THE PARKS...
BWI Trail
Phone - (410) 222-6244
Website - http://www.dnr.state.md.us/greenways/bwi_trail.html
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Linthicum, Anne Arundel County; trail access and parking can be found on Andover Road on the north side of the trail and Dorsey Road (MD 176) on the south.
The Park
The BWI Airport is the only commercial airport in the United States to offer visitors a recreational hiker/biker trail. Portions of the trail, most of which sit on airport property, have been opening since 1994. The 12.5-mile trail encircles the airport and is patrolled by Anne Arundel County.
The Walks
This is quite likely the noisiest dog walk you will ever take – airplanes, car traffic, trains. But after awhile it all fades into white noise and becomes part of the experience of this unique trail. That said, there are pastoral refuges along the route including woodlands, pine groves and even a horse farm.For canine hikers the BWI Trail has several advantages over its rail-to-trail neighbors. Since it isn’t constrained by a right-of-way, there is more grassy room on the shoulders for relief from the pounding of paw on asphalt (the trail is paved the entire way save for wooden boardwalks through wetlands); the trail was designed in a pleasing serpentine fashion; and there is a nice sprinkling of hills along the way. And, although few canine hikers are likely to care, the trail is a complete loop rather than an out-and back. No matter how you plan to use the BWI Trail, take along drinking water for your dog as it is scarce along the path.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Macadam
Workout For Your Dog - A few quick climbs along the way
Swimming - None
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The planes of course. The Thomas A.Dixon Jr. Aircraft Observation Area provides an ideal spot to watch the planes land directly in front of you. You won’t be able to see the rubber hit the ground here but you can see it from other spots along the trail. To get the feel of a big jet soaring directly over your head, walk down a half-mile to the east (you’ll see stop signs) and stand here. It won’t be only jets using the airport either - you can spot an occasional propeller plane as well.
Black Hill Regional Park
Phone - (301) 972-3476
Website - http://www.mc-mncppc.org/parks/facilities/regional_
parks/blackhill/index.shtm
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Clarksburg, Montgomery County; from I-270 take Exit 18 onto Clarksburg Road (MD 121) south. Turn left on West Old Baltimore Road to park entrance on the right. For the Ten Mile Creek Road area trails, turn right on Old Baltimore Road.
The Park
Open pit gold mining was conducted in this area for nearly a century between the 1850s and the 1950s. There was never enough precious metal discovered to trigger any gold rushes and when George Chadwick purchased land here for a summer retreat he converted the mine into a Cold War bomb shelter. About a generation ago local water authorities looked over the privately owned farms and woods in this area and saw an emergency water-upply reservoir. Little Seneca Creek was dammed and the metro area’s largest lake created. Black Hill Regional Park, a recreation park with 1,854 acres of rolling woodlands, picnic shelters, and water activities, opened in 1987.
The Walks
The bulk of the canine hiking at Black Hill is around Lake Ridge Drive near the park office. The feature trail is the mostly-paved Black Hill Trail that loops a peninsula formed by two of the three major fingers of the Little Seneca Lake. There are plenty of access points to the trail here and if you are looking for a short day with your dog this is where you will need to park; trailhead parking for natural surface trails is limited to a lot at Cabin Branch Trail that will set you off on a long exploration of Cabin Branch and Little Seneca creeks. Canine hikers may want to leave the main park to the picnickers and fishermen and head for the western area of the park across Clarksburg Road. Here you’ll find a trio of hiking loops leading away from Ten Mile Creek Road, an area of pretty streams and quiet woods. Off the old road trail the paths get hilly and your dog will earn his views of Little Seneca Lake.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Paved paths and natural ones
Workout For Your Dog - Some hills to set tongues to panting
Swimming - Little Seneca Lake attracts all canine swimmers
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
There is an L-shaped dog exercise area just off the Black Hill Trail. The fenced doggie playground is shaded but there is no grass.
Blockhouse Point Conservation Park
Phone - None
Website - http://www.mc-mncppc.org/parks/park_maps/map_pages/blockhousepointcp/blockhousepointcp.shtm
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Potomac, Montgomery County; on River Road, MD 190, west of town. Parking is on the south side of the road at 14750 River Road.
The Park
At the time of the Civil War, this spot was owned by William and Sarah Reading. Blockhouse Point remained in the Reading family until sold to Randell and Roselyn Patten in 1947. It was acquired by the Maryland-National Capitol Park and Planning Commission in 1970. Montgomery County began acquiring land from private area horse farms and has pieced together a 630-acre conservation area. There are no recreational amenities in the park.
The Walks
It doesn’t seem like it when you pull into the parking lot but there is plenty of good climbing ahead for your dog here. Three more or less parallel trails dead-end at overlooks of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. The easiest way to forge a circuit hike out of the trio is to park at the smaller, unmarked western lot, but stop at the larger eastern lot to study the excellent trail map at the information board. All the canine hiking here is under the canopy of a rich upland forest. Sprinkled in the understory are high-bush blueberry, spicebush, dogwood and even an active patch of paw-paw but most of the paths remain wide and clear. Keep your dog close as you reach the point and pick your way down along the rocks for outstanding views of the Potomac River and the C&O Canal. You can access the canal towpath from the main parking lot for extended trail time with your dog.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Wide, dirt paths
Workout For Your Dog - Some short climbs are not without merit
Swimming - Streams in the ravine are for splashing not swimming
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Known as the Camp at Muddy Branch (18MO542), the fortification at Blockhouse Point was discovered deserted on July 11, 1864 when Confederate Colonel John Singleton Mosby of the 1st Virginia Partisan Rangers, which included a number of recruits from Montgomery County, crossed the Potomac River. The Confederates burned the Blockhouse Point camp but it is the only example of such a Civil War campsite left undisturbed in the entire Washington Metropolitan area. Still visible on the site are the ground works of the blockhouses, tent structures and hearths.
