Trail Running: Washington, DC

Welcome to the first article in iRunFar’s new series, Destination Dirt. In the series, we’ll be alternately highlighting urban trails and “destination” trail running locations, such as national parks. We intend for the articles to be introductions to a city’s trails or the opportunities that await the trail runner in a splendid locale. Destination Dirt articles may include sample runs, trail system profiles, local trail running clubs, trails races, and other local trail running resources. It’s our hope that knowledgeable readers will leave additional insight in comments. Where relevant, we’ll update the article with reader suggested resources. Before we begin, we’d like to thank Salomon for providing support for Destination Dirt.

Trail Running in Washington, DC
We figured it would be fitting to kick off the series with the American capital – Washington, DC. Not only is Washington home to the US government, it’s also the setting for some great trails and a vibrant trail running community.

To kick things off, here’s a work-in-progress trail access map for the the DC-area. Let us know what you think of the concept!

Washington, DC
Trail purists who live in The District’s northwestern quadrant have great trail running options. For instance, there’s a great trail network in the central and northern sections of Rock Creek Park (park map with trails; Runner’s World article on RCP). Just south of the Massachusetts Avenue bridge in Rock Creek Park, trail runners can reach another set of trails by heading west through Dumbarton Oaks Park and Whitehaven Park to Glover-Archbold Park within which trails extend to the north and south. Head north through Glover-Archbold Park and another westward turn across a small dam will have you on your way to Battery Kemble Park with access to the C&O Canal Towpath (see below). All of these parks and trails are visible on the Rock Creek Park map.

Trail running on the Valley Trail in Rock Creek Park. Photo by Bobby Gill.

Two of the city’s most popular running locations, the National Mall at the heart of downtown and the C&O Canal Towpath (map and guide) that runs north along the Potomac River from Georgetown, contain miles of non-technical trail. In fact, much of the trail is so non-technical that there are likely many DC folks who are trail runners without even knowing it! Even though it’s crowded, running on the Mall is a must during cherry blossom season, which usually spans late March through early April. For great blossoms with smaller crowds, wind your way through the National Arboretum’s limited trails (map) while the azaleas are blooming in April and May.

Arlington, Virginia
The Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail sits on the western side of the Potomac River, just across from Washington, DC. Beginning from the south at Theodore Roosevelt Island, the PHT is continuous for 10 miles to the north until it reaches the Capital Beltway (I-495) at the American Legion Bridge. Two side trail systems worth are exploring are Teddy Roosevelt Island and Potomac Overlook Park (trail map), which branches off the Potomac Heritage Trail at Donaldson Run. There’s even a guide to the Potomac Heritage Trail, which extends (with some gaps) 350 miles from Arlington north to Seaward, Pennsylvania.

Racers doing battle at the Potomac Overlook Trail Runs.

Additional Local Trail Systems

There are many other running trails to be found within the greater DC metropolitan region, including:

• Great Falls National Park near Great Falls, Virgina and Potomac, Maryland (map)
• Greenbelt Park, Greenbelt, Maryland (map)
• Occoquan Regional Park near Lorton, Virginia (pdf map)
• Cross-Country Trail & Difficult Run Trail, Fairfax County, Virginia (map)
• Prince William National Forest near Quantico, Virginia (map)

Weekend day trips can easily have you on the trails of Shenandoah National Park (map), Catoctin Mountain Park (map), and the Massanutten Mountains.  These are just some of many mountain trail locations found in the Blue Ridge Mountains found to the west of the metro region.

A view of the Potomac Gorge from the very rocky Billy Goat Trail in Great Falls National Park. Photo by Lucia Olivera.

