3 December Days on the Potomac Heritage Trail

An underrated National Scenic Trail in the heart of DC

“It’s tempting to think of wilderness only as remote places, far from where people live and work. The Potomac Gorge defies that notion. It is, by any measure, a special place.” — National Park Service

If I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again — the mid-Atlantic has pretty mild winters and so there’s really no reason to stay cooped up inside the whole time. Sure, it can be daunting to go winter hiking or camping up in the mountains (although completely possible). But you don’t need to go far around here to feel the connection to nature. The Washington, DC region has an incredible amount of trails and park systems that provide endless outdoor opportunities while still allowing one to return to the comforts of his or her own bed at the end of the day.

It was with this mentality that I recently got out and explored a trail I’d always glanced over while planning other adventures — the Potomac Heritage Trail. This is actually a National Scenic Trail and over three days day hiking in late December, I fell in love.

The thing that most amazed me was just how few people I saw compared to the thousands who use the Rock Creek and Great Falls trail systems each day. The Potomac Heritage Trail is a gem hiding in plain sight and it’s the perfect choice to get that feeling of “getting away” and immersed in nature without having to travel too far.

Four Things You’ll Find In This Post:

1. Cascading waterfalls just minutes away from downtown DC — seriously.
2. Incredible ridgeline views of Georgetown and DC.
3. Suggestions for easy loop hikes that connect to other regional / riverside parks.
4. Tranquil escape and solitude along the water.

BONUS: a potential old-growth tree location!

The Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail is mostly managed by the National Park Service, maintained by volunteers and the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, and encompasses 710 miles(!) of federal, state, local, and non-profit trail systems across the mid-Atlantic. The entire National Scenic Trail network includes the C&O Canal Towpath, the Great Alleghany Passage, the Mount Vernon Trail, and others.

In the DC region, the part of the trail that borders the Potomac goes simply by “Potomac Heritage Trail” and since that’s the section this post focuses on that’s the name I’ll use.

Day 1: Roosevelt Island to Windy Run Park Loop — 5.7 miles

The hiker-only trail begins at the end of the mixed-use Mt. Vernon Trail at Roosevelt Island. There’s parking here and a small sign at the northern end of the parking lot that announces the PHT.

At first, the trail doesn’t seem like much as it meanders through thick invasive species and under the Key Bridge. But it soon opens up along the water with clear views of Georgetown.

The blue-blazed trail hugs the Potomac on your right and the George Washington Memorial Parkway on your Left. For the first mile-ish, the sounds from the Parkway can be distracting. But the Parkway soon climbs up along the limestone cliffs leaving you down by the water’s edge and the quiet sounds of nature.

This is the Potomac Gorge Ecosystem. According to the National Park Service, “134 rare species and natural communities have been identified here including rare groundwater invertebrates found almost nowhere else on Earth, the highest concentration of rare plants in Maryland, the largest intact block of forest in Maryland’s Piedmont and one of the most significant hardwood forests in all of Virginia.” “On its passage through the Gorge to tidal water, the Potomac has one of the steepest and longest fall zones of any American river draining to the Atlantic” and “an incredible diversity of migratory birds spend part of each year in the Gorge.”

“The Potomac Gorge is affirmation that wilderness has more to do with healthy, functioning natural systems than location. More than 2 million people live in the jurisdictions which contain the Gorge — Fairfax County, VA; Montgomery County, MD; and the District of Columbia. So, the Gorge’s special values come with special challenges and opportunities. As America’s metropolitan areas expand further outward, we are challenged to do more than preserve some open space for recreation. The bigger challenge is to preserve the natural systems that support life. If we can successfully maintain and restore the Potomac Gorge’s natural systems, we will know much more about how human and natural communities can share the same neighborhoods.” Credit: National Park Service

Wow. Just wow. What are incredible natural area we have right here in one of the nation’s most populated regions. The more I learn about the PHT, and the mission this trail system has in education and preservation, the more amazing it becomes.

