• Bugler sounding Taps

    Civil War Defenses of Washington

    District of Columbia

Hiking and Biking

The National Park Service Civil War Defenses of Washington sites offer a variety of different trails for hikers and bikers. You can hike and bike through the hilltops of Washington, D.C. while enjoying an oasis of urban greenspaces filled with an abundance of oaks, beech, maple, and pine trees. You can take the seven-mile Fort Circle Hiker-Biker trail that runs from Fort Stanton to Fort Mahan in the southeastern section of the city or hike and bike through Rock Creek Park where many of the forts are located.

Check out these links before you head out for a hike or bike.

 


 

  • Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail

    425 miles of trail between the Chesapeake Bay and the Allegheny Highlands

  • National Recreation Trails Program National Recreation Trails Program

    Fort Circle Parks Hiker-Biker Trail information

  • District Department of Transportation District Department of Transportation

    Hiking and biking in Washington, D.C.

Did You Know?

map of WDC and Atlantic Coastal Plain and Piedmont Plateau

The Civil War Defenses of Washington exist because of geology and topography. The strategic high ground where the fortifications are located stretches between two considerably different geologic terrains: the Piedmont Plateau to the north and west and the Atlantic Coastal Plain to the east.