Crescent Trail C&O Canal - Mile 2
From Georgetown    From Bethesda, MD    Details

The paved Crescent Trail follows the old B&O Railroad bed from Key Bridge, Georgetown to Bethesda, MD, adjacent to the C & O Canal until about mile 3.5, just past Fletchers Boathouse. The trail is a favorite for commuters working in DC, bikers, roller-bladers, mothers with jogging strollers, and walkers tired of the dusty towpath.

The shaded, cool trail provides great views of the Potomac River and the pleasure boats anchored near Three Sisters' Rocks on hot summer afternoons.

Crescent Trail from Washington, D.C. -- Walk, Bike, or Roller-blade :  Park under Key Bridge on K Street if you can. The Crescent Trail starts at the base of Key Bridge, near the boathouse. The first three miles to Fletcher's are pleasant and flat. If you want good aerobic exercise, continue following the trail uphill into Maryland. Turn around and roll back downhill when you get tired.

As with all canal activities, take a water bottle.  There is limited drinkable water on the canal, primarily at major accesses, but there are no facilities on the Crescent Trail.  (Back to Top)

Crescent Trail from Bethesda, MD:   From Maryland, park on Bethesda Ave. in Bethesda, MD, and enjoy a pleasant, seven-mile, downhill bike ride to Georgetown's Washington Harbor Place for lunch. If you're a good roller-blader and you're in good shape, you can rollerblade, too. We also know of marathoners who "train" by running the Crescent trail downhill to work in DC!

The return trip back uphill from Washington and the Canal follows the B&O Railroad bed's steady, gradual uphill grade, but it's worth the ride. Pass through tony Kensington's Japanese cherry tree explosion the first week in April, and pick up a pound of Quartermain's coffee and a Bethesda Bagel on Bethesda Avenue when you return.  (Back to Top)

Facilities

• Georgetown, Washington Harbor, Mile 0;
• Fletcher's Boathouse, Mile 3;
• River Road, Bethesda, about Crescent Trail, Mile 5, i.e., 2 miles up the Crescent Trail from Fletcher's;
• Bethesda Avenue, Bethesda - mile 7 on Crescent Trail.