Mount Vernon Trail Mile 0
centroid 14 mi from Washington
About the Trail In 1973, the National Park Service constructed the Mount Vernon Trail along the Potomac River, paralleling the George Washington Memorial Parkway. With the river as your companion, you can run, ride, or walk along this 18-mile multi-use trail stretching from the Mount Vernon Estate to Theodore Roosevelt Island. Trail Safety The Mount Vernon Trail is a very popular multi-use trail shared by bicyclists, runners, walkers, and rollerblades.
There are up to 80,000 visitors per month along the trail, and it can get congested. Here are some guidelines to follow to ensure your safety while visiting the park. Be alert and be courteous. Use caution when entering and crossing the trail.
Keep right and move off the trail when stopped. Slow down before intersection and in congested areas. Watch for children on the trail, and parents, be attentive to your child's activities. Pet owners must keep pets on a leash no more than six feet long.
- States
- DC
- Trail type
- Memorial Parkway trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Washington, DC · 14 mi · ~25 min drive
- Centroid coords
- 38.7136°, -77.0851°
About George Washington Memorial Parkway
This trail is inside George Washington Memorial Parkway, a memorial parkway managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/mount-vernon-trail-mile-0.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Mount Vernon Trail Mile 0 and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Information Panel: Welcome to Fort Washington's Waterside Trail
3 miles from this trail's centroid
Information Panel: The Path to Freedom
12 miles from this trail's centroid
Mount Vernon Trail North Terminus
13 miles from this trail's centroid
Anacostia Riverwalk Trail
13 miles from this trail's centroid
Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail
13 miles from this trail's centroid
Capital Crescent Trail terminus
13 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.