Explore the best rated trails in Potomac, MD, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Anacostia River Trail and Meadowlark Connector Trail . With more than 118 trails covering 4656 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
garailroader is correct - There is no legal parking on the west end (Ilchester) of this trail. The trail simply "dead ends" at the edge of Ilchester Road, making it appear that that would be the beginning of the trail for people parking along the road, under the railroad bridge, or even across the river on several pull over spots. Unfortunately, the entire area is a no parking zone, and the powers that be expect people to park in the park (there is an entrance fee) and use the trail from the east end at Lost Lake (or park near the swinging bridge and cross it to join the Grist Mill Trail). Also, the article above mentions abandoned railroad tracks. These tracks are not abandoned and are still active. There are a few trains per day.
This “trail” is nothing more than a sidewalk behind a shopping center.
If your from Montgomery County this trail is perfect. You get to see so many beautiful parks, open meadows, dense forest, and it’s all along the bank of rock creek. The trail is well labeled so it’s difficult to get lost. The trail also passes by the Mormon temple, where you get to see A pearl White Castle in the distance of the trail. One thing I found challenging was the trail after rain, due to all of the trees the trail gets slippery from fallen leaves and dirt, be careful. Other than that a beautiful trail 9/10.
I just completed walking the main trail in both directions. Two days of hiking, with about 10,000 steps each day. I started by parking in a shopping mall lot about 1/3 of a mile from the eastern end trail head. In retrospect, the trail is near residential homes. I could have parked on the street and accessed the trail with a public access point. It is a lovely trail. The one downside is that i was never really in the woods. From almost every point on the trail, one can see the back of somebody’s house. This is more pronounced on the eastern half. The prettiest is within Ellanor C Lawrence Park.
I frequently ride the Cross Island Trail. You can extend your ride starting at the Royal Farms. Continue on Sadler Rd when it ends make a left on Chester River Beach Rd then right on VFW Ave. At the Quality Inn make a left onto Winchester Creek Rd. Then right onto Hissey Rd and then left back onto Winchester Creek Road. Stop at Nesbit Rd. The roads are not busy and will add 4 more miles to your round trip.
Just finished 40 miles today. Great trail for riding bike on. I started in Ashland and rode just into PA. line, then turned around and back to Ashland. I have completed the whole trail at different times over the past 30 years.
Easy walk on an asphalt trail. Almost all in trees. 1.4 miles or so up, 1.4 miles back. Easy parking at both ends.
The view from the dam, with the lake and fall colors is magnificent.
I biked from Pittsburgh to DC (GAP and C&O trails combined) 9/8 thru 9/14/24. This review is for the C&O only. Weather – excellent. Scenery- beautiful. Accommodations – very good. Trail surfaces –highly variable from narrow dirt paths laced with muddy holes to relatively smooth, hardpacked dirt to loose gravel (better for a pickup truck than a bicycle!). From 10 miles south of Great Falls into DC the trail/road was especially rough. I was riding an Off-road bike with 40 MM wide tires and momentarily lost front tire stability in MANY spots due to loose gravel (especially on the sloped paths leading into & out of lock areas). My biggest safety concern were the numerous concrete bridges over creeks & culverts that had ZERO guard rails, warning signs or even yellow paint. The bridge widths were narrower than the trail requiring the biker to NOTICE and move more to the center for safety. If a biker went off the side of any of these bridges, I’d expect serious injuries or worse. The worst safety hazard was at Lock 38. Approaching the lock from the southwest side, the (main) trail leads right across the top of the lock wall- that is 3 to 4 ft wide with only an outer rail – very dangerous. The drop off to the grassy floor below was about 7-9 feet straight down. I was in a group of riders that suddenly saw this “tightrope” situation and jammed on their brakes. (Nobody realized we should have diverted onto a narrow, unmarked path that led downward through the lock.) Fortunately, everyone stopped safely; walked their bikes down a slope and on to the safe path through the bottom of the lock. A simple, cheap sign could prevent the near-miss accidents at this spot.
I’m really disappointed that this National Park hasn’t (at least) marked these safety hazards. Considering all the hazards and the rough gravel, I think this C&O Towpath trail merits 2 stars.
We started in Akron and rode about 18 miles north. Loved it!!!
I recently walked virtually every foot of the 40+ mile long Jerry Connolly Cross County trail, in both directions. This includes the part of the route which is not a trail at all, but a 2-mile long sidewalk along a busy road. I would start by driving to a starting point and walk about 5000 steps in one direction, stopping at a convenient point where I could park my truck nearby. Then, I walked back along the same trail. Most of the southern part of the trail, from the Occoquan river to Arlington Blvd is paved in asphalt. Almost all of the northern part, from the Oakmont rec center to Great Falls park is a rough trail. This part would be quite muddy after a rain. Most of the trail parallels a stream, from Difficult Run in the north, to Accotink Creek in the middle, to Pohick Creek in the south. Trail markers range from excellent in some parts to hardly noticeable in other parts. Having Google Maps on a phone app was super helpful at times when I accidently veered from the trail, or was at a point with a fork in the trail. There are several signs along the way with a map of the trail in the near vicinity. These were necessary and helpful when the trail came to an apparent end and the resumption point was several yards away. Almost all of the trail is an easy walk with just a few steep-ish ascents and descents. Most of the trail is really quite pretty. Overall, a very fulfilling experience for me.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Scan the QR code to get TrailLink on your phone
