The Washington Post - 06.09.2019

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THE WASHINGTON POST

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

On the Town

BY ANDRIA MOORE

Going for a hike is one of the

best ways to de-stress and men-

tally recharge. But you don’t have

to leave the city to get your green

therapy — D.C. offers plenty of

trails with varying degrees of

difficulty, terrain and sightseeing

options. Here are three that offer

fun escapes.

Glover-Archbold Trail

Glover-Archbold Park is often

overlooked by its larger, sister

park: Rock Creek. Don’t let the

smaller size fool you — its relative

anonymity means fewer crowds

while hiking. The roughly two-

mile Glover-Archbold Trail,

which connects Tenleytown and

Georgetown, is a pleasantly

wooded getaway, with its cano-

pies of oak and beech trees. (The

trail is normally 3.1 miles, but the

last leg is blocked off because of

construction.) Turtles, deer, owls

and a variety of beautiful bird

species (including woodpeckers)

can sometimes be spotted. Bikes

are not allowed, which makes this

a great walking trail for dogs,

which must be leashed.

As you begin at the entrance off

the corner of Massachusetts Av-

enue and Macomb Street NW, the

path is about 15 feet below the

adjacent road, conveying the illu-

sion of walking underground.

Right away you are presented

with a few mini boardwalks to

help your balance as you cross the

muddier portions of the path.

Just over the first half-mile, the

trail steeps upward, crossing onto

Cathedral Avenue NW. After

quickly crossing the street, the

terrain then becomes rougher as

tree roots emerge. You will cross

one more paved road during this

hike, at Garfield Street and New

Mexico Avenue NW, toward the

end of the trail.

Western Ridge Trail to the

Capitol Stones

In the heart of Rock Creek Park

lies an unusual pile of our nation’s

history: granite, marble and

sandstone blocks that were taken

from a 1958 renovation of the U.S.

Capitol and dumped into the

park, about two-tenths of a mile

from the Rock Creek Horse Cen-

ter. There are no trail markers to

lead the way, but you can plug

“Capitol Stones” into Google

maps to help guide you.

For a slightly longer adventure,

start near Peirce Mill in Van Ness.

For most of the two-mile journey,

you’ll follow the Western Ridge

Trail, turning left after the first

mile at the horse arena; when

Ridge Road NW can be seen

parallel to the trail, you’ll veer off

and follow it. A few hundred feet

more takes you to an intersection

where you head right, onto Ross

Drive NW. At this point, the path

toward the stones becomes calm

— it’s mostly dirt and gravel, and

tall trees surround you. After one

last uphill climb, the Capitol

Stones start to appear in the

distance. While the majority of

the ruins are blocks of faded gray,

the growing presence of moss and

the intricate marble detailing add

to the eerie ambiance, and some

of the stacks are sturdy enough to

climb.

Theodore Roosevelt Island

Swamp Trail

Tucked into the Potomac River,

nestled between Rosslyn and the

District, lies Theodore Roosevelt

Island. The island and its various

paths can be reached by taking

the Blue, Orange or Silver Line to

the Rosslyn Metro station or bik-

ing from Georgetown.

The Swamp Trail is a scenic

option for anyone looking for an

easy afternoon hike with a beauti-

ful view. Running the length of

the perimeter of the island, the

Swamp Trail is a roughly mile-

and-a-half loop. One of the best

parts of this trail are the signs

explaining the history of the foli-

age, erosion and design of the

island that can be found along the

path.

Turn left after you cross the

bridge, and right off the bat is a

gorgeous view of the Potomac

River behind some large scat-

tered boulders and thick swamp-

like vines. (Note: The vines often

grow onto the trail so be careful of

tripping.) Although extremely

muddy, this is an easy hike for

most: It’s relatively flat during the

entire walk and, about a half-mile

in, a boardwalk appears marking

entrance to the part of the path

that gives the trail its name.

The swamp is beautifully se-

rene, with cattails creeping up on

all sides of the boardwalk, bull-

frogs calling out to one another

and ringlets appearing in the

water from creeping fish and tur-

tles. Benches are located at the

swamp lookout, where the board-

walk juts out into the water.

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Hot on the trail of the area’s scenic hiking spots

PHOTOS BY ANDRIA MOORE FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

The Swamp Trail is a scenic option for anyone looking for an easy afternoon hike with a beautiful view on Theodore Roosevelt Island.

About a half-mile into the trail, a boardwalk appears marking entrance to the part of the path that gives the trail its name.

Following the Western Ridge

Trail, left, in Rock Creek Park

will lead hikers to a pile of

granite, marble and sandstone

blocks taken from a 1958

renovation of the U.S. Capitol

and dumped into the park.