Cosca Regional Park
Phone - (301) 868-1397
Website - http://www.pgparks.com/places/parks/cosca.html
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Clinton, Prince George’s County; from the Capital Beltway (I-495), take Exit 7A South (Branch Avenue/MD 5) and turn right onto Woodward Road and left onto Brandywine Road. Make a right onto Thrift Road to the park and nature center on the right.
The Park
Around midnight on April 14, 1865 John Wilkes Booth stopped at the Surratt Tavern just north of here on Brandywine Road. He was retrieving rifles, field glasses and other supplies he had stored there before going to Ford’s Theatre to assassinate President Lincoln two hours earlier. The tavern owner, Mary E. Surratt would later be convicted for her role in the plot against Lincoln and be the first woman executed by the federal government. Booth continued his escape through this area - although his exact route is uncertain - and would spend six days in southern Maryland before crossing the Potomac where he was captured and killed in Virginia six days later. The 700-acre Louise F. Cosca Regional Park would open a century later in 1967.
The Walks
The canine hiking in Cosca Regional Park centers around the Clearwater Nature Center, tucked into a vibrant forest. Three loop trails set out from the nature center parking lot that can be traveled in their entirety or combined for a canine hiking loop of over two miles. The highlight is a trip around the 11-acre Cosca Lake, whose banks are brush-free for most of the loop. The paths are wide, the hill climbs are gradual and the tall trees are shady - what’s not to love for your dog. Off the Lake Trail you can also pick up the green-blazed Perimeter Trail that leads to the campground and around the developed areas of the park. This route will take more than an hour to complete.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Wooded dirt paths
Workout For Your Dog - Plenty of hills to climb, but not arduously so
Swimming - There is plenty of access to Cosca Lake
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Off the Graybark Trail you can find the Prince George’s Butterfly Garden, featuring both host and nectar plants. The garden is especially rich in host plants and includes pussytoes, several milkweed species, asters, thistle, senna, violets, and herbs. Monarchs raised on the milkweed are tagged by the nature center. The garden often hosts some unusual butterflies of nature’s 28,000 species.
Fort Washington National Park
Phone - None
Website - http://www.nps.gov/fowa/
Admission Fee - Yes
Directions - Fort Washington, Prince Georges County; end of Fort Washington Road off MD210.
The Park
The first Fort Washington was completed here in 1809 and was the only defense of the nation’s capital until the Civil War. Occupying high ground overlooking the Potomac River, the fort was a formidable obstacle to any enemy contemplating a water assault on Washington. When it became obsolete and a defensive installation the post was used as an infantry training facility.
The Walks
Now a 341-acre recreational park, you can take your dog for a hike through the assorted military structures (not allowed in the masonry fort itself - one of the few seacoast American forts still in its original form) and on trails that lead to views of the capital and the Virginia shore, as well as down to the Potomac itself.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Some natural footpaths and some concrete paths
Workout For Your Dog - A little scrambling up hills, especially if you drop down to the river level
Swimming - You have to work for it but it is possible
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are not allowed inside the fort
Something Extra
The Fort Washington lighthouse is located near the Potomac River on park property.
Great Falls Park
Phone - (703) 285-2965
Website - http://www.nps.gov/grfa/
Admission Fee - Yes
Directions - Great Falls, Fairfax County; take Beltway Exit 44 for Route 193, Georgetown Pike, and head west. About three miles down the road, you will come to a traffic light at Old Dominion Drive where you will see a sign for the park. Make a right at the light. Old Dominion Drive will deadend at the entrance station, about one mile down the road.
The Park
To George Washington the Great Falls of the Potomac were an obstacle that needed to be overcome to open the Ohio Valley to lucrative trade. The Patowmack Company was chartered in 1784 to construct a laborious series of five canals; it was considered the greatest engineering feat in early America. In the early 1900s John McLean and Steven Elkins acquired the lands surrounding Great Falls and built an amusement park. Flooding doomed the venture and after plans for a hydroelectric dam collapsed, the National Park Service acquired 800 acres of land to create Great Falls Park.
The Walks
The star canine hike at Great Falls is the River Trail that will take your dog to the edge of the 79-foot falls and the steep-walled Mather Gorge. The path travels through the remains of Matildaville, a thriving town from the long-ago canal age, as well as remnants of the Patowmack Canal. The blue-blazed trail twists through a rocky alpine-like environment not often seen in Northern Virginia. Another unique habitat in the park - also hiker-only - is the Swamp Trail that explores an ancient terrace of the Potomac River for about one mile. The bulk of the park’s 15 miles of trails are on old carriage roads and roadbeds; these routes are wide and well-graded that make for an excellent canine hike.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt paths and gravelly roads
Workout For Your Dog - Moderate hills and plenty of flat trotting
Swimming - Don’t let your dog try it
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Near Overlook #2 is a High Water Mark Pole that marks the depths to which the Potomac far below can flood. The most recent marking is from January 21, 1996 when the river rose 85 feet in 48 hours. That mark is about eye-high to a beagle - it was only the fifth largest flood of the past 100 years. For the highest mark you’ll have to look overhead to see where the waters ot the Great Potomac Flood of 1936 reached.
