60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Washington, D.C.

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.

• Overview Map Acknowledgments Foreword A Few Words About Using Our Maps Map Legend Preface 60 Hikes by Category Introduction WASHINGTON, D.C. Anacostia Riverwalk TrailCapital Crescent Trail: Fletcher’s Cove to Georgetown Waterfront ParkColumbia IslandEast Potomac Park and Jefferson MemorialGlover Archbold Park Trail and Potomac Heritage TrailKenilworth Aquatic Gardens and the Anacostia Riverwalk TrailRock Creek Park: Boulder Bridge TrailRock Creek Park: Northern SectionTheodore Roosevelt Island National MemorialTidal Basin and West Potomac ParkUnited States National ArboretumCLOSE-IN MARYLAND SUBURBS (Parts of Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties) Billy Goat Trail: Sections A and BBlack Hill Regional ParkBrookside Gardens and Wheaton Regional ParkC&O Canal Towpath: Great Falls to Old Angler’s Inn with Olmsted IslandC&O Canal Towpath: Old Angler’s Inn to Carderock Recreation AreaCabin John Regional ParkCosca Regional ParkGreenbelt ParkLake Artemesia Natural Area and Northeast Branch TrailLake Needwood and Maryland’s Rock Creek Regional ParkMcKee-Beshers Wildlife Management AreaPatuxent Research Refuge: Cash Lake TrailSandy Spring Underground Railroad Trail: Woodlawn Manor Cultural ParkSeneca Creek State Park: Lake Shore TrailSeneca Greenway Trail: Frederick Road (MD 355 to Brink Road)CLOSE-IN VIRGINIA SUBURBS (Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax Counties) Burke Lake Park TrailDifficult Run Stream Valley Park: Gerald Connolly Cross County TrailFort Hunt Park and Mount Vernon TrailFraser PreserveGlade Stream Valley ParkGreat Falls ParkHuntley Meadows ParkLake Accotink Park TrailMason Neck State Park and National Wildlife RefugePotomac Overlook Regional Park and Nature CenterRiverbend Park and the Potomac Heritage TrailScott’s Run Nature PreserveTurkey Run Park and the Potomac Heritage TrailWinkler Botanical PreserveRURAL MARYLAND (Parts of Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties; Anne Arundel, Calvert, and Frederick Counties) Calvert Cliffs State ParkCatoctin Mountain ParkCedarville State ForestCunningham Falls State ParkJug Bay Wetlands SanctuaryLittle Bennett Regional ParkMagruder Branch Trail and Lower Magruder TrailMonocacy National BattlefieldNational Colonial Farm at Piscataway ParkQuiet Waters ParkRachel Carson Conservation ParkSugarloaf MountainRURAL VIRGINIA (Clarke, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties) Algonkian Regional ParkAppalachian Trail: Raven RocksBanshee Reeks Nature PreserveBull Run-Occoquan TrailLeesylvania State ParkManassas National Battlefield ParkPrince William Forest ParkSky Meadows State ParkAppendix A: Hiking Clubs and Other Information Sources Appendix B: Hiking Stores Index About the Authors