Running & Hiking Routes Out of Yates (plus a few bonus routes) Many of the following routes are a kilometer one side or the other of 10K, but many can also be shortened or extended as you desire. I welcome your questions and clarifications: [email protected] (Tom Sherman, 7-7044) The convention in DC is that walkers, runners and cyclists stay to the right on paths and trails, passing on the left; make your life easier and stay to the right. Another convention in DC is for motorists to run you over, so please run with caution, without headphones, and never run in front of a driver that you have not make eye contact with. If passing someone closely on the left, especially someone elderly, it is good form to announce “on your left” even as a runner. Do not feel required to run out of the Yates Field House, for many of the runs described below may proceed through your neighborhood, in which case, join the route from there. Another great strategy is to use GUTS bus routes and Metro to take you to a destination from which you can run home. This is a great way to learn the city and to see areas otherwise too far to run through as a loop. Many additional DC trails are detailed on the DC area trail map that can be downloaded here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/706401/Rock%20Creek%20Park%20Map.pdf Exits and Entrances to Yates To condense the route descriptions in the following pages, I will refer to the various exits and entrances to the Georgetown campus as displayed below: A: Medical Center Entrance 4 exit and entrance – turn right immediately out of Yates, circling behind Yates and following the path/road out of Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) entrance 4. B: Canal Road NW exit and entrance – follow the road downhill to the right right out of Yates to the rear Canal Road exit. C: Prospect Street NW exit and entrance – follow the road downhill right, taking the first left at the far end of the football field, then your next right. Follow the road onto Prospect Street NW. Take the third right onto 35th Street NW down to M. D: Medical Center Entrance 1 exit and entrance – turn left out of Yates up along the soccer field. Turn right at Lombardi Cancer Center, pass in front the Leavey Center, and make your way left through the parking lots to GUMC Entrance 1. d 95% Trail Run (5.5 mi; 8.8 km) A beautiful trail run or hike out of Yates, running up Glover-Archbold Park, across on the Wesley-Heights Trail to the Battery-Kemble Park trail, down to the C&O Canal Path back to Yates. Take the entrance 4 exit from the Medical Center. Cross Reservoir Rd to the left and turn right onto the Glover-Archbold trail. About 1 mile up, turn left at the sign for the Wesley-Heights trail. Keep to the right at every fork until you get to 44th Street; turn right onto 44th and enter the park again on the left after 20m. Cross Foxhall Rd NW and 49th St NW; left at Battery-Kemble trail, which will take south to MacArthur Blvd NW. Immediately cross MacArthur Blvd to the left of the small red school house directly opposite, picking up the trail angling off to the left. Follow this trail towards the creek on your left, taking the third left turn (at the huge tree) down to the rocky creek bed. Carefully step and hop along the creek bed rocks down to the culvert that tunnels under Clara Barton Parkway. Walk down the right side of the tunnel, climb over the wooden fence at the end and enter Fletcher’s Cove Boat Yard. Continue straight across the canal bridge and go left at C&O Canal path. Angle left, crossing bridge and go left at C&O Canal path. After almost 2 miles, after crossing a small run-off bridge, exit path down concrete steps and enter tunnel that takes you underneath and back to Canal Road. Turn left and enter the University at the first left, following the road uphill back to Yates! Note: on hot, sunny days, you will do yourself a favor by taking MacArthur Blvd back to Yates, instead of the C&O Canal Path; it is much more shaded and ~1/2 mile shorter. http://www.favoriterun.com/315046 d Georgetown Trail & Path Run (6.2/6.5 mi; 10/10.5 km) This is a new run or hike out of Yates that encircles Georgetown using classic trails, and it has quickly become one of my favorites, especially in the counter clockwise direction. It features two different routes to the Rock Creek Trail: the route shown in blue takes you along the city side of the C&O