Great Falls Tavern
Phone - (301) 767-3714
Website - http://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/greatfallstavernvisitorcenter.htm
Admission Fee - Yes, a 3-day pass
Directions - Potomac, Montgomery; The park entrance is at the junction of Falls Road (Route 189) and MacArthur Boulevard. Take Exit 39 off I-495 and continue on River Road (Route 190) West before turning left on Falls Road.
The Park
A canal that could connect the Potomac River to the Ohio River in Pittsburgh would provide a continuous water link from New Orleans to the Cheasapeake Bay. The canal, dubbed the “Great National Project” by President John Quincy Adams, was finally started on July 4, 1828. It would take 22 years to complete - actually construction just stopped since the canal route never made it out of Maryland with only 184.5 of the planned 460 miles dug - and was obsolete before it opened. Battling the young and ever-improving railroads, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal lasted for 75 years floating cargo from Cumberland, Maryland to Georgetown. The ditch survived filling in through the efforts of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas who championed the canal as “a long stretch of quiet and piece.”
The Walks
The packed sand and paw-friendly towpath is one of the most scenic of its ilk. Away from the Potomac a trail system penetrates the wooded hills above the river. These wide dirt trails make for easy dog walking through an airy, mature forest. The key route is the Gold Mine Loop that pushes out from behind the Visitor Center. Various short spur trails, some marked and some not, radiate off the 3.2-mile loop.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: sand and dirt trails
Workout For Your Dog - Some sporty canine hiking
Swimming - Along the River Trail there are a few spots where it is not too wild and wooly for a cautious dip
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are not allowed on the Billy Goat Trail
Something Extra
During the Civil War, a Union private camped at Great Falls discovered gold-bearing quartz while tending to his chores. After the war he returned to Great Falls and began mining operations that triggered a mini-gold rush to the area. Although the Maryland Mine was active from 1867 until 1939, it yielded less than $200,000 of precious metal. The Falls Road Spur takes you to the ruins of the mine and mine diggings can be seen at several places on the trails.
Greenbelt Park
Phone - (301) 344-4250
Website - http://www.nps.gov/gree/
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Greenbelt Park, Prince Georges County; from I-95, take Exit 23, Kenilworth Avenue South to (Route 201) Greenbelt Road (Route 193). Make a left; the park is a quarter mile on the right.
The Park
The story of Greenbelt Park is the tale of many a public park in Maryland - except this time the steward is the federal government. This land was once covered with vibrant forests as far as the eye could see, all of which fell before the broadaxes of European colonists. For a century afterwards the ground poured forth sustenance for tobacco and corn until it could give no more. The land was abandoned and left barren. As the land began to recover developers in the 1930s
sketched plans to transform it into one of the many “model towns” slated to be developed around Washington D.C. As it happened, Greenbelt Park was acquired in 1950 along with the land to build the Baltmore-Washington Parkway and the recovering forest survived as an 1,100-acre oasis of passive greenspace.
The Walks
The first thing to know about canine hiking at Greenbelt Park is that parking is limited and visitors are encouraged to take advantage of public transportation so come early when you bring your dog. Once on the trails you will find well-groomed, wide paths - there are garbage cans out in the middle of the woods and the many tree blowdowns are attended to quickly. Casual canine hikers can take advantage of the three nature loops, all around one mile in length. The Azalea Trail
trips through streamlands to link the park’s three picnic areas and the centrally-located Dogwood Trail highlights the regenerative forest with pioneering Virginia pines still able to steal a bit of light from the surrounding oaks and maples. For a good long canine hike jump on the six-mile Perimeter Trail. If the droning traffic noise begins to intrude on your outing there are plenty of connector trails and roads to cut things short.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Mostly soft dirt and pine straw
Workout For Your Dog - Mostly flat and easy
Swimming - Small creeks are not great swimming holes
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Where can you visit Washington, D.C. and spend the night inside the Beltway with your dog for $14? Greenbelt Park. The park campground has 174 sites available on a first-come, first-served basis and is open all year round and dogs are allowed.
Huntley Meadows Park
Phone - (703) 768-2525
Website - http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/huntley/
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Alexandria, Fairfax County; take Beltway Exit 1 (Richmond Highway, Route 1) and go south 3.5 miles. Make a right on Lockheed Boulevard to the park entrance in .5 miles on the left where the road makes a 90-degree right turn.
The Park
Mario Casalegno, an Italian immigrant with a dubious past, saw the Hybla Valley as a place to create the world’s largest airport with a 7200-foot runway and mooring fields for trans-Atlantic Zeppelin fleets. At the gates of the national capital, the airfield would also contain a shrine to George Washington. During 1929 he acquired over 1,500 acres of land from ten landowners but by 1935 all the land was in forecloseure and purchased by the federal government. In 1975, President Gerald Ford donated the land to the citizens of Fairfax County for exclusive use as a public park.
