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
Foot Trail #1 junction — restroom. About 18 min drive (6 mi) from Washington. 38.95957, -77.05216 · 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 4.2-mile round trip takes roughly 1 h 50 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:06 a.m. — 9 h 25 min before sunset.
Loop options
- White Horse Trail + Western Ridge Trail + Cross Trail #4 — 1.4 mi loop, 267 ft gain
- Western Ridge Trail + Bike Trail #1 + Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail — 2.9 mi loop, 389 ft gain
- Cross Trail #5 + Western Ridge Trail + Bike Trail #3 — 1.2 mi loop, 235 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Black Horse Trail — 0.5 mi
- Brightwood Heritage Trail: Battlegound to Community — 1.0 mi
- Valley Trail — 1.5 mi
- Bike Trail #5 — 1.8 mi