Hiking DC

South DC Hike

If you have been sitting on your derriere for way too long and are in need for some good ol’fashion bipedal locomotion, look no further than some of the great walking trails around DC. For inclusivity’s sake, there were plenty of quadrupeds, bicycles, tricycles, and other forms of new-aged electronic vehicles that limit any source of physical exertion. Feel free to adjust this recommended walking trail to whatever form you find best.

Image of our hike on Google Maps.

This hike started at the famous Gravelly Point park located just north of Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. If you get there early enough, there is free parking, porta-potties, and an entrance onto the Mt. Vernon Trail. From there, it is a 1-mile walk to the busy and loud 14th St. Bridge that has a pedestrian walkway on the southbound side. This is the path we took to cross the Potomac River into DC. Bring some earplugs and brute-force your way through this section as you will end up near the Jefferson Memorial and the tidal basin after another mile of walking. This is where we stopped to watch the Double-crested Cormorants hunt for fish in the tidal basin.

Picture while on the noisy 14th St. Bridge looking north up the Potomac River.

Another 2 miles of walking north will get you to the center of the city and our destination for lunch called Supra which is a Georgian restaurant. At 12:30pm, the restaurant had a handful of tables occupied. We opted for outdoor seating on this above-average 65°F day in November. The brunch menu had vegan options for me including their homemade bread, Georgian-style potato hashbrowns, mushroom-dumplings (Khinkali), and a veggie-platter (Bostneuli Platter) that included fire-roasted carrots and stuffed eggplant. My favorite part was the small ramekin of freshly cracked black pepper used to top the mushroom dumplings. There was plenty of food for the consumers of animal flesh and calf-milk. Having a nice sit-down spot to rest your legs and fill your belly is essential for a long day of walking.

a. Picture of the Veggie Platter., b. Picture of the cracked pepper., c. Picture on the walls of the bathroom

From there, we took a slightly longer way back to the car passing the Washington Monument, the Reflecting Pool, and the Lincoln Memorial on our way to a more pedestrian friendly bridge. By this time, our hips, knees, and calves were not happy and they were asking us to stop. After crossing the Arlington Memorial Bridge, we found our way back to the Mt. Vernon trail and took some breaks on the benches. The occasional fisher and kayaker attempting to ride the bow-waves of the passing ferries kept our minds engaged.

The full trip was approximately 9 miles of fairly level terrain (the basin to K St is an uphill battle). There is a sense of accomplishment one gets from a long day of walking. Not that we accomplished anything difficult or inspiring. The mere fact that we used our bodies to cover 9 miles and were able to get back to our car without injury felt like a small victory. And small victories are what we need to get us to the next big climb.