You can download a map of the PHT network (PDF; 8.9 MB; 2015) used in the official NPS brochureas well as a KMZ file of the network (KMZ; 1.6 MB; 2025).
Trails within the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail Network The following partner resources are organized from the highest elevations in Pennsylvania to the lowest elevations in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.
The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail is a 70-mile hiking and backpacking trail within Laurel Ridge State Park that stretches from Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania to Seward, Pennsylvania. Visit the Laurel Ridge State Park website for trail maps, recreational guides, and a cross-country ski area brochure.
A 73-mile portion of the Great Allegheny Passage rail-trail is a designated section of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. Visit the Allegheny Trail Alliance website to view maps of the section between Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, and Cumberland, Maryland.
The Eastern Continental Divide Loop (PDF; 2.6 MB) is a developing 150-mile network of paddling, hiking, backpacking, rafting and bicycling trails in Garrett County, MD, and Somerset County, PA, including a portion of the Great Allegheny Passage.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park towpath stretches 184.5 miles from Cumberland, Maryland to Georgetown in Washington, D.C.
You can hike and bike through the hilltops of Washington, D.C., on the Civil War Defenses of Washington Trail (PDF; .5 MB; 2010) and visit 18 of the original 68 forts and 93 batteries that fortified the city during the Civil War. Hiking guides for three sections of the CWDW Trail in DC provide detailed guidance and historical context: Tenleytown Metro/Fort Reno-Fort Totten (2014); Fort Totten-Minn. Ave. Metro/Fort Mahan (2018) and Fort Mahan-Fort Stanton/Anacostia Metro (2018).
This trail passes through Rock Creek Park, National Mall and Memorial Parks, and National Capital Parks – East. Our partners at the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) maintain the most up-to-date map of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail within Northern Virginia. Please visit the NVRC Potomac Heritage Trail Maps Page for more information.
A 10-mile footpath of the Potomac Heritage Trail (PDF; 40 MB; 2017) runs within George Washington Memorial Parkway between the trailhead for Theodore Roosevelt Island and the American Legion Bridge/I-495 that leads to Scott's Run Nature Preserve. The Mount Vernon Trail (PDF; 2 MB; 2021) is a 17 mile path within George Washington Memorial Parkway, between the trailhead for Theodore Roosevelt Island and the Mount Vernon Estate. A brochure on the Woodlawn Historic District (PDF, 8.5 MB; 2017) explores the history in this area of southern Fairfax County and illustrates walking and bicycling routes connecting George Washington's Distillery and Gristmill, Woodlawn, and the Pope-Leighey House. Prince William Forest Park contains both a hiking and on-road biking section of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. The Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail is a 16-mile trail following the route of the 1940s Dahlgren Branch Rail Line in King George County. The trail is open for walking, running, cycling, and other non-motorized recreational uses.
The Northern Neck of Virginia (PDF; 4.9 MB; 2014) has an extensive network of on-road bike routes. Please note: Sections of Route 3 in Westmoreland County are used by vehicles traveling at high speeds and do not include shoulders nor lanes for bicyclists. The Prince George's County Maryland PHT On-Road Bicycling Route (PDF; 4.3 MB; 2016) depicts a 27-mile, signed route between Oxon Cove Park (adjacent to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge) and Piscataway Park, both managed by National Capital Parks – East.
The PHNST continues more than 100 miles that can be biked along the road to Point Lookout State Park. National Trails System Interactive MapVisit the National Trails System website for more information of other trails in the National Trails System. View the National Scenic and National Historic Trail Webmap to view and access spatial data of the National Trails System.
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Last updated: April 22, 2025