District of Columbia trails · Tidal Basin
Tidal Basin
A 2.1-mile network in District of Columbia, with 24 ft of climbing. Reaches Bathing Beach and other beach/lake destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
Essentially flat — no sustained climb anywhere along its 2.1 miles.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Bathing Beach (beach)
- Tidal Basin (lake)
Getting there
Tidal Basin access — parking nearby. About 6 min drive (2 mi) from Washington. 38.88278, -77.03312 · 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 2.1-mile route takes roughly 46 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:02 a.m. — 10 h 29 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail + Unnamed trail + Tidal Basin — 1.3 mi loop, 33 ft gain
- Unnamed trail + Tidal Basin + Anacostia Riverwalk-SW — 1.5 mi loop, 73 ft gain
- Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail + Unnamed trail + Tidal Basin — 1.9 mi loop, 57 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Lafayette Park Path — 1.1 mi
- Shaw Heritage Trail: Midcity at the Crossroads — 1.5 mi
- T. Roosevelt Bridge Crossing — 1.8 mi
- Bike Trail #6 — 1.9 mi