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Print Friendly MapVisitors to the Henson Creek Trail in the sprawling suburbs of southwestern Prince George’s County may be surprised by the extent of woodlands and open space along this corridor that lies just outside the Capital Beltway.
The 5.7-mile paved greenway trail runs the length of Oxon Hill, linking Fort Washington on the Potomac River to Camp Springs. A favorite of cyclists, joggers, and inline skaters, the paved path also has a grassy shoulder for equestrians. The trail is open from dawn to dusk, except for bicyclists with lights, who are permitted to use the trail from 5 a.m. to midnight.
The Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation manages the trail as part of its 85-mile network of multiuse trails. Be aware that because the trail runs alongside Henson Creek, erosion and washouts can occur after heavy storms, and trail users may be directed onto temporary crushed-stone paths around the trouble areas. For questions, please contact the parks department.
A visit to the trail can start at the Henson Creek Park trailhead off Temple Hill Road, about a mile south of the Capital Beltway. You can park there or take the Route 32 bus on the Prince George’s County Transit System to the stop at Temple Hill Road at Henderson Road.
The trail crosses under Brinkley Road in less than a mile and passes the 125-acre Rosecroft Raceway, a destination for harness racing that opened in 1949 and drew some 7,000 spectators daily during its heyday. Crossing under Bock Road, you’ll arrive at the Tucker Road Athletic Complex, which features picnic shelters, tennis courts, ball fields, ice-skating, an archery range, and a kid-friendly fishing pond and pier.
Pass through the parking lot or adjacent pedestrian paths, and turn left onto a wide paved shoulder along Tucker Road for 0.2 mile to pick up the trail again at Ferguson Lane. The Tucker Road Community Center here has a playground, more tennis courts, picnic tables, and a gym.
The trail goes beneath MD 210/Indian Head Highway in 1.5 miles and then passes the Tor Bryan Estates Neighborhood Playground before ending at Oxon Hill Road, about a mile south of the 300-acre National Harbor Waterfront development on the Potomac River. Commuters can reach that area and Virginia via bike lanes along Oxon Hill Road that connect to a bike trail across the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge.
Parking for the Henson Creek Trail can be found at its northern endpoint in the Henson Creek Neighborhood Park off Temple Hill Rd (just south of Henderson Road). In Fort Washington, the Tucker Road Athletic Complex on Tucker Rd contains a parking lot with ample space (1862 Tucker Rd) and there is also a lot at the Tor Bryan Estates Neighborhood Playground (Harg Ln at Branchview Dr). In Oxon Hill, parking is available at 7401 Bock Rd between Haverhill St & Henson Valley Way and by the Tucker Road Community Center (1771 Tucker Rd).
Best trail in PG county hands down.
Rode this trail twice this month. Lightly used with only one street crossing. Only encountered one area washed out by the creek that had a gravel bypass. Watch out for a big bump just before a bridge. I hit it going to fast and it took out my front tire. They have added a bike repair station at the Tucker Road Ice Rink with a stand, tools and a pump.
This is a well-paved, short trail. Nice for a quick outing.
Wonderful experience
I recently moved to the area and needed to find a trail nearby. So happy I found Henson Creek.
I thoroughly enjoy this trail, which takes you through a length of it that's like an urban park, then a part that's rocky and has swift moving waters, and towards the end a peaceful country road environment. The problem, however, is that the maintenance and upkeep is on parts of it is very poor.
This is a very nice creek-side trail, filled with potential for enjoying the creek itself. However it is in need of upkeep, from fallen trees, to filled trash cans, to a portion of the concrete trail being physically damages/broken. I will be reaching out to the county on this matter. Long live our trails!
Flash flood destroyed the path. Trees blocking the way and large chunks of asphalt washed into the river.
I really like this trail. It runs along the Henson Creek, and you can see the creek as you ride (though, not so much between Oxon Hill Rd and Indian Head Hwy).
The "first half" of the trail (between Temple Hills and Tucker) is the best portion. It is used more than the "second half." There is a spot in the "first-half" that is unpaved; this section has a tall metal fence that protects people from falling into the creek because of erosion.
The "second-half" (between Tucker Rd and Oxon Hill Rd) has more tree cover and a lot of leaves on the trail at certain spots. After you pass the neighborhood park (Tor Bryan Estates) heading west, the trail runs directly behind some suburban houses.
