Leader: Sara Kohn Rhoades
Meeting Location: We’ll meet at the parking lot at Bladensburg Waterfront Park and then ride 10 miles round trip to Navy Yard, eat lunch at Bluejacket Brewery and then journey 10 miles back the same way we rode in.
Trail Map: https://www.anacostiaws.org/images/Files/maps/2017_Update_ART_web.pdf
Read more about the trail restoration here: https://www.railstotrails.org/trailblog/washington-d-c-and-marylands-anacostia-river-trail/
Description: Just beyond the iconic monuments and museums that make up the central core of Washington, D.C., lies one of the area’s best kept secrets: the Anacostia River Trail, a 20-mile route along the city’s eastern waterway that offers an extraordinary tapestry of experiences from Bladensburg, Maryland to Washington, DC’s vibrant Navy Yard neighborhood.
Connecting 16 waterfront neighborhoods and an enticing array of destinations, the paved pathway offers urban hubs humming with restaurants, businesses and cultural attractions coupled with unexpected oases of serenity and natural scenery. First envisioned nearly two decades ago, the trail welcomed its newest section in 2016, which traverses the beautiful Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in northeast D.C. Although a recreational gem, the park was relatively isolated and difficult to reach by bike. The addition of the trail increased the park’s accessibility exponentially and has notably increased visitation.
The trail’s past and future is linked to the Anacostia River, going back to the Nacotchtank tribes, who once thrived along its banks. In 1608, Captain John Smith—of Jamestown renown—explored the Anacostia and found it to be a wonderous place lined with lush forests and wetlands teeming with wildlife. Local legend has it that the fish were so abundant that his men tried to catch them with frying pans.
Unfortunately, as early as the Colonial era, the river was used as a dumping ground for garbage. In later years, sewage and industrial waste also polluted its waters. Compounding the problems was the clear-cutting of native forests and tobacco farming, which led to soil erosion. After centuries of misuse, the river has had a challenging road to recovery.
A major turning point for this reclamation came in 2000 with the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, a joint partnership between 19 different local, regional and federal partners that outlined a 30-year vision for creating a world-class waterfront along a clean river lined with parks, recreational facilities, vibrant neighborhoods and busy commercial centers.
A key project that came out of the initiative was the construction of the Anacostia River Trail, which was carried out by the District Department of Transportation. An important recent development in the efforts to clean the water is the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority’s plan to virtually eliminate sewage discharge into the Anacostia River by redirecting the waste to a wastewater treatment plant via a massive underground tunnel. The project is expected to dramatically improve the health of the river.
While there is still much work to be done, the Anacostia Watershed Society—which has played a major role in the river’s cleanup since its establishment in 1989—monitors the river’s condition and continues to see improvement in its clarity, toxicity levels, aquatic vegetation and other measures. It’s the group’s aim that swimming in the Anacostia—which has been banned since the early 1970s—will once again be possible by 2026.
Note: If someone has a mechanical, or bonks along the way, we’ll stop and turn around or shorten the ride as necessary. Please RSVP on the FSC Event Calendar. Use the WhatsApp group “FSC Cycling” for same day msgs.