The Walks
The 1,424 acres of Huntley Meadows Park is one of the finest natural areas in the shadow of Washington D.C. - although not for dog owners. Dogs are allowed in the park and you can get an exceedingly pleasant, easy-going canine hike here but dogs are not allowed on the 1/2-mile boardwalk of the Heron Trail that leads into the cattail- studded freshwater marsh. The main dog-hiking route is on the Cedar Trail/Deer Trail leading away from the Visitor Center for about one mile. If you are enjoying the level grounds and shady woods consider the Informal Trail off the Deer Trail. This is a narrow band that is not maintained and best left alone when wet but is largely unused and a good place to wander off with your dog. Other options for canine hiking here include a path adjacent to the parking lot that leaves the park to the Huntley Manor House and the 1.2-mile linear Hike-Bike Trail that can be accessed from a parking lot on South Kings Highway.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural dirt surfaces and crushed stone
Workout For Your Dog - Flat and level
Swimming - None
Restrictions On Dogs - No boardwalks for your dog
Something Extra
When you reach the boardwalk, tie your dog up and step out to the observation tower. Here you’ll see a rare northern Virginia freshwater marsh environment with beaver dams longer than a football field, muskrats and frogs, and over 200 species of birds.
Little Bennett Regional Park
Phone - (301) 972-6581
Website - http://www.mc-mncppc.org/Parks/enterprise/park_facilities/little_bennett/bennett_trails.shtm
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Clarksburg, Montgomery County; from I-270 take Exit 18 and head north on Clarksburg Road, MD 121. Turn left on MD 355 and then right into the Campground Entrance. There is also trailhead parking on Clarksburg Road across MD 355.
The Park
Grist mills opened along the Little Bennett Creek and in 1798 Jesse Hyatt built a sort of “super” mill that gound corn for local farmers and wheat for export. By 1804 the mill supported the town of Hyattstown with six houses.Growth spurted in the Little Bennett Valley and by 1860 it was a thriving rural community. It was important enough to skirmish over a couple of times in the Civil War. The Baltimore & Ohio railroad was siphoning much of the freight traffic off the Great Road but it wasn’t until the 1950s and the building of I-270 that the nutrient- poor rocky slopes finally quit supporting this rural community. In 1975 the valley became Little Bennett Regional Park, Montgomery County’s largest expanse of unbroken woodland at 3,700 acres.
The Walks
There is a full menu of canine hiking at Little Bennett Regional Park - 23 miles worth. Most dog owners will want to concentrate on the south side of Hyattsville Road where horses and bikes are banned. A dozen short, twisting trails explore the hollows and ridges around Little Bennett Creek and its tributaries. You can easily get a couple hours of trail time on these mown meadowand forested trails. When you reach the Mound Builder Trail, look down and not up for the mounds - they are the work of harmless Allegheny ants. Don’t give up on the multi-use trails just to keep your dog out of the path of the occasional bike or horse. The roads are rockier, the hills are steeper, the paths can be muddier but you will miss an eclectic mix of natural and historic delights.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt paths, gravel roads
Workout For Your Dog - Big walks and some big hills too
Swimming - The water in the park is mostly for splashing
Restrictions On Dogs - None; dogs are permitted in the campground too
Something Extra
Little Bennett Regional Park contains the richest assembly of historic structures and sites of any county park in Maryland. Along the trails and park roads you can see a chapel dating to 1871, mills and mill houses, log buildings, the site of a popular rye whiskey distillery and a one-room schoolhouse that remains in its original state.
Mount Vernon
Phone - (703) 780-2000
Website - http://www.mountvernon.org/index.cfm/
Admission Fee - Yes
Directions - Mount Vernon, Fairfax County; follow George Washington Parkway 8 miles south of Alexandria to the end of the Parkway.
The Park
George Washington, an avid foxhunter, sought to breed a new type of dog to course the terrain around his estate at Mount Vernon. He crossed French hounds from his friend the Marquis de Lafayette, with his own smaller black-and-tan English hounds. Washington listed 30 new “American” foxhounds by name in his journal and hounds currently registered with the American Kennel Club are descended from those originals. The Father of Our Country often favored silly names for his beloved dogs: Drunkard, Tipler, Tipsy. The Mount Vernon estate was saved in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham who spearheaded one of the oldest national historic preservation organizations in the country. Today Mount Vernon is the most visited home in America.
The Walks
George Washington wrote about his plantation on the Potomac River, “No estate in United America is more pleasantly situated than this.” He controlled 8,000 acres here and today your dog can trot across much of the 500 acres that have been preserved. The Forest Trail is a short interpretive walk through a wooded area over a ravine and past an old cobble quarry that was used to create roadways, walkways and the main entrance. This little hike features one steep climb and a wide, groomed path for your dog.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Grass and dirt paths
Workout For Your Dog - Easy going on the estate
Swimming - None
Restrictions On Dogs - No dogs inside
Something Extra
Two days after the Battle of Germantown outside of Philadelphia on October 6, 1777 a dog was found wandering in the American Camp. Inspecting the dog’s collar it was apparent the dog, whose name and breed is lost to history, belonged to British commander General William Howe, who remained at Germantown. Even with the loss of the Colonial capital of Philadelphia hanging over his head, General George Washington steadfastly adhered to the code of gentlemanly behavior in wartime by returning the dog with a handwritten note: “General Washington’s compliments to General Howe. He does himself the pleasure to return him a dog, which accidentally fell into his hands, and by the inscription on the Collar appears to belong to General Howe.”
Patuxent Research Refuge -North Tract
Phone - (301) 497-5580
Website - http://www.fws.gov/northeast/patuxent/
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Laurel, Anne Arundel County; from the Baltimore- Washington Parkway, exiting to the east on Savage Road (MD 32). Make a right on Fort Meade Road (MD198) and after .7 miles a left on Bald Eagle Drive (marked by refuge sign).
