Turkey Run Park

Easy trail on the banks of Potomac river with excellent views of the river and the white birch on the riverbank. Steep but short climb at the beginning but quite flat after that. Mostly an easy hike albeit with a few moderate obstacles (falled trees, large rocks, streams etc). Excellent for dogs.

Several routes to hike here, depending on where you park. The trailhead from the first parking area starts with a pretty big down, but then you’ll have a nice hike on moderate terrain near the river.
You’ll likely encounter several stream crossings, and in late fall it can get a little slick with so many leaves on the ground.
Trails are well-​defined but infrequently marked. The park and trails are dog friendly. It’s usually fairly quiet once you’re out in the trails — even on weekends, compared to many trails in the area!

I happened to go there this afternoon.
Really cloudy like a mist sauna, autumn colored leaves, dogs barking somewhere close, comfortable sounds of the river,… So many great things.
Rejuvenation for soul!

I enjoyed trying to hike the Turkey Run Loop (4 miles) but am not sure I would try again because the trail is poorly marked. You can only access Turkey Run Park from northbound 495. There is a parking lot with an extremely faded and not very detailed map. From there, it is a windy, steep trail down to the Potomac with hodge podge steps. This trail is not for the elderly. There is a beautiful view of the Potomac and a little waterfall area that our dogs enjoyed playing in. Make sure you wear actual hiking shoes as you have to cross some rivers (Dead Run, etc.).
I was happy we finally got an iphone because the GPS came in handy. This trail website has some good tips on the signage that I wished I had read sooner —
. The signs are originally yellow, then you follow blue, and then you follow yellow again. Our whole hike ended up being about 2.5 hours and we did not complete the trail because we weren’t confident we were going in the right direction. The trail toward the end comes really close to some houses and we decided to turn around at that point (keep going). A few parts were challenging to jump around because the leaves were slippery from rain (keep this in mind when choosing your shoes). The dogs were in paradise and it was nice to not see many other people on the trails. For that reason alone, I might be brave enough to tackle the loop again!

The forest is beautiful and the 4-​mile trail is interesting as it passes by streams and mini falls, with a long walk along the Potomac shore. It passes over some hills but is a light– to moderate-​level hike. On a temperate summer Saturday, we were pleasantly surprised to find light foot traffic along the trail, seeing as many trails within miles of DC are grossly overrun when Washingtonians have time to play, and pleased to have seemingly found an area hidden gem. The trail has inconsistent and, at times sparse, guidance so try to locate and bring with you a trail map before heading out.

Great hiking down into a ravine. Offers walks along the Potomac, crossings on stones and felled logs over several runs. Beware the people who walk their dogs offleash.