by Leigh Goessl

Created on: November 27, 2008   Last Updated: January 08, 2009

If you are a jogging enthusiast and are looking for a place to run when you're in the Washington D.C. area you'll be pleased to know there are several great places you can head to in order get your jogging fix.

The best part about taking your jog in the District is the beautiful picturesque and scenic areas you can go to take your run. You can choose to run along the many paths located in the heart of the D.C. where the action is at or you can opt to jog along the tranquil beauty of places such as the Potomac River.

Here are a few of the top jogging areas located in the immediate vicinity of the U.S. Capitol:

National Mall

What better place to go for a jog than right smack in the middle of the spirit of Washington D.C.? There are many terrific running paths which wind around the reflecting pool which captivate the true inner beauty of the U.S. Capitol.

On your run you'll encounter sights such as the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Wall, Korea Memorial and the WWII Monument. If you run on the upper end, you'll see the Capitol Building, Supreme Court and if you go far enough you can take a run past Union Station.

The Mall is a fantastic setting to indulge yourself in a good run. If you live in or are planning a visit to D.C. and want a good place to run, this is one of the best places to go. Many people opt to run these paths daily and one of the best features of this is you can vary it enough where you run a different route every day.

George Washington Memorial Parkway

This parkway is another ideal setting for a run. Nestled between D.C. and Northern Virginia is the George Washington Memorial Parkway which runs down to Mount Vernon. This highway, also known as the Mount Vernon trail, is unlike most of the other main thoroughfares located in the D.C. metro area.

The trail runs for approximately 18.5 miles and encompasses many wonderful views. Particularly of beauty are the points where you can jog along the scenic Potomac River. Along your run you'll also encounter several parks and other scenic views.

Jogging enthusiasts are sure to be pleased with the flat and well maintained terrain of the trails located here. You can easily run for miles and be enamored of the relative tranquility of this highway, a very unique attribute for the region.

Capitol Crescent Trail

This trail is located on the northern end and was built along the former B&O rail line which is no longer used. The trail runs from Washington D.C.'s Georgetown up to Silver Spring, which is located in Maryland.

The trail runs 11 miles and the 7.5 mile stretch from Georgetown to Bethesda is paved with the remainder constructed of crushed stone. The Crescent Trail is still a work in progress, but many people regularly use this scenic trail as a good place to go for a run.

These are only a handful of the great places to jog in Washington D.C. The three trails mentioned above are only a few of the fabulous paths which lead through D.C. The city itself is very jogger friendly, but if you look to branch out to the towns and cities which surround the Capitol city you'll be pleased to know there are also many other wonderful parks and streets you can visit to go for a run as well.

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