As the GW Parkway rises on your Left, the cliffs begin to provide some dramatic views and secluded natural habitat.

Huge boulders have broken off and are strewn about. Vines and trees cling to the rocks.

There are great views all along here looking back toward Key Bridge and the DC skyline.

This is also where the river really starts to open up. You’re beyond the motorized boat traffic of DC. Birds and aquatic life abound.

The first big waterfall is at the juncture of Windy Run trail. I believe it is the Windy Run creek that you see, flowing over the giant rock slabs and feeding into the Potomac. It is here that I turned west and into Windy Run Park to complete my loop home. It’s a steep but easy climb to the top of the falls. You then follow the creek under the GW Parkway overpass and go across the creek a couple times as the trail follows both sides of the bank.

No serious river crossing is required but wear waterproof hiking boots. The trail is also very rocky so it helps to have good traction. The Windy Run trail will spit you out on N Kenmore St and from there it’s an easy walk back through beautiful and luxurious neighborhoods back to wherever you started.

I started my first day’s hike right from my front door in Arlington as you can see from the map below. Once on the PHT, I turned north along the river and made it as far as Windy Run Park then looped back through some quiet neighborhoods, Thrifton Hill Park, and Lyon Village.

Day 2: Windy Run to Chain Bridge and Potomac Overlook Regional Park Loop — 7.2 miles

The first day on the PHT left me wanting more and it only took me two days to find the next opportunity to stretch my legs.

I decided to start where I left off and parked at the end of N Kenmore Street at Windy Run Park. There’s a small circle of free park parking right there.

Within minutes, I’d once again crisscrossed the creek, passed under the GW Parkway overpass, and descended the side of the waterfall (there are stone steps and a hand railing) back into the Potomac Gorge Ecosystem. It was another cold but beautiful and clear December day. Not even a mile from a busy Arlington neighborhood, soon all I could hear were the ripples of dark blue water breaking against the river bank.

I turned left at the PHT trail juncture and continued my journey north. This section of trail was gorgeous. It also came with some interesting features including a totaled car that, tragically, most likely plummeted from the Parkway high above.

The trail gets rocky and narrow in places but continue to follow the blue blazes for the best path. There are also a few wider flat areas that open up and make perfect lunch spots.

There are two more waterfalls in the first part of this section that come up fairly quickly and are both named on Google Maps as Potomac tributaries. The first is fairly small but the second is huge. The physical features and colors of the rock are amazing:

A little ways further and you’re looking across the river to Fletcher’s Cove and boathouse. This is a great part of the river to paddle and the boathouse offers SUP and kayak rentals in the warmer months.

At the juncture of Donaldson Run Trail, pay attention to the trail signs as the PHT climbs up along the bluffs. You do not want to take Donaldson Run, as it will take you into Potomac Overlook Park and away from the PHT, and you also don’t want to continue immediately along the riverside as you’ve been doing so far. You have to find the middle trail that keeps you along the river but climbs up.

I made this mistake and was quickly rock hopping the rest of the way to Chain Bridge. The benefit of this, however, was that I got some great views of the bridge from water level and explored a few water features pouring out from underneath Chain Bridge Road.

It was a bit of a rock scramble and bushwhack back to the PHT from here. This is also where I turned back south and so I climbed up from Chain Bridge Road and under yet another GW Parkway overpass. Within minutes you’re high up along the bluff looking down upon Chain Bridge, the far western reaches of DC neighborhoods, and a sweeping expanse of the Potomac. The trail also appears to be green blazed in this section and not blue blazed for some reason.

Hiking back along the bluff there’s a turnoff on the right to Gulf Branch Trail. This is another connector trail that will lead you along another Potomac tributary creek (Gulf Branch) and to Gulf Branch Nature Center and Park.

I continued on back to Donaldson Run Trail, this time taking it into Potomac Overlook Regional Park. There are a couple steep descents here but there are railings bolted onto the rocks. Take your time and be careful.

As was the case on my previous Day 1 section, looping back through this park took me under the GW Parkway and along a small creek. This seems to be the theme for PHT exploring!