The Park
A scrawl of the pen by Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 established the Patuxent Research Refuge as America’s only refuge to support wildlife research. The original 2,670 acres swelled to its current size of 12,750 acres with the addition of 8,100 acres formerly belonging to adjacent Fort Meade (visitors must sign a waiver regarding possible live ammunition encountered on the grounds - don’t let your dog dig in strange holes!). It is said that the Patuxent Research Refuge is the largest patch of undeveloped green space that can be seen from the air on the east coast between Boston and Raleigh. There are two sections of the refuge open to the public: the National Wildlife in Prince Georges County and the North Tract.
The Walks
There are some 20 miles of trails in the North Tract, including the paved 8-mile Wildlife Loop access road which is lightly traveled. Another 9 miles of trails are on former access roads closed to vehicular traffic. The hiking on these pebbly roads cuts through the woods and, while quiet and solitary, the scenery seldom changes on the long, straight stretches. The best hiking at the North Tract is on the Forest Habitat Trail, opposite the visitor center. The wide, soft trail contours pleasantly as it circles for 2.5 miles through mature forest with limited understory. Two other hiker-only trails of less then a mile are available: the Little Patuxent River Trail which loops through the moist ground by the river and the sandy Pine Trail.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Sandy dirt roads and natural trails
Workout For Your Dog - Long trails with good moderate climbs
Swimming - Several alluring ponds await canine swimmers including Rieve’s Pond off the Blue Trail and the Cattail Pond at Bailey’s Bridge and the Little Patuxent River a few feet from the pond has a deep pool as well
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The wide diversity of habitats at Patuxent support at least 40 on-going research studies. The most famous research done here was conducted on the pesticide DDT that led to the banning of the chemical and launched the modern environmental movement.
Potomac Overlook Regional Park
Phone - (703) 528-5406
Website - http://www.nvrpa.org/potomacoverlook.html
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Arlington City; take I-66 to the Spout Run exit. Turn left on Lee Highway, right on Military Road and right on Marcey Road, which deadends at the park.
The Park
Unlike similar neighboring parks Potomac Overlook is not the result of any fervent conservation movement. In 1942, a developer, in fact, purchased 35 acres to build a residential community but couldn’t sell any homesites. The land was never developed and was eventually purchased by NVRPA in 1966 and the wedge of woodland adjacent to the George Washington Parkway was developed into a 67-acre park with assistance from the National Audubon Society.
The Walks
Canine hiking is unfailingly pleasant in this park dominated by woodland. Your dog will find well-maintained, airy paths that roll easily around the property. There are some two miles of marked and named trails in Potomac Overlook Regional Park but you are seldom more than ten minutes from the Nature Center at the center of the property. The trails are peppered with massive tulip poplars and oaks and the green-blazed Heritage Trail scoots through a heritage orchard from the early 1900s. Tucked into the woods are many reminders of human habitation - house foundations, a spring house, a cemetery. You can also visit various gardens with your dog. Park trails link to several nearby trails outside the park including the Donaldson Run Trail that works down the ridge to the Potomac River Heritage Trail. You can transition from a leisurely stroll to an ardent hike with your dog with this option.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural surface trails and old roads
Workout For Your Dog - Moderate climbing as you go
Swimming - None
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Near the entrance, behind the tennis courts that are actually a part of Marcey Road Park, is a pure stand of Tree of Heaven. This invasive exotic species, used as an ornamental in the Far East, grows in disturbed soils and this section of the park was previously used as a dump. The Tree of Heaven grows at a rapid rate, outcompeting native species and producing a toxin in its bark and leaves that inhibits growth of most other species. At this time, there is no known control for this plant.
Rachel Carson Conservation Park
Phone - None
Website - http://www.mc-mncppc.org/parks/park_maps/map_pages/rachelcarsoncp/rachelcarsoncp.shtm
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Brookeville, Montgomery County; take New Hampshire Avenue (Route 650) past Georgia Avenue (Route 97) and make a left on Sundown Road. Turn left on Zion Road and parking is on the left.
The Park
The park remembers the work of Rachel Louise Carson, a product of southern Pennsylvania farms who lived in Silver Spring. Her seminal work, Silent Spring, was published a decade later and introduced Americans to the dangers inherent in widespread use of chemical pesticides. Rachel Carson died of breast cancer shortly thereafter and is buried in Rockville, just south of the conservation area.
The Walks
There is a lot for your dog to love about Rachel Carson Conservation Park. First, it is close enough to Washington and Baltimore that you can get there without having your dog bounce around the car for hours but not so close to civilization that the trails are clogged with locals taking their dogs out for a quick 15-minute spin. Second, the terrain rolls just enough to keep your dog’s interest without setting tongues to panting. Third, there is a nice mix of grassy, open-field canine hiking to soak in the sunshine and shady woods. Toss in some scenic rock-outcroppings and the gurgling meanderings of the Hawlings River. The 650 acres of the park were settled by Quaker farmers who were gentle stewards of the land. The mature chestnut oak forest is one of the best examples of its type in Maryland but
before you reach the woods your dog can enjoy the grassy trails of the Equestrian Loop. If your dog has a taste for the grass under paw down the ways on Zion Road is the 1.25-mile Blue Mash Nature Trail, favored by birders.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Wide grassy paths and wooded dirt
Workout For Your Dog - Some small ups and downs
Swimming - The Hawlings River is best suited for splashing
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Maryland is home to 42 species of orchids and Rachel Carson Conservation Park is a good spot to come hunting these delicate flowers.
