Stream Valley Park in the Northern Virginia suburb of Centreville. Though it's surrounded by residential neighborhoods,...
Rock Creek Trail forms a winding path, at times narrow, through the urban greenway of Rock Creek Regional Park. The trail extends between Needwood Lake northeast of Rockville, MD, and the Washington,...
The Custis Trail is a popular urban route that links Virginia's D.C. suburbs with the District itself, connecting to both the W&OD Railroad Regional Park Trail at the latter's 4-mile marker and the...
The MacArthur Boulevard Bike Path follows the winding road through the communities of Bethesda and Potomac, just north of Washington, DC. Along the way, the path passes shops in Cabin John and Glen...
Annapolis' Poplar Trail runs for nearly 1 mile on a section of the old Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis right-of-way in the heart of Maryland's capital city. Although short, the trail is a vital part...
The Marvin Gaye Trail offers a paved pathway through the Deanwood, Burville, Lincoln Heights, and Hillbrook neighborhoods of Washington, DC. Just shy of 2 miles, it runs from Minnesota Avenue NE, near...
Although it parallels Eisenhower Avenue, this paved pathway is not without its charms. On its west end, Alexandria's Eisenhower Avenue Trail begins in Hensley Park, which offers plentiful parking and...
The Henson Creek Trail is located in the southwestern portion of Prince George's County, Maryland, and connects the growing District of Columbia suburbs of Fort Washington and Oxon Hill with the...
The Burke Lake Loop Trail offers a nearly 5-mile route for a pleasant walk or bike, while enjoying the beautiful scenery around Burke Lake in Fairfax. Since the Burke Lake Loop Trail is within Burke...
This bike and pedestrian path threads through the park of the same name. The trail exists in 2 sections: the northern segment begins in the Fairland Recreational Park and winds south, eventually...
The Anacostia Riverwalk Trail is an important component of the transportation network in the nation's capital and a priority project under President Obama's America's Great Outdoors initiative. The...
This short sidepath parallels Herndon Parkway on the eastern edge of Herndon in Northern Virginia. Much of the trail is the width of a standard sidewalk, and it includes crosswalks and curb-cuts at...
The MA & PA Heritage Trail is found in two segments (about 2 miles apart) through the wooded parks of Maryland's Bel Air and Forest Hill communities. The folksy sounding name actually stands for the...
The Long Branch Trail is a neighborhood trail tracing the Long Branch Creek beginning at its confluence with Sligo Creek in Takoma Park, to Piney Branch Road in Long Branch. The trail is an easy ride:...
The Holmes Run Trail offers a scenic pathway through the heart of a busy residential area in Alexandria and adjoining Fairfax County, both suburbs of Washington, D.C. The trail, which is divided into...
The Kent Island South Trail is one of two popular recreational trails (along with the Cross Island Trail) on Maryland's Kent Island, the largest island in the Chesapeake Bay. The trail runs parallel...
The Strawberry Lake Way Bicycle Path is a 2.2 mile trail that is located between Laurel and Annapolis in Anne Arundel County Maryland. The trail starts at Piney Orchard Elementary School, and ends at...
The Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail is one of the best hiking and biking trails in the Mid-Atlantic region. It allows for nearly 20 miles of flat travel, punctuated by a number of access points and an...
I got on the trail after starting at the airport overlook. From there I went 7.5 miles out and back. Not ready yet for the full length. Only drawback is that there are many street crossings where you need to stop. Very well maintained and cert well marked.
Is there an actual bike path? Yes, complete with posted signs and symbols (albeit faded) along the path. Does it run parallel to MacArthur Blvd? Yes, although the bike path runs out at the Exxon just before you reach the Pallisades in D.C. However, whether it is OFFICIALLY named the MacArthur Boulevard Bike Path I will leave up to the general public. Also, the actual eight mile distance strecthes from the Old Angler's Inn in Potomac, MD, to somewhere between Norton and Norfolk Streets in the Pallisades.
If you are running at dusk or pre-dawn when starting at the Inn, I strongly recommend some sort of personal lighting. The first canopy made the path DARK. Not even the light of a full moon made it through the trees. The path does have some gradual climbs and declines going both ways; you'll see more climbs starting from the Inn and more declines when you run from the Pallisades. The bike path is well worn, and you'll have to watch for tree detritus in some of the more wooded areas, but it's still in decent shape. Lastly, no mile markers of any kind. One-mile mark is at the tuen onto Clara Barton Parkway, four mile just before Cabin John Park, five mile at the Exxon station.
