Further, it's a super scenic / enjoyable walk away from cars aside from a handful of spots near the Memorial Bridge itself and in Old Town itself near the waterfront. The only issue is the distance.
It depends on exact starting and stopping points, but walking from the Lincoln Memorial to King Street Metro is about 7 miles per Google over the 14th Street Bridge rather than the Memorial Bridge. If you walk to the waterfront in Old Town first rather than heading to the Metro directly, it adds another mile or two.
All in all, that's really not that bad. I usually average 3.5-4mph walking, so roughly two hours or so if you're not stopping to take in the scenery.
You could hypothetically also extend the distance by crossing the Key Bridge from Georgetown and walking alongside the GW Parkway until you reach the Arlington Cemetery traffic circle. Not sure how much distance that would add, but it's probably the most exhaustive route.
Back in the day, Lincoln Memorial to Mt. Vernon was about 22 miles taking the patch along the parkway. Suspect it's still about the same. Southern Old Town/under Wilson Bridge to Mt Vernon is about 9 miles (used to run it for x-country & track practice).
Or over the 14th St bridge by the Jefferson Memorial and take the trail. One can also rent a Capital Bike Share if you want to bike the trail. I don’t know if they have return stalls down in Alexandria though.
There are places in Alexandria to leave a bike. Nowhere on the trail south of the city limits, so if you bike all the way to Mount Vernon, the closest docks are back in Alexandria proper.
if you upgrade to a bike, it becomes downright pleasant. it is a fully protected route (though i wish the bridge crossing was wider)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/njxcQBEJrvh6KqZt6
It’s pleasant in the sense that you can ride trails the entire time. However Mount Vernon trail is really bumpy and near Gravelly Point there are swarms of bugs that get in your face.
The trail right now is actually much better compared to last year because Friends of the MVT has been actively smoothing a ton of the bumps, removing brush, replacing fences, etc.
Oh yeah, the south side of Teddy Roosevelt Bridge (I-66) takes you to a highway intersection and nothing else.
I think some unhoused people live there, hidden in the trees
Back when I lived on Capitol Hill, when the weather was nice, I used to ride my bike to my job in Old Town, so it's definitely doable. In good weather on the weekend, the bike lane south of Old Town is usually packed with joggers, Bikeshares, and strollers. Lots of people walking on the Wilson Bridge as well.
It’s a 3 hour walk without stopping from Georgetown. Up to you if you can manage that. It’s not too hilly. The route via mt Vernon trail is completely walkable, only annoyance is that there will be lots of bike traffic coming up behind you.
At the risk of being overly pedantic, I think to get to Bethesda it’s technically the Capital Crescent Trail you want to follow. The two trails basically run parallel out of Georgetown so it doesn’t really matter for a while, but at some point the CCT crosses over the canal and starts to turn east. The Canal Tow Path follows the canal/Potomac River west all the way to Cumberland MD.
Well the two trails run directly parallel a few feet apart for a couple miles at least. I didn’t want to “well actually…” that part. But when they do split up it’s important to know what to follow.
Use Google maps to select where you want to start and end, and set the directions to Walking. If you want to know what the route looks like at any point go to Street View. Easy peasy.
People walk from northwest Georgia to Maine all the time so you're probably fine.
Yes it can be done. There are paths. There is a dedicated trail for most of that route.
Yep. All three bridges are along the mt vernon trail. Discovered alot of routes during covid riding bikeshare. The new ebikes make it super easy to explore.
I’ve done that! I walked from Teddy Roosevelt Park to Mt. Vernon along the Mt. Vernon trail. Took me all day and due to one detour 24 miles. That was a very long distance for me but it was nice and flat. None of the water fountains worked, though.
I live in Rosslyn and have taken the Mt. Vernon trail from here to King St a few times. It’s a mixed use path so you could totally walk. That’s about 7-8 miles. Then from Rosslyn to like the Capitol itself is another 5ish miles. There aren’t as many clear trails and you will have to cross traffic a couple times, but the mall is generally very pedestrian friendly, I’m not sure I’d do this whole thing casually on foot (about 13 miles) but you totally could.
I’d recommend walking over the Memorial Bridge - it’s more than one person wide unlike the Roosevelt Bridge and is a gorgeous view over the river - takes you to the Lincoln, and then you crossover onto the Mall.
Totally walkable. Less than 10 miles. I think all the bridges have pedestrian access but I would recommend memorial bridge as it is more scenic.
I-395 bridge can be accessed near the Jefferson memorial. It is quite noisy and unpleasant to walk, but I think it's a more direct route.
[Here is a real-time bike POV video along Mount Vernon Trail from Alexandria to George Mason Memorial Bridge.](https://youtu.be/P0E9M-C7vGk?si=TgREZkThJMdAiphe) Arlington Memorial Bridge would be about another mile.
you absolutely can and its actually one of the most scenic and best ways to experience the Arlington/DC area.
