Hike or Bike along the Mount Vernon Trail

The Mount Vernon Trail is an 18-mile shared-use path that travels along the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Northern Virginia between Rosslyn and George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon, connecting the easternmost portions of Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, and Fairfax County. It is, without question, one of the great urban trails in America — and for Arlington residents, its northern gateway at Gateway Park in Rosslyn is just steps from the Metro, making it one of the most accessible long-distance trail experiences in the region. The path traces the Potomac’s edge for most of its length, offering unobstructed views across the river to the Lincoln Memorial, Kennedy Center, and Washington Monument that never quite get old no matter how many times you make the trip.

The trail’s highlights accumulate mile by mile. Gravelly Point Park, just north of Reagan National Airport, offers panoramic Potomac views and one of the most exhilarating plane-watching spots in the country, with jets passing just a few hundred feet overhead on final approach. Theodore Roosevelt Island — accessible by footbridge near the Rosslyn end — offers 88 acres of wooded trails on an island that genuinely feels like wilderness. Old Town Alexandria, roughly halfway along the full trail, rewards a stop for lunch, a browse through the Torpedo Factory Art Center, or a walk along the historic waterfront. At the southern end, Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve offers a 0.75-mile woodland walk frequented by birdwatchers who have recorded over 270 species there. The trail connects with the Custis Trail, Four Mile Run Trail, W&OD Trail, and Capital Crescent Trail, making it the spine of an enormous regional trail network. Trail maps and conditions at nps.gov/gwmp.