The well-used Rock Creek Park Trail gets plenty of use on weekends by bikers, hikers, dog walkers and other self-propelled exercisers. But you can enjoy another well-paved trail through the biggest urban park in the world that gets a lot less use but is also quite shaded and scenic: the alternate less well-known path along the western edge of this national park.
This trail generally follows Oregon Avenue NW and will give you a better workout than the main trail as it goes up and down a lot more hills. it's also narrower and if you take it by bike, you'll have to watch out for a lot of dogs. It seems most users of the trail are locals from Northwest Washington who see this area as their neighborhood park, as it's less well used than the eastern portion or the section closer to downtown with the big tourist attractions (Natonal Zoo, Pierce Mill, etc.).Still, it's more peaceful and less trafficked and a good change of pace for park users.
The western trail starts (or ends,depending on which way you go) at Oregon Ave. and Wise Rd. You can connect with the main trail at three areas: along Wise Road, or further south where a parallel paved trail connects the two paths along Bingham Rd.
Finally, another trail parallels Military Rd. further south connecting the two trails.
The whole path is shaded, providing plenty of sun protection.
At Military Rd., you come to the clearning where the U.S. Army cut down the trees to provide a training ground for soldiers during the Civil War (hence the name Military Rd.). Continue uphill on the southeast corner of the intersection and before long, you've reached the Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium, where you can visit. It's open Wednesdays through Sundays9-5 and sponsors many events.
Going further south is easy by bike: it's all downhill along the winding Ridge Rd.until it eventually connects with the main trail.
For info on the park, see http://www.nps.gov/rocr/index.htm.
For a trail map, see http://www.traillink.com/trail/rock-creek-trail.aspx.
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