NPS - Victoria Stuaffenberg
Mount Vernon Trail
Few things say Alexandria quite like the Mount Vernon Trail, the paved ribbon that traces the Potomac's western bank from the edge of Washington all the way to Mount Vernon. It runs 18 miles end to end, carries more than a million walkers and cyclists a year, and rewards you with an uninterrupted parade of river views, marshland, monuments and history. You don't have to tackle the whole thing in one go — the beauty of the trail is that it breaks naturally into segments, each with its own character. As the days shorten and the light on the water turns amber, here's the trail from north to south.
A trail built by hand. The path underfoot exists thanks to a scrappy grassroots fight. In 1970, Alexandria activists Ellen Pickering and Barbara Lynch staged bicycle protests along the George Washington Memorial Parkway to demand riverside trails; when the National Park Service backed the idea but lacked the funds, volunteers picked up shovels and built the first stretch themselves. It opened in 1973 and never looked back. (Our own history of that fight is worth a read before you set out.)
Segment 1 · The Northern Gateway: Roosevelt Island to Gravelly Point
ARLINGTON · ROUGHLY THE NORTHERN 3 MILES
The trail's north end sits opposite Theodore Roosevelt Island, a wooded sanctuary in the middle of the river and a worthy detour on foot. Heading south, the path opens onto some of the widest skyline views anywhere on the route before reaching Gravelly Point, the legendary patch of grass just off the north end of the runway at Reagan National. Planes roar in low enough to feel the ground hum — bring a blanket and stay a while.
Segment 2 · Past the Airport to Daingerfield Island
THE AIRPORT REACH · ABOUT 3 TO 6 MILES IN
The trail skirts the western edge of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport — a handy connection point, with a spur to the Metro — then crosses Four Mile Run into Alexandria. Soon after comes Daingerfield Island and the Washington Sailing Marina, where you can rent a bike, grab a bite or watch sailboats lean into the breeze. It's a natural first rest stop.
Segment 3 · The Heart of It: Old Town Alexandria
OLD TOWN · THE WATERFRONT MILES
This is the stretch most locals think of first. The trail slips off the parkway and onto the city streets, threading along the water past Founders Park and the marina before running smack into the brick sidewalks and boutiques of the waterfront. Detour a block inland to the Torpedo Factory Art Center, refuel at a King Street café, and let the crowds and the river breeze slow you down. There's no wrong way to linger here.
Segment 4 · Under the Bridge: Jones Point Park
SOUTH OLD TOWN · ALEXANDRIA'S SOUTHERN EDGE
Just past the townhouses, the trail dives beneath the soaring Woodrow Wilson Bridge into Jones Point Park — one of the most quietly remarkable spots on the whole route. Here you'll find the 1855 Jones Point Lighthouse, the last remaining riverine lighthouse in Virginia, and a historic boundary stone marking the original corner of the District of Columbia. Fishing piers, a kayak launch, playgrounds, and an interpretive marsh trail make it a destination in its own right.
Segment 5 · Wild Water: Belle Haven & Dyke Marsh
JUST SOUTH OF THE CITY · THE BIRDING MILES
Cross Hunting Creek and the scenery turns wild. Belle Haven Park and the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve together form one of the region's premier birding spots, where a boardwalk pushes out into a freshwater tidal marsh alive with herons, ospreys, and red-winged blackbirds. Slow down, or better yet, stop — this is the segment that rewards patience.
Segment 6 · The Home Stretch: Fort Hunt to Mount Vernon
FAIRFAX COUNTY · THE FINAL MILES
The southern reach rolls past Fort Hunt Park, with its shady picnic groves and turn-of-the-century gun batteries, before the trail's one genuine test: the closing uphill climb to George Washington's Mount Vernon. Earn the view from the estate's bowling green over the Potomac and you'll understand why Washington chose this bend in the river. It's a fitting finish line.
Before you go
The trail is open year-round from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and it's shared by walkers, runners, and cyclists alike — keep right, pass on the left, and call out when you do. Motorized vehicles, scooters, and skateboards aren't permitted. Parking is available at most access points, and the northern, Alexandria-adjacent miles are among the busiest multi-use trail sections in the country, so an early start or a weekday evening will buy you a little more room to breathe. However you take it — one segment or all 18 miles — there's no better way to hold onto the season a little longer.