Trail Resources

• Virginia Happy Trails Running Club – This trail running club includes many ultrarunners, but is filled with members who run a variety of distances. The VHTRC news page is the place to start your exploration of the website and a spot to check in regularly for happenings in the local trail community. The club also maintains the best local (and not so local) trail race schedule. If you’re looking for more local trail running exposure, sign up for the club’s listserv. In addition to many training runs, the VHTRC puts on the Bull Run Run 50 mile (April), Massanutten Mountain Trails (MMT) 100 mile (May), and Women’s Half Marathon (September).
• Bike Washington Multi-Use Trail Map – Although most of the “trails” on this map are paved, these bike trails might be the best way to get to your soon-to-be favorite single track.
• Guide to Trail Running in DC – A brief VHTRC guide to trail running at Bull Run/Occoquan (VA), at Great Falls National Park (MD side), on the Potomac Heritage Trail (VA), at Patapsco Valley State Park (MD), and at Burke Lake Regional Park (VA). The directions to trailhead parking are particular useful.
• Running Around Town: Washington, DC’s Just Trails – While slow and no longer updated, Running Around Town lists trails in the DC area broken down to DC, Virginia, and Maryland trails. Not each of the “trails” listed is unpaved, but the lists will give you ideas to research further. Many of the entries include very helpful local topographic trail maps.
• Local Hikes: DC – An encyclopedic list of hiking trail in the DC region and beyond.
• Monumental Trail Running Around the Nation’s Capital – Read the full version of an article on DC area trails that I originally wrote for Running Times.
• Bull Run-Occoquan Trail Runners MeetUp Group – Join this group for trail runs in the Virginia suburbs.
• Running and Rambling’s DC posts – Donald of Running and Rambling has posted great photo tours of Rock Creek Park, Glover-Archibold Park, and the 10 mile section of the Potomac Heritage Trail closest to DC.

Trail Races
Here’s a sampling of the many great trail races found around Washington, DC. For a more complete list of area trail running races, do take a look at the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club’s trail event calendar.

• Virginia Happy Trails Running Club events – As mentioned above, the VHTRC hosts the women-only Women’s Half Marathon in September, the Bull Run Run 50 mile in April, and the Massanutten Mountain Trails (MMT) 100 mile run in May.
• EX2 Adventures – EX2 Adventures puts on nearly a dozen trail running events, including some with multiple distance options. There is a four-race Backyard Burn series in both the spring and fall. Each Backyard Burn event features a 5 and 10 mile race. For more adventurous trail runners, EX2 offers the Bushwacker Running Adventure Race, a 10-mile-ish race that has no “course,” only the requirement that runners stay within a park’s boundaries en route to three checkpoints.
• The North Face Endurance Challenge: DC – Held over the course of a June weekend, The North Face’s running festival now features eight races. There’s a kids race, 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon, marathon relay, 50k, and 50 mile, so you’re bound to find a distance to your liking.
• The Beast Series - Further south in Virginia, David Horton and Eco-X Sports combined their race schedules to form the six-race ultramarathon (50k-100 miles) Beast Series, which includes the highly competitive Mountain Masochist Trail Run. For those looking for something a bit shorter (but no less challenging), try the half marathon option at Eco-X’s Terrapin Mountain.
• Montgomery County Cross Country Series – If cross country races are more your thing. The Montgomery County Road Runners puts on a series of eight cross country races between April and December. You can run the races singly or compete in the series by joining the club and finishing four or more races.

Call for Input and Questions
We’d love for folks who have trail run in the DC metro area to share their favorite local trails and trail running resources. We’d especially love to know the particulars of your favorite routes as well as any great trail systems that we did not include.

For those of you knew to trail running in DC or who may be visiting the town, please share any questions you have and we’ll try to find an answer for you.

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Filed under Destination Dirt · Tagged with District of Columbia, Maryland, VHTRC, Virginia

Bryon Powell is the Editor-in-Chief of iRunFar.com, which he founded five years ago. Also the author of Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine, he's quickly approaching 10 years as an ultrarunner and 20 years as a trail runner. These days he calls Park City, Utah and its trails home.
All posts by Bryon Powell