The Capital Crescent Trail is the most popular trail in Maryland with over 1.5 million users every year. 

 

Enthusiasts of all ages and recreational abilities use the Trail: 

• Hikers and bikers
• Families spending quality time together
• Parents pushing strollers
• Pre-schoolers learning to ride bicycles
• Elderly taking a stroll
• College students home on break
• Tourists from all over the world

The Capital Crescent Trail between Connecticut Ave. and

Jones Bridge Road

 

The Trail is a natural sanctuary --

an extended park, lined with thousand of trees, including beech, sycamore, maples, tulip poplars, and black walnuts. 

 

The trees shade hikers and bikers, and shelter deer, groundhogs, a variety of
hawks and woodpeckers, bluejays,
cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches,
catbirds, orioles, nuthatches, tufted
titmice, and wrens.  

 

The trees also provide an important buffer between commercial downtown Bethesda and adjoining residential neighborhoods.  They filter air and noise pollution and
provide a visual screen. 

 

The trees bestow significant environmental benefits to an area that has lost its tree canopy at an alarming rate.

The Trail between Bethesda and Silver Spring is used by more than 10,000 hikers and bikers every week.

I

It is an essential link in a wide-reaching, 25-mile circuit of trails that connect Mount Vernon , Georgetown , Bethesda , Rock Creek Park , Kensington, Sligo Creek Park , and the Metropolitan Branch Trail. 

 

 A hiker-biker trestle has been completed over Rock-Creek Park, connecting the trail easily with Silver Spring.  Maryland Park and Planning predicts that 500 trail users per hour will cross this bridge during peak times.  A scenic overlook allows trail users to safely pull over and take in the beautiful view of the Park.