Politics might be the focus of our nation’s capital, but D.C.’s greatest resource is adventure.
Ride
Rock Creek Park
Consider this , only bigger, with 1,700 acres of hiking and biking paths. Hike the creekside Valley Trail.
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The National Mall
It’s two miles from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol, with the Washington Monument, the Reflecting Pool, and Smithsonian Castle in between.
Air It Out
American Parkour Academy
for backflip classes in the first parkour training center in the country.
Cool Off
Key Bridge Boathouse
and paddle around Theodore Roosevelt Island.
Go Green
Great Falls Park
This is 30 minutes from town and has 15 miles of hiking trails in the rocky Mather Gorge and more than 200 trad and top-rope routes on 60-foot-high walls.
Drink
Port City Brewing
Hop across the Potomac River to Alexandria, Virginia, and grab a porter from , which won Small Brewery of the Year at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival.
Get Social
Capitol Hill Bikes
’s 11-mile shop ride snakes along singletrack at Fort Dupont and finishes at .
Eat
The Dabney
Chef Jeremiah Langhorne on the locavore movement, sourcing fare from the mid-Atlantic and cooking it over the embers of an open fire. Order the oysters and hearth-roasted vegetables.
Local Joe
Mary Breed, masters national champion road cyclist
“When I’m looking for a fast place to ride, I crank out laps at Hains Point (8), an island in the middle of the city with a three-mile loop and little traffic.”
Local Pro
, ultrarunner and marathoner
“I could run the Potomac Heritage Trail every day. It’s gnarly, full-on rock hopping with decent climbs. Start at Roosevelt Island and run it to Chain Bridge, then pick up the Towpath back for a six-mile loop along the river.”