The Bike Path runs along MacArthur Blvd, which is a substantially wooded residential area. There is a public restroom across the road from the Inn; it was open when I finished my run, but I don't know if/when it actually is open. There are also port-a-Johns at Cabin John Park (thank you, God!), and two Exxon stations along the route (neither were open on Sunday morning, and no guarantees when they are).
Overall the course is a good place to pace yourself. The gradual climbs will tempt you into going too fast, and the declines will let you open your strides if you want to push for those negative splits. There is one big uphill/downhill in the vicinity of the Little Falls Stream Valley Park area that you need to watch out for, especially if taking it downhill. The cyclists don't start to populate the Bile Path until 7:15~7:30 a.m. on Sundays, and they are courteous to non-cyclists.
My early Sunday morning run on MacArthur Blvd was a noteworthy experience. yes, this is a Bike Path, but runners are encouraged to give it a try.
Trail conditions are great, but the route signage is erratic and confusing. The paved trail is broken up way too much by traffic intersections, some of which are really dangerous. Wouldn't take time to ride it again.
The asphalt is broken every 4 feet with grass growing through it. It's only 4 feet wide. There are multiple steep slopes with little sight distance. Multiple locations with gravel out washes.
Bicyclists could not pass each other in opposite directions. Very large trees restrict bail-outs.
It has clear been abandoned by the FCPA.
I rode this trail from Oxon Hill Maryland through the Mt. Vernon Trail into Georgetown and it is a beautiful ride this morning. I road 30 miles that included this trail which is so so beautiful. Next week I am planning to ride all the way to Bethesda Maryland. I stopped at the sign that said welcome to Montgomery County and was told if I went 4 more miles I would have been in Bethesda.
Nice trail and is a fast and short connection between Bethesda and Rockville, but is heavily trafficked and narrow.
Rode the entire length a couple of times. Last time in June 2019. The first 10 miles out of Cumberland are terrible. If it has rained recently you will get muddy. When we went through it looked like they hadn't even mowed sections of it in a year. After that the trail had some rough patches but was ride-able. I would definitely not ride a rode bike on this trail, especially not with road tires. You need a bike with some suspension and some grip through this area. The Paw Paw tunnel was open when we went through, very interesting. Very rough and narrow inside the tunnel.
Don't know what you do if you meet a bicyclist coming the opposite direction inside the tunnel. Between Harper's Ferry and Brunswick they have resurfaced the trail and it was great. They need to put a ramp on the bridge to Harper's Ferry. We skip it as we don't want to leave our bikes behind and we aren't carrying fully loaded bikes up the spiral staircase. Fort Fredrick is an interesting side trip. The only reason the trail gets as a high a rating as I gave it is that there are free campsites all along the trail and historical markers. A lot of the campsites are by the Potomac river. They are very rustic just a picnic table, fire ring and Porta John. Sometimes there is a working water pump, sometime there isn't. I would suggest carrying a water filter, the water from the pumps is usually orange with iodine. They are usually quiet except for the occasional train. Along this trail you really can't get away from the occasional train. Also, bring bug spray in the summer if you are camping. You really don't need sunscreen, very seldom are you out from under the trees. There are huge trees all along the path.
Clearly marked and easy to follow. Paved paths mixed with park roads.
Started at the Georgetown trailhead. (Ouch!) But, that’s the city for you; close to home and musical parking spaces. We saw Fletchers Cove parking after we were riding. And, will definitely park there the next time we hit this trail. While it is scenic, it behoves you to keep your eyes on the trail as you might run into that cute little girl, or that jogger. My wife loved the river, and I liked the tunnel. We both liked that it went through downtown Bethesda.
I rode the entire Torrey C. Brown Trail starting in New Freedom, PA and ending in Cockeysville, MD. The entire trail is in very good condition, is flat and offers plenty of shade to keep you cool. The Maryland portion of the trail is 19.7 miles, starting at New Freedom added another 1.5 miles to my ride.
I rode on a beautiful Sunday in early June; the trail gets busy especially as I got closer to Cockeysville but everyone was courteous and respectful. There are multiple trail heads with Montkton serving as a great mid-point as it offers a cafe, real bathrooms and a small museum. The scenery changes from fields to streams to verdant hills; the entire ride was captivating.
My wife & I rode 22-miles from the John V. Baggett Park trailhead to Deborah Drive and back. The trail is very well maintained with a smooth consistent surface. The tree-lined southern half offers a bit more shade and is farther from the main highway. There are a dozen markers along the trail detailing the history of the railroad & local communities. All in all a very pleasant ride.
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