District of Columbia trails · Black Horse Trail
Black Horse Trail
A 1.6-mile out-and-back in District of Columbia, with 98 ft of climbing. Reaches Pulpit Rock. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
Essentially flat — no sustained climb anywhere along its 1.7 miles.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Pulpit Rock (arch)
Getting there
Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail access. About 15 min drive (6 mi) from Washington. 38.96143, -77.04367 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:49 a.m., the sun rises at 7:16 a.m. and sets at 6:31 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:58 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 15 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 3.3-mile round trip takes roughly 1 h 19 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:35 a.m. — 9 h 56 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail + Black Horse Trail + Bike Trail #2 — 2.5 mi loop, 254 ft gain
- Valley Trail + Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail + Black Horse Trail — 2.7 mi loop, 415 ft gain
- Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail + Black Horse Trail + Cross Trail #3 — 1.8 mi loop, 318 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Western Ridge Trail — 0.5 mi
- Brightwood Heritage Trail: Battlegound to Community — 0.7 mi
- Valley Trail — 1.6 mi
- Bike Trail #5 — 1.9 mi