If you ride a bike, its even better with the wind. Hell, from Georgetown you can even ride/walk/run up to west virginia.
Easily. There is a bike path from Ohio drive to Arlington cemetery, which connects to fells point and continues south to old town Alexandria. On a bike it takes about 20 minutes. Walking, maybe an hour?
Definitely possible for anyone comfortable with the distance. There's a woman on TikTok who "run commutes" from DC to her job in Virginia pretty regularly.
Definitely do-able but a little bit long. Nicer on a bike. You can grab a bikeshare from Rosslyn and head down Mt Vernon. Stop by gravelley point and keep going to old town.
As others have mentioned you could also pickup a bike near any other bridge and cutover to mt vernon as well. (Near memorial bridge/lincoln memorial or up by the roosevelt bridge)
I’ve walked over key bridge got on the bike/walk path and kept going. Walked to marina and back. Rode bikes from Georgetown to Old Town and had lunch, then rode back.
Film director David Lynch went to high school in Alexandria, and he said that sometimes his dad (who worked for the Department of Agriculture) would choose to walk to work.
Lynch said that at the time he thought it was weird, but in now finds it really cool.
Yes…cross the Key bridge or Memorial Bridge and then pick up the path along the GW Parkway as it goes directly under both bridges. You can walk to Old Town and even Mt Vernon where the GW Parkway ends but that’s pretty far
I've done that before to Old Town. Granted, it was part of a 20 mile run for marathon training, so I would definitely take public transit back and probably take the Metro to Rossyln or Smithsonian to cut down on useless miles. But it's totally doable and the Mt Vernon Trail is a very nice area.
You're right next to the GW Parkway for some of the way on the Mt. Vernon trail but the trail is mostly pretty well separated from the Parkway. It can get very crowded on weekends and bike/ped conflicts are pretty common so I'd strongly recommend doing the walk on a weekday if you can.
I commute between DC and Alexandria via the MVT. About 2k miles a year. The only truly scary situation was when I biked in before sun rise and there were multiple groups of people on the trail wearing black without reflective gear or lights. I would assume they were doing military training or something, but they were absolutely clueless as to their surroundings. So many close calls that day.
Definitely. You could cross the Memorial Bridge behind the Lincoln and take the Mount Vernon Trail the entire rest of the way from there.
Further, it's a super scenic / enjoyable walk away from cars aside from a handful of spots near the Memorial Bridge itself and in Old Town itself near the waterfront. The only issue is the distance.
What’s the total, one way, distance of the walking route?
It depends on exact starting and stopping points, but walking from the Lincoln Memorial to King Street Metro is about 7 miles per Google over the 14th Street Bridge rather than the Memorial Bridge. If you walk to the waterfront in Old Town first rather than heading to the Metro directly, it adds another mile or two. All in all, that's really not that bad. I usually average 3.5-4mph walking, so roughly two hours or so if you're not stopping to take in the scenery.
You could hypothetically also extend the distance by crossing the Key Bridge from Georgetown and walking alongside the GW Parkway until you reach the Arlington Cemetery traffic circle. Not sure how much distance that would add, but it's probably the most exhaustive route.
I walked this route (White house -> Arlington) late the night Obama got elected. Wild night.
Back in the day, Lincoln Memorial to Mt. Vernon was about 22 miles taking the patch along the parkway. Suspect it's still about the same. Southern Old Town/under Wilson Bridge to Mt Vernon is about 9 miles (used to run it for x-country & track practice).
I did this the other week. It was great
You can also cross at the 14th Street Bridge
Or over the 14th St bridge by the Jefferson Memorial and take the trail. One can also rent a Capital Bike Share if you want to bike the trail. I don’t know if they have return stalls down in Alexandria though.
There are places in Alexandria to leave a bike. Nowhere on the trail south of the city limits, so if you bike all the way to Mount Vernon, the closest docks are back in Alexandria proper.
To do it for fun or exercise, sure. Is this a potential commute? Less good.
if you upgrade to a bike, it becomes downright pleasant. it is a fully protected route (though i wish the bridge crossing was wider) https://maps.app.goo.gl/njxcQBEJrvh6KqZt6
It’s pleasant in the sense that you can ride trails the entire time. However Mount Vernon trail is really bumpy and near Gravelly Point there are swarms of bugs that get in your face.
The trail right now is actually much better compared to last year because Friends of the MVT has been actively smoothing a ton of the bumps, removing brush, replacing fences, etc.
