District of Columbia trails · Western Ridge Trail
Western Ridge Trail
A 2.1-mile out-and-back in District of Columbia, with 283 ft of climbing. Reaches Linnean Hill and other arch/summit destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 63% of the ascent, between mile 0.7 and mile 1.4. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Linnean Hill (summit)
- Pulpit Rock (arch)
Heads up
Getting there
Amphitheater Access access — parking nearby, water. 38.94002, -77.05161 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:08 a.m., the sun rises at 6:35 a.m. and sets at 7:40 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:07 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 05 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 4.2-mile round trip takes roughly 1 h 50 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:25 a.m. — 11 h 15 min before sunset.
Loop options
- White Horse Trail + Western Ridge Trail + Cross Trail #4 — 1.4 mi loop, 267 ft gain
- Bike Trail #1 + Foot Trail #10 + Western Ridge Trail — 1.8 mi loop, 316 ft gain
- Bike Trail #2 + White Horse Trail + Western Ridge Trail — 1.5 mi loop, 174 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Valley Trail — 0.2 mi
- Bike Trail #5 — 0.4 mi
- Black Horse Trail — 1.0 mi
- Mount Pleasant Heritage Trail: Village in the City — 1.0 mi