ROCK CREEK PARK:
MARYLAND/WASHINGTON DC
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Last Updated:
April 20, 2006
Length:
Rock Creek Park Trail (from the
Georgetown Branch Trail to the
Potomac River/C & O
Canal
); 10 miles
Georgetown Branch Trail; 3 miles
Capitol Crescent Trail; 7 ¼ miles
All 3 trails combined into a
Loop
; 20 ½ miles
Difficulty:
Easy. Paved trail and road sections
with a downhill grade from the Georgetown Branch Trail to DC.
Moderate. Paved trail and road sections with an uphill grade from DC to the
Georgetown Branch Trail.
Directions:
Wisconsin Avenue
runs from I-495 in the north, all the way
to the
Potomac River
south in
Georgetown
. To start from
Bethesda
; At the junction of
Wisconsin
and Bethesda Avenues is a metered parking lot where you can access both the Capitol
Crescent Trail and the Georgetown Branch Trail. The Georgetown
Branch Trail heads northeast across
Bethesda Ave
through the Wisconsin Ave Tunnel towards
Silver Spring
. You can then access the Rock Creek Trail via a spur after crossing over
the Rock Creek Trestle. See; Georgetown
Branch Trail Letterbox for directions. To start from
Rays
Meadow
Park
; Take the
East West Highway
(Route 410) that runs between
Silver Spring
and
Chevy Chase
to where
Rock
Creek
Park
intersects it. The trail crosses the highway here and
Rays
Meadow
Park
is located on the northern side of the road. Take
Meadowbrook Lane
, then a left onto
Freyman Drive
. Entrance will be on your left. To start in DC; Start from the Thompson
Boat Center which is located on the Potomac River near Virginia Ave
and Rock Creek Parkway.
To access the Trail via the Metro;
Take the Red Line up to Bethesda Station. Take the elevator up to
street level (bikes must use the elevators) and take a right down
Montgomery Lane
. Turn left on
Woodmont Ave
which will bring you to the junction of
Bethesda Ave.
The metered parking lot is across the street, while the trail through the
tunnel is too your left. Look for the green trail signs. Its only a little over
a ¼ mile from the Metro to the trail. For information about taking your bike on
the Metro visit; METRO-BIKE
. For other Metro information visit; METRO
.
The Capitol Crescent Trail runs along
the route of the old Georgetown Spur, a B & O Railroad Line
completed in 1910, from
Georgetown
to
Silver Spring
. Service was discontinued in 1985. The trail is paved from
Georgetown
, where it runs parallel to the
Potomac River
and C & O Canal Towpath, then curves inland to
Bethesda
. From
Bethesda
towards
Silver Spring
the trail consists of stone dust and is named the Georgetown Branch
Trail. Only 3 miles of this trail has been completed. In between, the
Wisconsin Avenue Tunnel connects the two trails. Rock Creek Park runs
from
Maryland
down through DC and is accessible from the Georgetown Branch Trail. This
is a paved trail with some on-road sections in
DC (that are closed to traffic on weekends). You can ride this trail from
the Georgetown Branch Trail all the way to the
Potomac River
for a distance of 10 miles. You also pass the start of the C & O Canal
Trail that will bring you back to the Capitol Crescent Trail if you
wish to do a loop ride. See; Capitol
Crescent Trail Letterbox and C
& O Canal Trail . If you want to do these trails
without any hills, you can start up in
Bethesda
. Then simply take the metro, along with your bike, back to
Bethesda
. Or, take the Metro up to
Bethesda
and leave your car in DC. For more information about biking the Metro, check
out the links above.
Maryland
's 14 mile long Rock Creek Trail is a collection of paved multi-use paths
through southern
Montgomery
County
. Although this area is mostly urbanized, the trail follows a mainly wooded
route along the Rock Creek Stream Valley.
The northern trail head is located in
Lake
Needwood
Regional
Park
, just a few miles east of downtown
Rockville
. The trail ends at the
Washington
DC
. border, where this trail picks up. For more information on the
Maryland
section visit; ROCK
CREEK-MD. For
other information check out; CAPITOL
CRESCENT TRAIL ,
WASHINGTON BIKE ASSOC. or
ROCK CREEK PARK-NPS .
Starting from the Georgetown Branch Trail;
After crossing over the Rock Creek trestle, you'll come to a side trail
on your right after just a ¼ mile. Head up the short hill to
Grubb Road
and take a right. This residential road, which has a sidewalk, heads downhill.
Just follow the green signs. When you come to
Freyman Drive
, take a right. This takes you past Rays Meadow Park on your right. You
can enter here to access the trail which passes through the park.
Note;
Heading right on the paved trail takes you north where you'll pass underneath Rock
Creek trestle as you follow the
Maryland
section of the trail.
You head left however and travel south to the
East-West Highway
. This is about a 1 mile trip. Starting from
Rays
Meadow
Park
; You cross over the
East-West Highway
at the cross-light. The trail then takes you past the Meadowbrook Stables
and around
Meadowbrook
Park
, where restrooms are available. You cross over Rock Creek at 0.6 miles
and twice more at 0.9 miles. After crossing over Boundary Bridge (where
Maryland
meets DC) you come to a parking lot at 1.2 miles. Here the paved trail ends. To
the left is the Valley Trail, which is restricted to hiking and horses
only and to the right is the entrance to Rock Creek Park via
Beach Drive
. You must take
Beach Drive
, which is a narrow road with no shoulder or bike path.
