Glover Archbold Trail

Great park in NW, DC. Come out here and enjoy the beautiful, quiet trails of Glover Archbold park.

Perfect for having your pet without a leash! Amazing in October when you can see the different shades of nature on falling leaves. So romantic!

This was a beautiful trail that went right from Tenleytown to Georgetown. It was rocky and not the best for running. Also, the were a few times that the trail took you out to the street and it was difficult to find where it started again. Great for a Sunday morning hike.

I live close to the park and have to say it is amazing having this much green and wooded area around DC. I have chosen to give the park one less star because there seems to be a majority of people thinking that walking your dog in the park without a leash is OK! I have had my dogs attacked numerously in the park due to people thinking their dogs are Gods gift to earth, then have the audacity to call me an animal abuser when I keep their well behaved dog from killing my dogs and myself. Other than the horrible dog issues the park is very low crime and is absolutely beautiful during the spring and summer.

3.25 stars
Either people can not read or they choose not to and just abandon all common sense. LEASH YOUR DOGS! You might have the «friendliest» dog in the world but a stranger does not know that. Plus that very same stranger might have a dog that does not take too kindly to unleashed dogs approaching them. I have seen some really nasty stuff between two dogs that are strangers. I mean, it really is just common sense. And someone who sees a huge dog running towards them might do what they can to defend… JUST. LEASH. THE. DANG. DOG.
End rant. Aside from the rant, once you are done with the major scenic areas in the city, this is a nice little 3.5 mile or so walk that starts around Van Ness, west of Wisconsin Ave, and ends around Canal street. From Canal Street, you can eventually get to Gtown. I like this peaceful little oasis off of Wisconsin and the only downfall is the few times it intersects with a few streets, such as Mass Ave, Cathedral and Reservoir. Parts of the trail past Reservoir do not strike me as being well maintained (at one point you cross a pretty decent stream with no bridge, you need to hop from rock to rock). You have some odd train (?) tracks at the end of the trail near Canal which probably only 10% of the locals know about (the ones who are avid bikers and hikers).

Really lovely and substantial wooded area next to Georgetown University that extends north almost to Tenleytown. There are also a couple of swaths of victory gardens-​small plots for those that live here. The southern end also has a tunnel that leads to the Canal towpath and the Capital Crescent Trail.
Only in DC do you get this kind of isolation inside a city. Great place for a relaxing walk/​run that gets you out of the local hubbub without having to drive anywhere.

This is a great trail for running and it’s a nice haven from dc traffic. It’s obviously beautiful, especially with the fall foliage.
BUT I live in the area and I have personally known several people who were crime victims in the park, even during broad daylight. Just be cautious if you’re alone and be aware of your surroundings. There are lots of people in certain areas of the park, so stick to those if you can. Or better yet, take a buddy and explore!

So I just moved to Glover Park and wasn’t so sure about the possible running routes in the area. I’m pretty familiar Rock Creek, but didn’t know there were so many other great trails in DC. Apparently you don’t have to be near Rock Creek to have a great trail run that can go on for miles. I discovered there was a trail entrance literally two blocks from my apartment. can’t get better than that. Haven’t explored it fully yet, but did find out that about a mile down it hits Reservoir Rd, then crossing over that hits the canal about another half mile down. then you can go forever on either the Capital Crescent Trail or the C&O Canal. Can go Capital Crescent up through Bethesda, or C&O along the Potomac River either up through MD and further. or down to Georgetown. lots of wonderful options! Would highly recommend checking out this trail to anyone in the area who wants to get outside. just don’t go in the dark (gets quite dark. go figure)

I’ve only hiked this route once-​actually on New Year’s morning 2010 so it’s been on my mind as this year draws to a close. When my pal and I traversed the route it was still snowed in from the December blizzard, but it was amazing. We started at the trailhead on Van Ness St after taking the Metro to Tenleytown. The trail descends into the stream valley pretty quickly and you enter a world of massive, centuries plus old trees and steep slopes that nearly hide the apartment buildings and houses that line the canyon. We passed some great old storm sewer outlets made of ancient red brick. The entrances into them are covered with wrought iron bars, presumably to keep the gators out of the stream or the hobos from going in to the secret underground world of DC.
There are a few road crossings during the route, including Mass Ave, but most of the time you’re going parallel to the creek on this gorgeous tree lined route. There is one long straight section where you walk atop a long concreted over sewer tunnel. I imagine this is where you’d pick up some time if you were jogging.
The trail lets you out on Canal Rd west of Georgetown after about three miles. From there we walked along the road up to the Key Bridge and crossed to the Rosslyn Metro.
If you want to see the wilder side of upper NW this trail can’t be beat. there is more rugged territory in Rock Creek, but I love this walk best.

This is a great trail! I love it! It’s one of those trails that you start running on and suddenly you realize you are only hearing the babbling brook, the chirping birds and the leaves rustling from the squirrels and then you think – I’m in the middle of DC! It’s wonderful… easy to find thanks to Greg M’s directions (corner of Van Ness and Wisconsin… go on Van Ness behind the Ruby Tuesday and there’s an open field and you’ll see a trail which you follow into the woods). It’s serene and it’s gorgeous. The trees offer a cooling canopy and it’s just beautiful.
As a woman running alone in the woods, I try to be aware of my surroundings. I felt very safe here. Excellent trail!

This is one of my favorite trail in DC. Not very long or too challenging, but it is very serene and relaxing to walk in forest like environment in the middle of the city. As other reviewers indicated, it runs from Van Ness Street all the way to Georgetown. Nice walk to start a day on weekends.
This trail is excellent for walking, running, and playing with dogs. Maybe even fun to meditate. Just remember to spray bug repellent all over before you go there.

This place is like a little swath of air conditioning in the middle of the city. In the summer it’s like 10 degrees cooler than even shady areas like the Capital Crescent. One of my favorite places to run.
The path is about 3 miles long, running from Van Ness all the way down to the Georgetown canal. In that stretch you only cross 3 – 4 streets and they’re all pretty calm. Since it is very bendy, wooded, and rolling, the varied terrain keeps things interesting.
To find the path from the south you have two choices:
–from the Capital Crescent trail: find the tunnel under the canal. This is located about 1 mile west of the key bridge. Go through tunnel, take path to canal street, turn right on canal street. Path is about 50 feet up on your right.
–from canal street: just find the path mentioned above. It’s about a mile west of the key bridge, shortly after the entrance ramp to Georgetown.
From the north just find Johnson’s Flowershop at the corner of Van Ness and Wisconsin. There is a field just across the street that leads to the path

This is a great little hike/​walk that takes you from the AU Metro to Georgetown. You want to head to Georgetown to grab a beer? Take this trail down and back and feel good about getting your exercise on as you pound the suds.
You can also just do the loop, which is about 9 miles or so. A pretty walk that almost feels like your really out in nature. Except for when you’re crossing streets (like Foxhall Road) in order to continue on your way.
Connecting/​looping with the Capital Crescent Trail is also a good way to change things up a bit. Either way, it beats pounding pavement! Just watch out for bikers once you get out of the more wooded areas, ’cause they’re often out there too.

This is its own kinda reworked WMATA line: Washingtonians Moving Ass Tread Aerobically! The Glover-​Archibald Trail is an excellent running trail as well as nature trail for a meandering ramble in the woods. It stretches from Tenleytown in the north to Georgetown in the south. You’ll cross streets, lawns and creeks; hop logs, dogs and frogs along the way.