Running routes in WA DC

[Disfan11]

Hi all,
I will be in WA DC with my family for spring break vacation coming up soon.
We're staying at the Embassy Suites in Crystal City.
Does anyone know of some good/safe running routes that I can do by myself in the early AM?
I'm looking for 3 - 5 mile routes.
Any advice and/or maps would be appreciated.

I'm hoping the weather stays as nice as it is now!!

Thanks!

 

[pinky4disney]

From Crystal City, you can easily hop onto the Mt. Vernon Trail (just ask someone how to get there - you can even see it on googlemaps). From the Mt. Vernon Trail, you can run south towards Alexandria towards Mt. Vernon (past Reagan National Airport), or you can run north on Mt. Vernon for a more scenic route (especially if you're only looking to do 3-5 miles). If you go north, you can either stay on the MV trail and run along the Potomac River (you could even the footbridge across to Roosevelt island to meander the trails there). If you want a truly great DC running experience, you could take the MV trail north and take the Arlington Memorial Bridge across to DC (where you can then do a loop of the tidal basin to see the Lincoln & FDR Memorials and all the cherry blossom trees in full bloom). Note, it may be crowded and you might have to dodge tourists, but if you are taking a leisurely run and want to enjoy some of DC at it's finest, enjoy! Alternatively, you can take MV trail north and run across the 395 bridge (it will be the first bridge crossing as you come up from Crystal City). This will take you across into DC where you can do a loop on Ohio Drive (around East Potomac Golf Course). This area, called Hains Point, will be teeming with cyclists and runners.

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

We were just in DC for RnR half marathon. I was amazed at the number of runners we saw as we were touring during our stay. It is an amazing experience.
Seems like you got great advice from pinky4disney.
Hope you enjoy your adventure.

 

[stitchfan18]

We were just in DC for RnR half marathon. I was amazed at the number of runners we saw as we were touring during our stay. It is an amazing experience.
Seems like you got great advice from pinky4disney.
Hope you enjoy your adventure.

I was there too and noticed the same thing! My parents live in Alexandria, so we were out there over New Years as well, but didn't notice as many runners. I agree with the Mt. Vernon trail. There are endless distance options, and there will be so many other runners out that you won't feel alone.

 

[afnaechiquita]

pinky really covered it. One word of note though, if you choose to run around the Tidal Basin, you cannot run through the memorials (FDR, MLK Jr.). You can tell where to start walking because the ground material changes. FDR is pretty well-labeled, but MLK Jr. is not and I had U.S. Park Police call me out :X In my defense, it was just after it had opened and I didn't even realize it!

You can also go south on the MV trail, take a left off the trail to the 4 Mile Run trail (a lot longer than 4 miles), and that takes you to the W&O. That's a lot longer than you want to run though! From Crystal City, you can do a nice loop around the 4 Mile Run trail. The trail splits and straddles the river, and the loop around the river (including the bridges) is 2 miles on its own.

The Tidal Basin run is definitely my favorite though. I am jealous - I just moved away from DC and already miss the running opportunities!

 

[Disfan11]

Thanks for all the great advice!
Today I ran south on the Mt. Vernon trail. It was very nice. I ran a 5 mile round trip.
Tomorrow I think I'll try the north route.
We actually walked along the bridge to the Lincoln Memorial today. I saw lots of runners and bikers along the way.
DC seems very runner and biker friendly.

 

[Disfan11]

Wow. Today I did the north route and it was quite worth it! I ran 5 miles from my hotel to the Lincoln Memorial. Since it was early there was hardly anyone there. We had just heen there the day before and it was packed. So this was great for picture taking. Then I ran to the MLK Jr. Memorial too and thrn to see the cyerry blossoms. I ran another mile back to the Arlington metro station and took the train back. Such beautiful sights and a nice morning for running.

 

[afnaechiquita]

Now you see why DC is so runner-friendly

 

[stitchfan18]

Wow. Today I did the north route and it was quite worth it! I ran 5 miles from my hotel to the Lincoln Memorial. Since it was early there was hardly anyone there. We had just heen there the day before and it was packed. So this was great for picture taking. Then I ran to the MLK Jr. Memorial too and thrn to see the cyerry blossoms. I ran another mile back to the Arlington metro station and took the train back. Such beautiful sights and a nice morning for running.

Sounds like a great run! I told my mom when I was visiting last month that I would probably need to fly out to visit them when I had a really long run simply because the routes and sites are awesome there!

 

[pinky4disney]

Wow. Today I did the north route and it was quite worth it! I ran 5 miles from my hotel to the Lincoln Memorial. Since it was early there was hardly anyone there. We had just heen there the day before and it was packed. So this was great for picture taking. Then I ran to the MLK Jr. Memorial too and thrn to see the cyerry blossoms. I ran another mile back to the Arlington metro station and took the train back. Such beautiful sights and a nice morning for running.

Glad to hear that you're enjoying our city and sights. Thanks for bringing the perfect weather with you!

 

[Disfan11]

Now I'm back in the real world.
But thanks to everyone for the running in DC advice.
I ran on the trails almost every day!
I loved running to the Lincoln Memorial and taking the train back to Crystal City (when I needed to do a short run and didn't have a lot of time).

I love posting on these boards because I get such good, friendly advice.

Thanks again!

 

[stitchfan18]

Now I'm back in the real world.
But thanks to everyone for the running in DC advice.
I ran on the trails almost every day!
I loved running to the Lincoln Memorial and taking the train back to Crystal City (when I needed to do a short run and didn't have a lot of time).

I love posting on these boards because I get such good, friendly advice.

Thanks again!

Glad you enjoyed your runs!