Mount Vernon Trail North Terminus
centroid 2 mi from Washington
The Mount Vernon Trail is an 18-mile paved multi-use trail that stretches from George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate to Theodore Roosevelt Island. It connects with regional trails, including the Potomac Heritage, Custis, Rock Creek, Four Mile Run, and Woodrow Wilson Bridge Trails. The Mount Vernon Trail winds alongside the Potomac River offering uninterrupted views of Washington, D.C.'s skyline.
A run, walk, or cycle along the trail leads to all of the same sites that can be reached by car on the parallel section of the parkway. The Mount Vernon Trail is open year-round from 6 am to 10 pm. Commuters may use the trail at any time.
Rules and Regulations Motorized vehicles, including skateboards, bicycles, scooters, and Segways are not allowed on the Mount Vernon Trail. Persons with disabilities may use motorized wheelchairs on the trail. Bicycles are not allowed on the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
- States
- DC
- Trail type
- Memorial Parkway trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Washington, DC · 2 mi · ~5 min drive
- Centroid coords
- 38.8955°, -77.0666°
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/000/mount-vernon-trail-north-terminus.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 North Terminus 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
Capital Crescent Trail terminus
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Information Panel: The Path to Freedom
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Anacostia Riverwalk Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
ADT - Maryland - Seg 3
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Information Panel: The Clara Barton Trail
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Rachel Carson Greenway Trail
9 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.