Canal and through beautiful downtown Georgetown; whereas the below route in red takes you underneath Canal Road to the Capital Crescent Trail, K Street NW underneath Whitehurst Freeway, through Georgetown Riverfront Park and Washington Harbor to between Thompson’s Boat House and the Swedish Embassy. Follow Rock Creek path north, almost to Taft Bridge in Woodley Park, doubling back after crossing the canal bridge at 5K mark to ultimately enter the lovely Dumbarton Oaks Park trail. After crossing Wisconsin Ave NW, you enter the Whitehaven Park trail and then finally the Glover-Archbold Park trail, which takes you south to Canal Road NW. Turn left and enter the University where you exited. 90% Trail Run (7.5 mi; 12 km) A beautiful long trail run or hike out of Yates using the full length of three classic trails. Take the Glover-Archbold Park trail all the way North to its end at Van Ness St NW. Turn left and again at Nebraska Ave NW to run by National Presbyterian Cathedral and American University to the entrance of Battery-Kemble Park trail at the intersection with Foxhall NW. Follow this trail south to MacArthur Blvd NW. Immediately cross MacArthur Blvd to the left of the small red school house directly opposite, picking up the trail angling off to the left. Follow this trail towards the creek on your left, taking the third left turn (at the huge tree) down to the rocky creek bed. Carefully step and hop along the creek bed rocks down to the culvert that tunnels under Clara Barton Parkway. Walk down the right side of the tunnel, climb over the wooden fence at the end and enter Fletcher’s Cove Boat Yard. Continue straight across the canal bridge and go left at C&O Canal path. Angle left, crossing bridge and go left at C&O Canal path. After almost 2 miles, after crossing a small run-off bridge, exit path down concrete steps and enter tunnel that takes you underneath and back to Canal Road. Turn left and enter the University at the first left, following the road uphill back to Yates! Note: on hot, sunny days, you will do yourself a favor by taking MacArthur Blvd back to Yates, instead of the C&O Canal trail; it is much more shaded and ~1/2 mile shorter. Key & Memorial Bridges Loop (5.6 mi; 9 km) From Yates, take the Prospect Street/35th Street NW exit to M Street NW. Cross M to the right and take Key Bridge into Virginia. Access the Mount Vernon Trail at the intersection of Lee Hwy and N. Lynn Street. Follow the trail past Roosevelt Island; stay to the left at the fork to remain on the trail (the right fork takes you to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge; see the next running route). Just before reaching the next bridge, Memorial Bridge, cross GW Parkway to the right, following the worn path, up to the entrance to the bridge. Stay left as you come to the DC end of the bridge, taking two lefts to access the sidewalk for Rock Creek & Potomac Parkway, beginning your return. Follow this trail past the Kennedy Center, finally turning left at Virginia Ave NW intersection, crossing Rock Creek and entering Washington Harbour. Run along the water front and boardwalk, turning right at the end. Turn left at K Street NW and follow all the way (underneath the Whitehurst Freeway NW) to its end and its continuation as the Capital Crescent Trail. Follow the CC Trail until you reach the tunnel underneath Canal Road NW. Enter the tunnel and follow up hill to the right, turning left at Canal Rd NW. Enter the rear entrance to GU, following the road back to Yates. http://www.favoriterun.com/308929 d Key & RooseVelt Bridges Loop (4.7/6.3 mi; 7.6/10 km) From Yates, take the Prospect Street/35th Street NW exit to M Street NW. Cross M to the right and take Key Bridge into Virginia. Access the Mount Vernon Trail at the intersection of Lee Hwy and N. Lynn Street. Follow the trail to* or past Roosevelt Island – see note below; stay to the right at the fork to access the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge. Follow the sidewalk at the DC side of the bridge until you reach a flight of stairs that descend into a Kennedy Center parking lot. Cross the lot and carefully cross Rock Creek & Potomac Parkway, turning right onto the trail. Follow this trail past the Kennedy Center, finally turning left at Virginia Ave NW intersection, crossing Rock Creek and entering Washington Harbour. Run along the water front and boardwalk, turning right at the end.