- Civil War Series - The Fort Circle Park Hiker-Biker Trail is part of a broader network of trails and bike routes surrounding Washington, DC that provide access to the Civil War Defenses of Washington, a ring of Civil War era fortifications. Situated east of the Anacostia River, the 6.2-mile stretch described below—unlike the rest …
Continue reading Fort Circle Park Hiker-Biker Trail (Fort Circle Parks, DC)
The United States Marine Corps War Memorial, dedicated in 1954, recreates the iconic scene of a 1945 photograph of six U.S. Marines raising an American flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima. Today the beautiful memorial (also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial) sits just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC, a short walk …
- Civil War Series - Northern Virginia’s Arlington National Cemetery occupies a prized piece of real estate, just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. At 624 acres, the sloping hillsides contain the graves of thousands of American military veterans, dating back to the Civil War, as well as a handful of notable civilians, including …
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- Civil War Series - Occupying prime position atop a high hill in northern Washington, DC, Fort DeRussy was mostly quiet during the Civil War. But for two days in July 1864—when Confederate General Jubal Early’s Second Corps attacked the city, the war’s only raid on Washington—the artillerymen at the fort unleashed more than 100 …
The Edge of the Woods Trail is a short, wheelchair-accessible path in Rock Creek Park, starting and ending at the Nature Center. Along the way are interpretive signs on the area’s flora and fauna, but there’s not much to see besides woods and a very small meadow. The hike The Nature Center is a popular …
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Situated in Rock Creek Park’s wild northern section, the Pine-Holly Loop traces a 1.5-mile circuit in the woody pocket between the creek and 16th Street in Washington, DC. Although the scenery is modest, this short hike is easily accessed by city dwellers, beginning and ending at 16th and Holly, located on the well-trafficked bus line …
Continue reading Pine-Holly Trail Loop (Rock Creek Park, DC)
The Rosemont Loop in Washington, DC’s Rock Creek Park comes from the annals of hiking obscura: the hike rarely appears on maps or even on the Internet. Leaving no stone unturned, however, those in search of complete mastery of Rock Creek Park can try this leafy and pleasant walk, wedged in a small strip of …
While firmly within the District of Columbia, Rock Creek Park’s “wild northern section” sees relatively sparse use due to its distance from the city center. All the better: not only is bigger and better than the park’s crowded southern reaches, but the area provides a sense of solitude almost unheard of in a major American …
Continue reading Pinehurst Branch Trail Loop (Rock Creek Park, DC)
Situated just north of today’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood in Washington, DC, Piney Branch carves a wooded valley that was a longtime source of quartzite and boasted the first road through what would become Rock Creek Park. A smattering of trails zig-zag across the steam valley, but the description below covers a 1.5-mile loop around the …
It is a roughly six-minute drive from Theodore Roosevelt Island to Fort Marcy along the George Washington Memorial Parkway, a route predominantly used by commuters in the Washington, DC metro area. Most, however, are completely unaware of the charming underworld that lies just below—a sliver of lush greenery between the parkway and the Potomac, a …
Live and Let Hike 