Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Get the App

Routes

Bike touring routes & trails

Rock Creek Park – Lincoln Memorial loop from Silver Spring

Routes

Bike touring routes & trails

Rock Creek Park – Lincoln Memorial loop from Silver Spring

Moderate

2.8

(19)

riders

Rock Creek Park – Lincoln Memorial loop from Silver Spring

02:11

34.5km

200m

Cycling

Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: July 7, 2026

Tips

Cycling is not permitted along parts of this route

After 0 m for 281 m

After 16.7 km for 289 m

After 18.4 km for 92 m

After 34.3 km for 281 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

4.36 km

Rock Creek Park

Highlight • Forest

Rock Creek Park, spanning 1,754 acres, is a natural escape from city life, offering trails, wildlife, and historic landmarks. Founded by Congress in 1890, this national park features not only natural beauty but also family-friendly activities. Visitors can explore its flat paved trails, visit the Smithsonian National Zoo, or learn about history at the 19th-century Peirce Mill. Families can enjoy the Nature Center, and Discovery Room. The park also hosts stargazing at its planetarium, guided ranger walks, picnic spots, and opportunities to visit historic sites like Fort Stevens, where Lincoln stood during the Civil War.

Tip by

7.26 km

Boulder Bridge

Highlight • Bridge

A beautiful stone bridge with an arch. The construction is completely different from the pedestrian bridges around it.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

8.54 km

Peirce Mill

Highlight • Monument

Peirce Mill, built in 1829 by Isaac Peirce on Rock Creek, once used water to power this mill that processed corn, wheat, and rye until its turbine shaft broke in 1897. Situated on a 960-acre plantation operated with slave labor, the mill became part of Rock Creek Park in 1890 through an Act of Congress. By the early 1900s, park managers enhanced the site with roads, bridges, and a dam. The New Deal legislation gave Rock Creek Park to the National Park Service in 1933, and the mill was restored. Today, visitors can explore the site, which includes parking, a visitor center, bathrooms, and a picnic area, as part of Rock Creek Park’s year-round attractions.

Tip by

15.3 km

View of the Georgetown Waterfront

Highlight • Viewpoint

The cycle path leading here offers magnificent views of the city at any time of the day or night almost along its entire length.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

16.8 km

Lincoln Memorial

Highlight • Monument

The Lincoln was built to honor Abraham Lincoln. He was the 16th president, assassinated on April 14, 1865 as the civil war was concluding. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech here on August 28, 1963.

Tip by

16.9 km

Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool

Highlight • Monument

The Lincoln Memorial and adjoining reflecting pool are another must-see when visiting Washington. Of course, the mall is perfect for a run and early in the morning you have "Abe" all to yourself. After all, an advantage of the jet lag - getting up early in the first days is very easy!

Translated by Google •

Tip by

17.4 km

Elm Walk

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

Elm Walk features a beautiful tree tunnel, with long rows of elm trees and walkways that frame the view to and from the Capitol. The surrounding museums create a cultural center, and the walkways that flank the reflecting pool have been updated with new paving, benches, and LED lighting that maintains the dramatic views of the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument.

Tip by

19.3 km

Smithsonian Castle

Highlight • Monument

The Smithsonian Castle's construction was fininshed in 1855. And as visitors enter through the National Mall entrance they pass the crypt of James Smithson, who is the institution's founder.

It is usually free to enter The Smithsonian Castle, but starting in February of 2023 it is closed to visitors for a major renovation projected to take five years.

Tip by

34.5 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

24.5 km

3.59 km

3.42 km

1.47 km

1.06 km

288 m

120 m

Surfaces

27.1 km

5.30 km

1.17 km

741 m

149 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (110 m)

Lowest point (0 m)

Weather

Today

Saturday 18 July

34°C

23°C

74 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 16.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

Want to know more?

Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Edit route

Download GPX

Move start point

Embed on a website

Report an Issue

Report restricted access

Nearby routes

Moderate

4.7

301

Custis, Washington-Old Dominion, and Mount Vernon Trail Loop

02:00h

33.2km

190m

Easy

5.0

Anacostia Riverwalk Trail

00:26h

7.23km

20m

Moderate

4.8

272

Rock Creek and Capital Crescent Trail Loop

02:17h

36.5km

190m

Easy

4.5

207

Mount Vernon Trail

01:49h

30.3km

120m

Moderate

4.4

Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail

03:51h

65.7km

350m

Moderate

3.0

Needwood Loop

02:39h

31.2km

160m

Moderate

2.5

Upper Potomac River Loop around northwest of Washington, D.C.

01:44h

26.7km

340m

Moderate

5.0

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath

04:42h

62.8km

90m

Moderate

3.7

Washington, Alexandria & Arlington loop

02:55h

48.9km

290m

Moderate

4.5

Alexandria Loop

01:37h

26.4km

180m

Moderate

5.0

Fairfax County Parkway Trail

02:22h

40.4km

250m

Moderate

From Parking to Lake Elkhorn

02:20h

37.8km

330m

Rock Creek Park – Lincoln Memorial loop from Silver Spring

Rock Creek Park

Boulder Bridge

Peirce Mill

View of the Georgetown Waterfront

Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool

Elm Walk

Smithsonian Castle

Nearby routes

Sign up or log in to keep exploring this route

We value your privacy ⛰️

We value your privacy ⛰️