Riverbend Park
Phone - (703) 759-9018
Website - http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend/
Admission Fee - No
Directions - Great Falls, Fairfax County; take Beltway Exit 44 onto Route 193 West (Georgetown Pike) to River Bend Road. Turn right and right again on Jeffery Road and follow for approximately one mile to the park entrance.
The Park
Conn’s Ferry was established above the Falls of the Potomac in 1785 at the site of the present Riverbend Park. In 1814 President James Madison and his wife Dolley, fleeing the British and the burning of Washington, travelled over the rolling road to Conn’s Ferry and escaped into Maryland. In 1974 Fairfax County established Riverbend Park to preserve 409 acres of mixed hardwoods, a large meadow and a river floodplain. The park features over two miles of frontage on the Potomac River.
The Walks
More than 10 miles of natural-surfaced trail spread out from the Visitors Center and the Nature Center in Riverbend Park. The two centers are only about 1/2-mile apart so you can start your explorations at either place without skipping one. Just about any hike you want to do with your dog is on the menu here: a long multi-hour trek or a short, invigorating loop; a hike in the shade of a mature hardwood forest or an open-air ramble through old fields and emerging trees. The long-distance Potomac Heritage Trail traces - appropriately - the bend in the Potomac River as it travels through the floodplain in the park. The best bet for your dog here (no bikes or horses) is the green-blazed Paw Paw Passage Trail (that is the tree, not a dogs-only trail) that departs the back of the Nature Center and rolls down to the Potomac River, passing through a variety of habitats. This sporty loop covers just over one mile.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural surface paths
Workout For Your Dog - Short, non-demanding climbs
Swimming - The Potomac is tame enough here to enjoy a dog swim
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The mottled brown American Woodcock is a long-time favorite of birdwatchers who cherish its unique courtship display. In springtime, at dusk, males arrive at “singing grounds” and begin flying in upward spiraling circles before swooping back to earth where they herald their flights in song. Woodcocks require four habitats in close proximity: feeding cover, nesting cover, roosting areas and open ground for courtship. These picky birds find just such conditions along the Meadow Trail in Riverbend Park.
Rock Creek Park
Phone - (202) 282-1063
Website - http://www.nps.gov/rocr/
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Washington DC; the park abuts the western edge of 16th Street, MD 29, running north to south. The main road through the park, Beach Drive, can be picked up from the north on the East West Highway, Route 410.
The Park
Although technically a national park, Rock Creek Park is more like a city park administered by the National Park Service. How many other national parks boast of ballfields and 30 picnic sites? It was the Army Corps of Engineers that first proposed the creation of Rock Creek Park when they considered moving the White House out of the mosquito-infested lowlands of down-town Washington after the Civil War. In 1890 Congress carved 1,754 acres from the Rock Creek Valley to establish the park, mostly in Washington, but spilling over to Montgomery County.
The Walks
The Rock Creek Valley runs from Lake Needwood outside of Rockville down through the main park in Washington D.C. An asphalt Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail travels the 13.6 miles through the scenic valley. In Rock Creek Park you’ll find two main parallel hiking trails running the length of the park from north to south on either side of Rock Creek. The wiser choice for canine hikers is the Valley Trail (blue blazes) on the east side. In contrast with its twin, the Western Ridge Trail (green blazes), there are fewer picnic areas and less competition for the trail. Each is a rooty and rocky frolic up and down the slopes above Rock Creek, a superb canine swimming hole. Numerous spur trails and bridle paths connect the two major arteries that connect at the north and south to create a loop about ten miles long.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Rooty and rocky dirt and paved paths
Workout For Your Dog - Moderate climbs
Swimming - Rock Creek is usually better for splashing than swimming but there are some good spots for dog paddling
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The nation’s capital was protected with a ring of 68 forts during the Civil War and Rock Creek Park administers several military sites. Your dog can visit the remnants of Fort De Russy, an earthworks fortification returned to its natural state just east of the Western Ridge Trail on a bridle path at Oregon Avenue and Military Road. Also near Military Road, three blocks east of the main park on 13th Street, is Fort Stevens.
Rock Creek Regional Park
Phone - (410) 592-2897
Website - http://www.mc-mncppc.org/parks/facilities/regional_parks/rockcreek/index.shtm
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Rockville, Montgomery County; from Norbeck Road (MD 28) take Muncaster Mill Road west. Lake Frank and Meadowside Nature Center are on the left; Lake Needwood is down on Needwood Road.
The Park
In 1965 an earthen dam was built creating Lake Needwood to prevent small stream flooding and control sediment. In 1967 another earthen dam was constructed down the road on the north branch of Rock Creek to create Lake Bernard Frank for the same reasons. Together the two lakes are the centerpieces of the 2,700-acre Rock Creek Regional Park.