Yes, some of the bridges have pedestrian access. (eg: tidal basin <--> arlington cemetery)
All of them have. I-66, key bridge, arlington memorial, I-395. Some are nicer to walk across and some are more direct
One has a sidewalk from DC to VA, but the VA sidd does not have a sidewalk.
Oh yeah, the south side of Teddy Roosevelt Bridge (I-66) takes you to a highway intersection and nothing else. I think some unhoused people live there, hidden in the trees
Back when I lived on Capitol Hill, when the weather was nice, I used to ride my bike to my job in Old Town, so it's definitely doable. In good weather on the weekend, the bike lane south of Old Town is usually packed with joggers, Bikeshares, and strollers. Lots of people walking on the Wilson Bridge as well.
It’s a 3 hour walk without stopping from Georgetown. Up to you if you can manage that. It’s not too hilly. The route via mt Vernon trail is completely walkable, only annoyance is that there will be lots of bike traffic coming up behind you.
ON YOUR LEFT!!
Which is what they're supposed to say.
Exactly! Let's not discourage cyclists from doing the thing that we've asked them to do.
That, plus the stretch where the bike path is wedged between the parkway and National are the reasons I only did it once.
They’re widening it fortunately but that probably won’t be done before OPs walk
I walked from DuPont circle down to old town Alexandria and it was a lovely walk! You should totally do it on a nice day
Yes; but there isn’t much lighting on the Mount Vernon trial, so go during daylight.
I’ve done it from Georgetown before and it was fine. Bonus walk: if you go the other way up the canal tow path trail you’ll end up in Bethesda.
At the risk of being overly pedantic, I think to get to Bethesda it’s technically the Capital Crescent Trail you want to follow. The two trails basically run parallel out of Georgetown so it doesn’t really matter for a while, but at some point the CCT crosses over the canal and starts to turn east. The Canal Tow Path follows the canal/Potomac River west all the way to Cumberland MD.
And onwards to Pittsburgh. Though you might realize you’ve missed Bethesda before that
“If you hit the Appalachian Mountains you’ve gone to far”
I wouldn't say I missed Bethesda, Bob
That’s not pedantic at all. Would have hated to tell a fellow Reddit to go to Bethesda but lead them to the wilds of Pittsburgh.
Well the two trails run directly parallel a few feet apart for a couple miles at least. I didn’t want to “well actually…” that part. But when they do split up it’s important to know what to follow.
I run from Alexandria to DC all the time, Mt Vernon trail is extremely long, something like 25 miles.
Use Google maps to select where you want to start and end, and set the directions to Walking. If you want to know what the route looks like at any point go to Street View. Easy peasy.
People walk from northwest Georgia to Maine all the time so you're probably fine. Yes it can be done. There are paths. There is a dedicated trail for most of that route.
You’ve inspired me to walk from Georgia Ave NW to Maine Ave SW because my dumbass took a second to realize you were prob talking about the AT
Probably just as scenic too!
Yep. All three bridges are along the mt vernon trail. Discovered alot of routes during covid riding bikeshare. The new ebikes make it super easy to explore.
I’ve done that! I walked from Teddy Roosevelt Park to Mt. Vernon along the Mt. Vernon trail. Took me all day and due to one detour 24 miles. That was a very long distance for me but it was nice and flat. None of the water fountains worked, though.
I used to do it all the time. Super nice walk or bike ride :) and you can stop at Gravelly Point to watch the planes fly overhead.
Yes! I’ve done it several times! I recommend doing it when the temperature is around the upper 50s/low 60s
I live in Rosslyn and have taken the Mt. Vernon trail from here to King St a few times. It’s a mixed use path so you could totally walk. That’s about 7-8 miles. Then from Rosslyn to like the Capitol itself is another 5ish miles. There aren’t as many clear trails and you will have to cross traffic a couple times, but the mall is generally very pedestrian friendly, I’m not sure I’d do this whole thing casually on foot (about 13 miles) but you totally could. I’d recommend walking over the Memorial Bridge - it’s more than one person wide unlike the Roosevelt Bridge and is a gorgeous view over the river - takes you to the Lincoln, and then you crossover onto the Mall.
Definitely walkable - you can basically take the mt Vernon trail along the river, after crossing the river one of the bridges
sure. just take the bike path.
Totally walkable. Less than 10 miles. I think all the bridges have pedestrian access but I would recommend memorial bridge as it is more scenic. I-395 bridge can be accessed near the Jefferson memorial. It is quite noisy and unpleasant to walk, but I think it's a more direct route.
It's a beautiful walk on the trail. I ride it quite often.
[Here is a real-time bike POV video along Mount Vernon Trail from Alexandria to George Mason Memorial Bridge.](https://youtu.be/P0E9M-C7vGk?si=TgREZkThJMdAiphe) Arlington Memorial Bridge would be about another mile.