However;
the northern section of
Beach Drive
is closed to traffic from
7am
Saturdays to 7pm Sundays and all federal holidays. I would caution against
biking this section at any other times. Note;
you can also park here to start, as cars are allowed to this point from the
north.
Head past the gates onto
Beach Drive
, which is downhill all the way to DC. Rock Creek is too your left and
woodlands surround you on rocky slopes. Very peaceful and scenic. At 1.8 miles
you come to the intersection of
West Beach Drive
, which is not closed to traffic. USE CAUTION as you head right for a
short 0.1 mile on-road detour uphill. You then access
Beach Drive
again by passing through the closed gates. After 2.5 miles you'll come to a
picnic area on your left. All picnic areas are numbered, so if you have the NPS
map (see below), you can easily determine your location. This is Area
#10.
Note; traffic is allowed to access this area from the south so USE
CAUTION and keep to the right side of the road.
You'll pass by Rolling
Meadow Bridge on your left as it crosses over the creek at 3 miles. You then
come to
Bingham Drive
on your right, which is also closed to traffic. Here, a paved trail now
parallels
Beach Drive
, although its a bit narrow. You cross over Rock Creek at a place called Milkhouse
Ford at 3 ½ miles and come to picnic Area
#6, where an outhouse is available. After crossing underneath
Military Road
, you come to an intersection at 3.9 miles.
Note; Right will take you towards the Nature Center and
Planetarium on the paved trail if you wish a side trip.
Otherwise, you need to
continue straight along
Beach Drive
, which is still closed to traffic, as the paved trail does not. The Park Police
Station is located here. This next section is what I consider the most scenic,
as the road follows alongside the creek on your right. You'll pass by the Rapids
Bridge at 4 ½ miles and cross over the beautifully built
Boulder
Bridge
at 5 miles. As the name suggests, it's built out of boulders. At 5 ½
miles you come to the intersection of
Broad Branch Road
. Cross over the road to the parking lot on the right. Here, the paved trail
begins again at the back of the lot, as
Beach Drive
is now open to traffic. You come to the Peirce Mill site at 5 ¾ miles.
There are several buildings here, including a visitor contact station and
restroom facilities. The trail then passes below a bridge next to the creek and
takes you past the Peirce Mill parking lot, where you cross a bridge over
Rock Creek. After crossing over
Bluff
Bridge
at 6 ¼ miles the trail narrows a bit. You then come to a large road
intersection and the southern entrance to Rock Creek Park. The trail
continues underneath the overpass to your left, where you'll cross over a most
interesting pedestrian arch bridge. The trail now closely parallels
Beach Drive
to your left and the creek on your right, separated by a metal fence. This is
the National Zoo boundary line. You come to the Zoo's entrance at 7.1
miles, where you can take a visit. See; NATIONAL
ZOO. The trail then detours around Beach Drive Tunnel to its
opposite end at 7.8 miles. USE CAUTION crossing the auto bridge as there
is only a narrow sidewalk. You then pass below a very high bridge which I
believe to be
Calvert Street
. You'll be passing under many more of these high bridges on your way to DC, all
with different looks. After passing underneath the
Connecticut
Ave
Bridge
, you'll have to cross over an access ramp. There is a crosswalk here, but no
cross-light, so USE CAUTION. The trail improves and follows along an
exercise course. Pass over a bridge at 8 ¼ miles and then under the
Mass
Ave
Bridge
. At 9 miles you cross a cement bridge with the
Mount
Zion
Cemetery
up along the hillside. You must cross another access ramp at 9.8 miles for
Pennsylvania Ave
, so again, USE CAUTION. Just before crossing over the next bridge, look
to your right. There will be a brick lined path connecting into your trail. This
is the C & O Canal Trail.
Note; Just a short side trip down this trail will take you to the
C & O Canal Georgetown Visitor Center. See; C & O CANAL
.You can also access the Capitol Crescent Trailhead, only ¾ miles away
via this trail and do a complete loop back to your starting point.
Note;
The National Park Service is currently building the Georgetown Waterfront
Park along the Potomac River. This will provide a link between the
end of the Capitol Crescent Trail and the start of the Rock Creek Park
Trail, as well as a direct link to Georgetown and DC. The first section has
just opened in October, 2008. The final end date is projected to be in 2010.
Next you pass by the Thompson
Boat Center on your right at 10 miles. Bike rentals are available here. As
the trail brings you alongside the
Potomac River
, look left across Rock Creek & Potomac Parkway where you'll spot the Watergate
Complex. Looking across the
Potomac River
, you can also spot Roosevelt Island NP. At 10.3 miles, the trail surface
turns to brick briefly as you pass by the
Kennedy
Center
. The trail is now right alongside the
Potomac River
. Next you pass underneath the
Roosevelt
Bridge
at 10.6 miles and come to an overlook. Across the
Potomac River
, up on the hill, you can spot an American flag flying over the Arlington
House in Arlington National Cemetery. Finally you come to the Arlington
Memorial Bridge after 11 miles. The first set of statutes is the "Arts
of Peace", while the statutes across the road are the "Arts of
War". You may cross over the road to visit the Lincoln Memorial and
all the other nearby memorials.
Every
time we visit DC, we bring our bikes. It's the best way to see all the memorials
without trying to find a parking space or wearing out your legs. The Mall is
very bike friendly.
HH
CLICK
HERE FOR ROCK CREEK PARK (DC SECTION) MAP
CLICK HERE FOR ROCK
CREEK PARK (MD SECTION) MAP
BEFORE YOU SET OUT BE
SURE TO READ THE
WAIVER
OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER
BIKE IT OR HIKE IT
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