The Walks
The two sections of Rock Creek Regional Park each radiate different personalities. Lake Needwood is a bit more rough-and-tumble with picnic shelters on the shore and boaters - including an outboard powered pontoon boat that cruises the lake on weekends - out on the water. The most-favored route for canine hikers here is a trip around the 75-acre lake partly on an old access road and partly on dirt paths. This is a shady, sometimes hilly circuit that hugs the shoreline and gives your dog plenty of opportunity for a swim. Lake Frank is given over to quiet, passive recreation. Aside from fishing on the lake the primary activity to take place here is hiking. Eight miles of wellmaintained trails spread out from the Meadowside Nature Center. To stretch your dog’s legs you can tour Lake Frank for over three miles on the Lakeside Trail or for those hounds with short attention spans you can jump from trail to trail on the many short, themed paths. There are many delights to found around the corners here: an old mill site, a restored log cabin, and even a covered bridge built by Rockville High School students.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Mostly natural
Workout For Your Dog - Modest climbs here and there
Swimming - Excellent, don’t disturb the fishermen
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Don’t leave without taking your dog for a stroll through the Raptor Walkway at Meadowside Nature Center, home to permanently injured, non-releasable birds of prey. At one time or another the park has hosted every species of owl native to Montgomery County, hawks, turkey vultures and a bald eagle.
Scotts Run Nature Preserve
Phone - None
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Directions - McLean, Fairfax County; from the Beltway take Exit 44 onto Route 193 West (Georgetown Pike). The smaller of two parking lots is almost immediately on your right. The main lot is a bit further down on the right.
The Park
Scotts Run Nature Preserve is one that survived. It’s not easy to halt the march of progress and like so much of its neighboring land this 340-acre tract of woodland known as the Burling Tract was slated to support a 300-home subdivision in 1970. Local residents, most prominently Elizabeth Miles Cooke, an artist and historian who lived in a 200-year old house near Swink’s Mill Road and Georgetown Pike opposite the current park, fought the planned development bitterly. In a region where the scorecard clearly favored the developers this one went into the win column for the conservationists. Betty Cooke died in May 1999 at the age of 91 and the bridge that spans Scotts Run not far from her home was named after her.
The Walks
Setting out from the parking lot, the trail system in Scotts Run Nature Preserve pushes towards the Potomac River, either to rocky bluffs above the water or down to the shoreline itself. The journey will take you past shady hemlocks and stately hardwoods on wide, dirt paths (with an occasional stony road thrown in). Most of this is easy going for your dog (Fairfax County has erected wooden stairs where the climbs start to look daunting) save for the trip to the water’s edge that travels on a rocky road. A full loop of the preserve can be crafted to cover about a two-mile canine hike but many secondary trails can lengthen your stay.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt paths and stony roads
Workout For Your Dog - Modest hills along the route
Swimming - More like splashing in Scotts Run and the Potomac
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
As it cuts over sharp rock outcroppings the clear waters of Scotts Run paint a pretty picture indeed - but it is a false impression. What appear to be pristine waters begin in culverts under the Tyson Corner Mall and are susceptible to storm runoff, sewer line breaks and dumping. Still, after such an ignominious beginning the stream finishes gloriously in the closest waterfall to Washington D.C.
Sugarloaf Mountain
Phone - (301) 874-2024
Website - http://www.sugarloafmd.com/index.html
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Dickerson, Frederick County; follow Route I-270 South to the Hyattstown exit, follow MD 109 to Comus, then right on Comus Road to the Stronghold entrance.
The Park
Gordon Strong, a wealthy Chicago businessman, who became captivated by Sugarloaf Mountain on a bicycle trip in 1902. He and his wife Louise began acquiring tracts of land on the mountain to preserve it for the enjoyment of the public. In 1924 he consulted with Frank Lloyd Wright to construct a monument of a building on the summit that would be an automobile destination for millions to enjoy the mountain. Wright designed an innovative spiral building that would complement the twisting road by Strong ultimately rejected the plan in favor of a traditional park. Wright used his sketches for the Guggenheim Museum. During the Franklin Roosevelt administration Interior Secretary Harold Ickes tried to purchase Sugarloaf as a Presidential retreat but Strong - a Republican - would not sell and the search moved to Camp David to the northwest. Instead Gordon Strong set up a private foundation, Stronghold, to manage the mountain for the enjoyment of the public - free of charge. A rare gift indeed.
The Walks
How would you like to enjoy the views and forests of Sugarloaf Mountain with your dog? Just about any way you can think of has been anticipated. For the canine hiker who is looking for a long ramble around the mountain before heading to the top there are three mostly concentric routes available at different elevations. None of these hiking loops actually reach the 1,282-foot summit - that is left to short - but steep - trails from the overlooks.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Rocky dirt paths
Workout For Your Dog - Yes, some tough climbs on the mountain
Swimming - None
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Unless you are a guest you can’t stop and admire Strong Mansion or its neighbor, Westwood, but you can drive s-l-o-w-l-y past on your way off the mountain.
Theodore Roosevelt Island
Phone - (703) 289-2500
Website - http://www.nps.gov/this/
Admission Fee - None
Directions - McLean, Fairfax County; accessible by foot from a parking lot off the northbound lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Traveling southbound, take Theodore Roosevelt Bridge to Constitution Ave. Take a right on 23rd Street and cross Memorial Bridge. Once on the bridge, bear right to return to the Parkway.
