fbpx Skip to the content
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

Capital Crescent Trail

Bicyclist on Capital Crescent Trail
capital-crescent-trail-2016_359
Rollerblader on Capital Crescent Trail

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

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.