Kid-friendly bike paths in Washington, DC

Each trail gets a kid score out of 100 for a smooth surface, staying away from cars, and having a playground, restroom and parking within half a mile. How we score trails

Scores are based on OpenStreetMap data and may be out of date or wrong. Always check trail conditions, closures and your child's readiness before you ride. Disclaimer

All trails on the map

Kid-friendly trail
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Tap a trail for its name and score.

Best trails for kids

Elm Walk

100

1.0 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground 0.4 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Klingle Valley Trail

100

0.6 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking 0.1 mi away

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Humpback Bridge Trail

0.6 mi · 100% smooth surface · 97% away from cars

Playground 0.4 mi away
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking 0.1 mi away

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Capital Crescent Trail

3.6 mi · 100% smooth surface · 95% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom 0.2 mi away
Parking along the trail

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Columbia Road Northwest

1.7 mi · 100% smooth surface · 92% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking along the trail

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K Street Northwest

1.4 mi · 98% smooth surface · 93% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom 0.5 mi away
Parking along the trail

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Western Ridge Trail

0.8 mi · 100% smooth surface · 88% away from cars

Playground 0.4 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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K Street Northeast

0.7 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking along the trail

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Oxon Run Trail

2.9 mi · 100% smooth surface · 97% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking along the trail

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Mount Vernon Trail

6.2 mi · 96% smooth surface · 74% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Main Trail

0.7 mi · 66% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground 0.4 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Oxon Cove Park Hiker-Biker Trail

0.7 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground none within ½ mi
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking along the trail

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Anacostia Riverwalk Trail

16.2 mi · 97% smooth surface · 59% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Rock Creek Trail

6.2 mi · 99% smooth surface · 52% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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TransVirginia Bike Route

7.5 mi · 55% smooth surface · 81% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Metropolitan Branch Trail

5.6 mi · 98% smooth surface · 32% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.2 mi away
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Trails we can't score yet

OpenStreetMap doesn't record the surface for more than 5% of these trails, so we can't say how smooth they are. Some may be great for kids. Check before you go.

14th Street Northwest

1.3 mi · 0% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom 0.3 mi away
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

9/11 National Memorial Trail

0.7 mi · 12% away from cars

Playground 0.4 mi away
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

C Street Northeast

0.8 mi · 0% away from cars

Playground 0.2 mi away
Restroom 0.3 mi away
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Marvin Gaye Trail

2.0 mi · 84% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

New Jersey Avenue Northwest

1.5 mi · 0% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

North Carolina Avenue Northeast

0.6 mi · 0% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking along the trail

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Piney Branch Road Northwest

0.7 mi · 0% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Questions parents ask

What are the best bike trails for kids in Washington?

The top-scoring kid-friendly bike trails in Washington are Elm Walk (100 out of 100), Klingle Valley Trail (100 out of 100) and Humpback Bridge Trail (99 out of 100). 16 trails score 70 or higher.

Elm Walk · Klingle Valley Trail · Humpback Bridge Trail

Which kid-friendly bike trails in Washington have restrooms?

These trails have restrooms right along the trail: Elm Walk, Western Ridge Trail, Mount Vernon Trail, Main Trail and Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, plus 2 more.

Elm Walk · Western Ridge Trail · Mount Vernon Trail · Main Trail · Anacostia Riverwalk Trail

Which kid-friendly bike trails in Washington have playgrounds?

These trails have playgrounds right along the trail: Klingle Valley Trail, Columbia Road Northwest, Oxon Run Trail, Mount Vernon Trail and Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, plus 2 more.

Klingle Valley Trail · Columbia Road Northwest · Oxon Run Trail · Mount Vernon Trail · Anacostia Riverwalk Trail

What's the longest kid-friendly bike trail in Washington?

Anacostia Riverwalk Trail is the longest, at 16.2 miles, with a kid score of 82 out of 100.

Anacostia Riverwalk Trail

How are the trails scored?

Each trail gets up to 40 points for a smooth surface, 40 for staying away from cars, and 20 for a playground, restroom and parking within half a mile. The data comes from OpenStreetMap.

How we score trails

Closest cities in the guide

Arlington, VA · 4 mi away · 11 kid-friendly trails
Alexandria, VA · 5 mi away · 7 kid-friendly trails
Baltimore, MD · 37 mi away · 13 kid-friendly trails
Philadelphia, PA · 130 mi away · 14 kid-friendly trails

See all cities

Trail data from OpenStreetMap as of 2026-10-30.