Donaldson Run Trail is an excellent nature trail that feeds onto White Oak Way trail (white blazes) in Potomac Overlook Regional Park. The park is 67 acres and has a bunch of fun, easy trails. It even hosts an outdoor summer concert series!

Looping back through each of these small regional parks is a great way to see some different sights and explore everything the NOVA park system has to offer. There are SO many trails in this area and adding a bunch of them together into a big loop is fun whereas doing each one individually might take a lifetime.

One sign I came across in Potomac Overlook Regional Park made me stop and think.

It’s easy to get caught up in the metropolitan DC life and feel like the “true” natural world is far away somewhere — up in the mountains. In fact, it’s all around us and as the DC/NOVA/MD protected parks and trail systems slowly age, you can start to see aspects of how this area used to look. Already bald eagles and other large and small animals are returning. Trees are getting thicker and taller, once again providing diverse ecosystems and reclaiming habitat that was lost for hundreds of years due to the industrial revolution.

You also have to pay your respects to the indigenous peoples who inhabited this land way before we did — and for MUCH longer than we have. This sign in a small trendy NOVA park marks the historical site of a native American seasonal camp that lasted for 1,000 years. I believe these were mostly the Nacotchtank (Anacostan) as well as the Piscataway, Pamunkey, the Nentego (Nanichoke), Mattaponi, Chickahominy, Monacan, and the Powhatan. Over a dozen tribal nations once thrived along the Anacostia and Potomac River watersheds.

There is so much more to this history and I highly recommend checking out this website and others for the indigenous stories of this region as well as modern day presences. It would be a big oversight to explore something called the “Potomac Heritage Trail” without acknowledging and understanding the heritage of the first peoples who lived here.

Here is my map from Day 2:

A couple notes about this map as I was having a little trouble tracing my exact route on Google Maps — my start and ending point was at Windy Run Park, as I mentioned above. Once you come up the White Oak Way trail into Potomac Overlook Park, go all the way to the entrance road and find the parking area — for some reason it says “Marcey Park” on Maps, although I think the whole thing is part of Potomac Overlook? At the edge of the parking area there is another trail you can pick up that looks like it’s disconnected on the map but it’s not. It goes right up to the parking lot and is called Blue Jay Way. This is a short trail but why not stay on as many trails as possible?! You then come out on N Randolph St and wind your way through nice neighborhoods back to N Kenmore St and Windy Run. Here’s a zoomed in map of this one section to help:

Day 3: Chain Bridge to the CIA! Out and Back— 7.4 miles

Maybe it’s the effect of getting more familiar with a trail you like but each new section of the Potomac Heritage Trail I explored became my favorite section, and the third day was no different.

Starting off where I stopped day 2 at Chain Bridge, I parked my vehicle at a small parking area off Glebe Rd under the GW Parkway overpass. Slow down as you go around the corner on Glebe as the parking area is a little hard to see until you’ve gone passed it. If you hit the bridge, you’ve gone too far.

Walk toward the bridge a short distance from the parking area and the trail picks up on the left side of the road. There’s a historical and informational sign as well as a clear PHT trail sign Remember — blue blazes mark the PHT the whole way.

This section of the trail moves away from the Potomac a short distance but follows the beautiful tributary creek — Pimmit Run. You slowly climb as you follow the water which babbles over rocks and creates mini waterfalls. The trail gets a little narrow and steep on the edge of the creek but you get excellent views of the water from the higher vantage point.

About a mile along, the trail splits. This is indicated by the double blue blaze on the trees which means a change of direction. Pimmit Run Trail continues on under the GW Parkway leading back into the Arlington neighborhoods. The Potomac Heritage Trail turns right and through the water — wear waterproof boots! There’s also a sign indicating Fort Marcy with a down arrow — straight across the water.

Trail volunteers and fellow PHT explorers have created little rock crossings through the water to help. Even with the creek running high the day we were there, it wasn’t very deep. Pick your footing carefully and you’ll be fine but waterproof shoes will certainly help in case you slip.