The "first-half" is the safer section to use. I rode this entire trail from end to end about 3 weeks ago. I ran into 5-7 people on the "first half ," in contrast to the "0" amount of people I passed on the "second half."
Overall, a nice trail with natural scenery; you might see a snake swimming in the creek or a heron.
trail under construction, at least in temple hills area...what a mess...no access..check back in a year.
One week left until March and this trail is far from ready. Disappointing because spring temperatures have arrived and there is no where to walk.
Construction
This trail used to be so pleasant for a bike ride or skating. However, given the recent rain, erosion areas are more dangerous than ever. One area there's nothing holding the asphalt up and there's no fencing! With all the recent rain, so much sand and dirt under the overpass, the overpass only has a four foot clearance now. Went to walk through and a few steps in a family of rats ran in front of me with a snake sapping out to grab one. No thank you. It's just not safe, between the darkness, the vermin and the low clearance. Great foliage and canopy, yet the asphalt is has so many raised cracks, bent a wheel on a road bike. Path more suited now only for mountain bikes or fat wheels. It was such a pleasant path last year.
trail was paved and clean. My sister and I stopped to check out the tucker road community rec center. The bathrooms wee extremely clean and staff was very friendly. There is also a tucker road athletic complex where a beautiful park and ice skating rink. There were plenty of deer and squirrels frolicking about. Trail is clean, asphalt and well marked.
It was very peaceful and quiet, not much shade. Really hot. But I had a great run! Loved the creek. Beautiful
For the 1st time I took a ride on the whole trail last night. North of Tucker road the asphalt was in much better condition then south. All of the underpasses are open so the only time you have to cross the road is crossing tucker road from the rec-center to the park. The trail was shaded making the ride comfortable. Not bad for an 11 mile ride. There were plenty of places to take a break (benches) if needed but the only restroom is at the Tucker Road Park unless I missed others.
As of August 4 2012 the bridge just past the Indian Head Highway underpass that has been out for so long was open. There's still a sign in place that the bridge is closed, but that's been reported and we're told the sign will be removed soon.
As mainly a road bike rider, I typically ride more open roads which is more conducive to road bikes, but I also like to check out different trails that may or may not be suitable for a good change up type of ride. So I decided to try the Henson Creek trail. I rode this trail for the 1st time in June 2012 (did some recon) using my road bike. I parked at the lot on Temple Hills road. Here are my observations: - The trail is 11 miles round trip from Temple Hills road. - The trail is way too narrow for road bikes; it’s best suited for mountain bikes (MTB) or even hybrids. The trail rolls through the woods, which is nice and cool and the added bonus is Mother Nature; you see lots of wildlife while rolling along. - The trail is under construction at two road crossing points (don’t recall the name of the roads) so you will have to ride around the barriers, cross the road and re-enter the trail – not a big deal. - The trail is flat and therefore offers a good ride for beginners who don’t want to be challenged by hills and especially nice for family rides, especially with kids. - The trail has raised asphalt in some areas, particularly on the trail near the recreational center that is hard on road bikes. The folks on the trails, at least the ones I’ve encounter, are no familiar with trail etiquette. For example, when I say “coming on your left” they move to the left right into my path. So be careful. The trail gets crowded at the lake, ice rink area and that’s when it really becomes challenging for road bikes. - The trail has no signage at the ice rink, at least I saw none, that lets you know where to rejoin the trail. You need to take a left out of the ice rink parking lot, go up the road a bit and enter the recreation center parking lot (right turn) and the trail reentry point starts in the back. There’s a very dangerous blind curve that you will enter as you go under Rt. 210 (creek on the left); it’s narrow, sandy under the bridge and dark, so enter it slowly and carefully because you may run head on with someone or you may lose grip on the sand and end up in the creek. - The trail has a hill at the end so be prepared to drop down to a low gear. All in all this is a nice trail that I would ride with my wife and daughter (11 years old) as it offers a leisurely ride through woods, which is quality family time; they are not into road biking like myself. At no point did I feel unsafe during my ride. I saw many ladies out walking this trail, although I would never recommend ladies walk this or ANY trail by themselves – just too many freaks out there. I do not recommend road bikes on this trail, only MTB or Hybrids; this trail is way too narrow for road bikes. At least with the MTB, you can go around folks on the trail if need be. My next ride will be with my MTB that way I can stop and enjoy the scenery and take in more of what nature has to offer through this trail. The only way to know if you like this or ANY trail is to go and experience it yourself. These reviews are only the opinion of the writers and all opinions differ, so try it yourself.
