District of Columbia trails · Capital Crescent Trail
Capital Crescent Trail
A 3.7-mile network in District of Columbia, with 118 ft of climbing. Reaches Fishing Shore and other beach/lake destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
Essentially flat — no sustained climb anywhere along its 3.7 miles.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Fishing Shore (beach)
- Georgetown Reservoir (lake)
Getting there
Capital Crescent Trail access — parking nearby. About 11 min drive (4 mi) from Washington. 38.90463, -77.07025 · 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 3.7-mile route takes roughly 1 h 26 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:42 a.m. — 9 h 49 min before sunset.
Nearby trails
- Potomac Heritage Trail — 0.2 mi
- Bike Trail #6 — 0.7 mi
- T. Roosevelt Bridge Crossing — 0.9 mi
- Adams Morgan Heritage Trail: Roads to Diversity — 1.9 mi