Once on the other side, the trail climbs to a parking area and Fort Marcy. This is an old Civil War Washington, DC defense structure complete with cannons! It gets a little confusing exactly where the PHT continues through the fort but you should see it on the far side of the parking area on the right. It’s a small park so you’re not going to get lost no matter which side you decide to explore.

Make your way through the Civil War embankments and the trail will take you down and alongside the GW Parkway for a short distance.

THIS is where the fun begins! As you hike along the GW Parkway, the trail will curve up to (a further west section of) Chain Bridge Rd. You can clearly see the green dashed lines of the trail on Google Maps that seem to indicate passing directly across a highway on ramp — and yes, that is exactly what you do!

Make your way across Chain Bridge road and across the loops of the on and off ramps as safely as you can. There isn’t a lot of traffic so we had no problem with this. Continue along a very narrow section of grass between the GW Parkway on your left and trees on your right. You will see a Yield sign when you cross over the on ramps that has a blue blaze on its post indicating the PHT. Keep walking along the highway for a short distance and then the trail will veer right and into the woods again. You will see a signpost here as well:

Once on the other side of the highway, the trail plunges into beautiful woods and the sounds of the forest take over. You also descend back toward the Potomac and are soon along its banks and the gorge ecosystem once again.

This is a great section of the trail where, similar to the first two days, you are right alongside the river on one side with steep and wooded cliffs rising up on the other side. This provides an excellent sense of natural immersion and peaceful solitude.

Up until this point, we hadn’t seen anyone else on the trail. As I mentioned at the start, this is the best part about the PHT compared to the many crowded trails and parks in the DC region. The trail is hard to navigate at times, but with this great blog guide you have all the tools you need! It also basically follows alongside the Potomac to the east of the GW Parkway the whole way, and most of it is marked on Google Maps, so how lost can you really get?!

At this point, you should be at about 3 miles from your starting point at Chain Bridge. You’ll notice on the map that you’re also paralleling Langley — AKA: the Central Intelligence Agency’s campus. You can’t actually see anything but it’s kind of cool knowing it’s there and makes you feel like you’re hiking along some secret path that only spies use… maybe clandestine meetings have happened at this very tree!

Near this part of the trail, close to the water, I also saw the biggest tree I’ve ever seen in this area. I’m not positive it is technically old growth but its height and circumference certainly seems to indicate it. I believe it to be some sort of birch tree and it towered above all other trees. It was the only one of its size and if it did somehow manage to survive the hundreds of years of development in this area, that would truly be remarkable.

We turned back not far from here at a small waterfall that also marked the juncture of Turkey Run Park. We took a short detour through Turkey Run to explore another one of these small regional parks along the Potomac that are connected to the PHT, as we also had the previous two days.

Two great websites contain more detailed descriptions for Turkey Run Park: NPS and VA is for Lovers. Its 700 acres of forest preserves a surprising diversity of the flora and fauna of the Potomac Gorge ecosystem. There are miles of trails as well as picnic tables.

We couldn’t do a full loop this time so we retraced our steps back along the PHT, across the on and off ramps once more, through Fort Marcy and the creek crossing, and back to our cars at Chain Bridge. I clocked 7.4 total miles for this out and back day hike and a cold but beautiful sunset closed the day.

Here’s the map of day 3’s route:

These three days on the Potomac Heritage Trail were full of adventure and new discoveries but they barely scratched the surface of this 700+ mile trail system. I hiked over 20 total miles of trail, including some great regional park trails, but covered less than 10 miles of the PHT in one direction.

Beyond Langley, the PHT continues north along the Potomac to the American Legion Bridge (495), through Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, into one of the most dramatic examples of the Potomac Gorge Ecosystem (Great Falls), through Riverbend Park, and on and on to Maryland, West Virginia, and beyond. Clearly, there is so much more to explore and I will continue to section-hike the PHT and post these descriptive trail guides for a long time to come!

Will Hackman, Hackman Guided Adventures

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