11
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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.