This bridge has been out to long now and needs to be open, i love this trail but we need the complete trail.
Can anyone tell me way that bridge is still out? and when are the parks/county people going to repair it?
This is a very nice trail. There seem to be plenty of people walking along it, especially on the weekends.
I do warn anyone planning to walk this trail to NOT park at the small parking lot just off Brinkley Road (down the Street from Jumbo International Foods Grocery Store). Our car was broken into today 9/19/10. Nothing of value was taken (we don't leave stuff in the car), but the driver's side window was smashed completely and the idiot who committed this crime also damaged the ignition, so we had to have the car towed. It was an unfortunate ending to an otherwise nice day.
Just park your car elsewhere instead of on this little lot, which frankly is kind of hard to get out of anyway, as it's hard to see oncoming traffic when exiting. And remember to bring your cellphone along, just in case.
I live near this trail so I ride it a few times a week. It's a nice escape into nature. I see deer every time. And I've seen blue heron, and various other wildlife. If you go in late morning you can catch the horses being put through their paces at Rosecroft Raceway. It's mostly flat until you get to the end of the trail where there is a hill that I for one can't ride up. My only issue with the trail is that it doesn't drain very well after it rains. So you're with many big puddles. And for the safety issue. I've felt a little unsafe at times. But mostly because I'm a woman, alone, in the woods. And once or twice I've come upon people engaging in some...seedy activity. But nothing serious. On the whole I like it very much.
There seems to be some mix up about this trail.
Where does it go?
Start at Temple Hills Road and crosses Brinkley, Bock, and Tucker Road. When you get to Tucker Road as you leave the parking lot of Ice Rink/Fields hang a left for a few hundred yards and then a right into the Tucker Road Community Center where you pick the trail back up and go under 210 and follow the trail to Oxon Hill/Old Forte Road. Since there is no signage many people think the trail stops at the Ice Rink or begins at the community center.
How safe is it?
I have ridden this trail in the early morning to just before dusk. I've never felt unsafe. I have seen 1 person who was just walking and smoking and clearly not exercising but the person was not menacing.
What I like about it?
It's pretty flat which is great for a beginning cyclist. It's also very shaded.
What I don't like?
At the beginning there are a few bumps in the road that are a bit much for a road cyclist. As with any trail that is close to nature after it rains sometimes large pieces of debris float down the creek and make the southern most portion a mess.
We live nearby, and the Henson Creek Trail is not located in "a very dangerous area of the DC/Metro region." We have used the trail on a near daily basis for the past 20 years & have never had any problems, nor have we heard of any "recent (as of 4/09) assaults on that trail of lascivious nature" or any "other attacks." There is no "library" on the trail. The trail does follow Tucker Road for a few hundred yards between the Tucker Road Ice Rink and the Tucker Road Community Center. Both of us were very puzzled at this review. Even more so after we road the wooded trail today.
I highly recommend this trail to anyone who would enjoy a casual ride through the woods. The trail is mostly level with a slight incline going north. (Although there is one rather large hill right at the very south end of the trail.) Much of the trail at the south end runs through the woods next to the creek, crossing the creek on occasion with bridges. On the north end the area next to the trail is a little more open and therefore gets more sun. The trail gets a little confusing in the middle where you have to follow Tucker road for about 100 yards. There is a separate section of the road for the trail that is on the edge of the road (separated from the road by cement dividers.) Be sure to get familiar with the map for this section. When you cross the road (going south to north on the trail) you enter the parking lot of the Tucker Road Park and Ice Rink. Continue through the parking lot, past the bathroom facility and head toward the lake. When you get past the lake you will see a short road leading north to a maintenance building. Follow the trail along the side of this road and you will be be back on the trail.
Enjoy.
This trail is in a very dangerous area of the DC/Metro region. Although it is a nice ride, it seems to end at the library and the continuing section is nowhere to be found. However, between Temple Hill Road and Brinkley (the library/park), it is a very dangerous area. There have been recent (as of 4/09) assaults on that trail of lascivious nature, as well as other attacks. Do NOT ride this trail alone if you do decide to ride it, and never EVER ride it unless it is in broad daylight.
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