The Park
During his presidency, Theodore Roosevelt set aside over 234 million acres of public lands as national parks, forests, monuments and wildlife refuges. After his death in 1919, Roosevelt admirers sought a suitable memorial - and what better way to honor his legacy of conservation than by dedicating this wooded, 88-acre island in the Potomac River in his memory? In Colonial times the island was a summer resort for wealthy Virginians; the Mason family owned it for 125 years. In the early 1800’s, John Mason built a brick mansion and cultivated extensive gardens but abandoned the property in 1832 when a causeway built across the river stagnated his water. A hundred years later the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association purchased the island. Congress approved funds in 1960 and the memorial was dedicated on October 27, 1967.
The Walks
Three curvilinear trails conspire to cover the marsh, swamp and forest of the island. The Upland Trail and Wood Trail are covered with imbedded yellow stones; the Swamp Trail utilizes a boardwalk. All are extremely wide and ideal when more than one dog is in tow. There is enough elevation change to keep your interest and the thick woods produce a shady haven just yards from the crush of Washington bustle. Of course the speeding auto traffic and overhead flights from Reagan National Airport are sure to get your dog’s attention.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt and pebbly roads
Workout For Your Dog - Easy grades
Swimming - Your dog can slip into the Potomac River for a dip in places, at the footbridge where it reaches the island, for one
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Nestled in the center of the island, the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial is dominated by A 17-foot bronze statue by Paul Manship. It overlooks a diorama of fountains and four 21-foot granite tablets, inscribed with the tenets of Roosevelt’s thoughts on Nature, Youth, Manhood and the State.
Turkey Run Park
Phone - (703) 289-2500
Website - http://www.nps.gov/archive/gwmp/vapa/turkey.htm
Admission Fee - No
Directions - McLean, Fairfax County; from Beltway Exit 14, follow the George Washington Memorial Parkway two miles to the Turkey Run Park exit on the right. Follow signs into the park. From Washington and Old Town Alexandria: take the GWMP north eight miles and exit right at the Turkey Run Park sign. Make the first right turn into the park. Turkey Run is accessible only from the parkway.
The Park
Turkey Run provided fine hunting and fishing grounds for American Indians who lived here for thousands of years until the 1700s. The Reid family acquired control of most of this land around 1820, raising corn and wheat for the next 80 years.Their farmstead was on property that now houses the CIA Headquarters, adjacent to Turkey Run Park. A grist mill no longer visible operated just north of Turkey Run stream. Before acquired by the National Park Service a dairy farm operated here until the 1930s. Now it serves primarily as a picnic park.
The Walks
The Turkey Hill Loop Trail is as hilly a workout as you can give your dog in the Northern Virginia suburbs. Rock steps and switchbacks are used to get you down to the bottom of a rugged little gorge take takes Turkey Run to the Potomac River. At the bottom of the palisades you can hook into the Potomac Heritage Trail that runs ten miles from Theodore Roosevelt Island to the American Legion Bridge. The hike to the American Legion Bridge from this point is a little more than 1.5 miles. Turkey Run cuts just one of twelve ravines in the park and it features water year-round. Back atop the 200-foot bluffs the Woods Trail rolls among all three picnic areas. The trees on the rocky hillsides have recovered so successfully since the Civil war that the hardwood forest - studded with beech and oak and hickory - is considered one of the finest hardwood forests in Northern Virginia.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt, sometimes rocky
Workout For Your Dog - He can can a short, sporty hike here
Swimming - The island-pocked Potomac is available
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Turkey Run is one of the cleanest streams in the development-stressed Northern Virginia region. By carefully turning over rocks in the water you can look for larvae of caddisfly, mayfly and stonefly. These insects are intolerant to pollution so if you spot some it is an indication that the water quality is good.
Wheaton Regional Park
Phone - (301) 680-536
Website - http://www.mc-mncppc.org/parks/facilities/regional_parks/wheaton/
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Wheaton, Montgomery County; from Georgia Avenue (MD 97) go east onto Randolph Road. Parking for the Brookside Nature Center is on the right.
The Park
Rhode Island-born Frank Wheaton was one of the few American military officers to attain the rank of major general without attending West Point. During the Civil War he received several battlefield promotions and was entrusted with the command of the defense of Washington from Fort Stevens just down Georgia Avenue from the park. Five years later the sparsely populated countryside nearby took the general’s name. Almost any way you can think to get around a park can be found in Wheaton. Horesback riding, cycling, skating are all on tap here. A replica of an 1863 C.P. Huntington steam engine pulls a miniature train on a 10-minute tour of the park. There is even a treasured 1915 carousel built by the legendary Herschell Spillman Co. of North Tonawanda, New York. The carousel was operated on the National Mall in the District from the 1960s to 1980s before finding a home in the park.
The Walks
Wheaton Regional Park was not put together on a whim – wide, crushed-gravel trails lead to the five distinct areas of the park. There are four miles of these paths but you will want to start your dog on the natural surface trails at the Brookside Nature Center. These wellgroomed paths are a pleasure for any dog and even the bridle paths in the system are not unduly torn asunder. At the nature center make sure to take your dog on the brief - but highly informative – Woodland Walk. Don’t forget to try the bird calls to see the quizzical look on your dog’s face.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Crushed gravel and dirt
Workout For Your Dog - Small undulations in terrain
Swimming - Pine Lake is an attractive 5-acre lake with flat, unvegetated banks for your dog to take a swim
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Near the Nature Center you can view the Thomas Harper cabin, built in 1870. The house is typical of those that sprung up in freed slave communities across Maryland following the Civil War. This hut was originally in Jonesville, a hamlet in western Montgomery County. It was sold in 1935 to Harry Willard who donated it to the county and it was reconstructed here.