Discover the Capital Crescent Trail: A Scenic Journey Through History and Nature
The Capital Crescent Trail follows an abandoned railroad right of way and extends 11 miles from Georgetown, in the District of Columbia, to Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland. Approximately 3.5 miles of the trail are in Montgomery County.
The trail, one of 500 rail-to-trail projects in the nation, traverses’ neighborhoods and parkland and includes stretches along the Potomac River. The trail is the most popular trail in Montgomery County.
Unless noted otherwise on the map, trails marked “Natural Surface” and “Hard Surface” are “Shared by All” trails which include hikers, bikers, and equestrians.
The Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail, a private, non-profit group, maintains a website about the trail with detailed maps.
On April 9, 2021, Montgomery Parks and the Parks Foundation unveiled a public-facing Eco-Totem to display the numbers of pedestrians and bicyclists using the Capital Crescent Trail each day and each year.
Projects
Montgomery Parks is currently undertaking a planning study to inform the development of a Facility Plan. The goal of this project is to plan and design a long-term vision for the Capital Crescent Trail informed by public engagement and trail design best practices. A public meeting to present the findings of the study is being planned for this Spring.
Recently completed projects along the Capital Crescent Trail include the Capital Crescent Trail Crossing at Little Falls Parkway, the Neal Potter Plaza, and the Ourisman Plaza.
Several current projects are managed by third-party agencies. Please refer to the links below for more information.
Elm Street Park and the Capital Crescent Civic Green will be impacted by third party projects.