District of Columbia trails · Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
A 10.4-mile section of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail in District of Columbia, with 283 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 710 miles. Reaches Anacostia First High Reservoir. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the first third: 49% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 3.5. It gives back about 708 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Anacostia First High Reservoir (lake)
Getting there
Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail access — parking nearby. About 11 min drive (5 mi) from Washington. 38.86665, -76.95291 · 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 7:15 a.m. and sets at 6:31 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:57 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 15 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 10.4-mile route takes roughly 4 h 00 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 11:15 a.m. — 7 h 16 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail + Unnamed trail + Bike Trail #6 — 0.8 mi loop, 28 ft gain
- Unnamed trail + Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail — 1.0 mi loop, 11 ft gain
- Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail + Unnamed trail + Tidal Basin — 1.3 mi loop, 33 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Suitland Parkway Trail — 1.4 mi
- Watts Branch Trail — 2.3 mi
- Greater Deanwood Heritage Trail: A Self-Reliant People — 2.3 mi
- Barracks Row Heritage Trail: Tour of Duty — 2.6 mi