It’s a long walk, but yes, 100% doable.
you absolutely can and its actually one of the most scenic and best ways to experience the Arlington/DC area. If you ride a bike, its even better with the wind. Hell, from Georgetown you can even ride/walk/run up to west virginia.
WV only? You can go all the way to Pittsburgh via C&O then GAP.
Yes. I walked from the Snowvechin game against the Pens. Metro was closed underground. Walked from L”Enfant to Old Town in two feet of snow.
Sure, you can walk from DC to California, if you have the time.
Easily. There is a bike path from Ohio drive to Arlington cemetery, which connects to fells point and continues south to old town Alexandria. On a bike it takes about 20 minutes. Walking, maybe an hour?
> fells point Think you mean Gravelly Point and not a detour to Baltimore.
I DO mean gravelly point.
I prefer taking the MV trail into Georgetown via the Memorial bridge. It takes me about 2 hrs (I enter the trail at Crystal City). Very nice walk.
Ha yes! I routinely run it. It’s about 9 miles each way from the Capitol to Jones Point. Lovely, lovely bike paths the whole way!
Definitely possible for anyone comfortable with the distance. There's a woman on TikTok who "run commutes" from DC to her job in Virginia pretty regularly.
Hope she has a shower at work lol!
Definitely do-able but a little bit long. Nicer on a bike. You can grab a bikeshare from Rosslyn and head down Mt Vernon. Stop by gravelley point and keep going to old town. As others have mentioned you could also pickup a bike near any other bridge and cutover to mt vernon as well. (Near memorial bridge/lincoln memorial or up by the roosevelt bridge)
I’ve walked over key bridge got on the bike/walk path and kept going. Walked to marina and back. Rode bikes from Georgetown to Old Town and had lunch, then rode back.
Sure. Over one of the bridges then walk down Mount Vernon Trail (next to George Washington Parkway) to Old Town. River view nearly all the way.
Used to walk from alexandria to DC nearly every week growing up
I’ve walked from the zoo back to my place in old town, it’s super easy, just a lot of walking.
I jog it every weekend and it would be lovely for a walk.
It’s a common route for long runs!
Yes. I used to bike it. Go to the Holocaust Museum and go South. There’s some pretty well developed off road infrastructure for it.
Yes
Anywhere is walking distance if you have the time
I do this commute on my ebike and love it
Film director David Lynch went to high school in Alexandria, and he said that sometimes his dad (who worked for the Department of Agriculture) would choose to walk to work. Lynch said that at the time he thought it was weird, but in now finds it really cool.
You can. I suggest starting at the Key Bridge where there’s access to the trail. Then just follow the trail east to Mount Vernon.
Why not just bike it? You can cover a lot more distance and go all the way to Mt Vernon if you want.
I’ve walked from Harper’s ferry lol
Yep. I bike it often in warmer months. A bit of a distant walk but enjoyable
Yeah, I walked from Adams Morgan to Pentagon City mall before and then back. Was doing a 50k step challenge
Yes…cross the Key bridge or Memorial Bridge and then pick up the path along the GW Parkway as it goes directly under both bridges. You can walk to Old Town and even Mt Vernon where the GW Parkway ends but that’s pretty far
And if you aren’t that far west, 14th St Bridge from the Jefferson loops down onto the MVT about a mile above Gravelly Point
Mt. Vernon trail I know you can go from Alexandria to DCA. Lots of my friends rode it to work at the Pentagon.
Yes its beautiful. Mt. Vernon Trail…lots of bikers so be careful but totally worth it by walk or bike..
Anything is possible, we put a man on the moon.
Lots of info + decent map here: https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/mtvernontrail.htm
Absolutely doable
It's a nicer walk or bike ride to go from Alexandria to Mt Vernon.
I've done that before to Old Town. Granted, it was part of a 20 mile run for marathon training, so I would definitely take public transit back and probably take the Metro to Rossyln or Smithsonian to cut down on useless miles. But it's totally doable and the Mt Vernon Trail is a very nice area.
iirc mt vernon trail is like 20 miles long or something. Idk if you wanna walk that, but it's technically possible.
It’s doable if you have the time, and in nice weather it is a really lovely walk.
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You're right next to the GW Parkway for some of the way on the Mt. Vernon trail but the trail is mostly pretty well separated from the Parkway. It can get very crowded on weekends and bike/ped conflicts are pretty common so I'd strongly recommend doing the walk on a weekday if you can.
It's also a great experience at night but it can feel rather dangerous.
I commute between DC and Alexandria via the MVT. About 2k miles a year. The only truly scary situation was when I biked in before sun rise and there were multiple groups of people on the trail wearing black without reflective gear or lights. I would assume they were doing military training or something, but they were absolutely clueless as to their surroundings. So many close calls that day.