Scenic places to go for a run in Washington DC

If you are a running enthusiast and are looking for a place to run when you're in the Washington D.C. area you'll be happy to learn there are several great places you can head to get your workout in. 

Cherry blossom season is crowded but if you hit it the right time, it's really such a pretty sight as you run

The best part about taking your jog in the District is the beautiful picturesque and scenic areas you can run through. You can choose to run along the many paths located in the heart of the D.C. where the action is at or you can opt to jog along the tranquil beauty of places such as the Potomac River.

Here are a few of the top jogging areas located in the immediate vicinity of the U.S. Capitol: 

National Mall

What better place to go for a jog than right smack in the middle of the spirit of Washington D.C.? There are many terrific paths which wind around the reflecting pool and monuments and capture the true inner beauty of the nation's capital city.

Other routes you can try are around the Tidal Basin or around the grassy areas between the Smithsonian museums.

Many people opt to run these paths daily and one of the best features of this is you can vary it enough where you run a different route every day. I’ve been aiming to work myself up to being able to run the perimeter of the Mall next year. Not quite there yet though!

George Washington Memorial Parkway

The George Washington Memorial Parkway is another ideal setting for a run. This highway, also known as the Mount Vernon trail, is unlike most of the other main thoroughfares located in the D.C. metro area. Technically, it's in Virginia.

The trail runs for approximately 18.5 miles and encompasses many wonderful views. Jog along the scenic Potomac River and, along the way, you'll come across several parks and other pretty views. Running enthusiasts are likely to be pleased with the flat and well-maintained terrain of the trails located here. You can easily run for miles and enjoy the relative tranquility of this highway (as much as you can in this area, as it's hard to escape traffic)!

Great Falls is a park at the northern end of the George Washington Memorial Parkway with many additional trails

Capitol Crescent Trail

This trail was built along the former B&O rail line which is no longer used. The trail runs from Washington D.C.'s Georgetown up to Silver Spring, Maryland. It runs 11 miles, and the 7.5 mile stretch from Georgetown to Bethesda is paved with the remainder constructed of crushed stone. The Crescent Trail is still a work in progress, but many people regularly use this scenic trail as a good place to go for a run.

These are only a handful of the fabulous paths which lead through D.C. and in the surrounding areas. The city itself is very jogger-friendly, but if you look to branch out to the towns and cities which surround the Capitol city you'll find there are also many other wonderful parks and streets you can visit to go for a run as well. One thing we have around here is a lot of straight and flat! (Unlike when I lived in a mountainous area of New York and the roads were mostly all steep and winding).