The Potomac Heritage Trail, also known as the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail or the PHT, is a designated National Scenic Trail corridor spanning parts of the mid-Atlantic and upper southeastern regions of the United States that will connect various trails and historic sites in the states of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. The trail network includes 710 miles (1,140 km) of existing and planned sections, tracing the outstanding natural, historical, and cultural features of the Potomac River corridor, the upper Ohio Riverwatershed in Pennsylvania and western Maryland, and a portion of the Rappahannock River watershed in Virginia.
Unlike many long-distance hiking trails such as the Appalachian Trail, the Potomac Heritage Trail is a general route with numerous side trails and alternatives, some in parallel on each side of the river. Currently, many of these are separate, connected to the others only by roads. Potomac Heritage Trail: A Hiker's Guide[1] is a guidebook addressing the PHT's various sections, and some intervening or adjacent areas. The guidebook The C&O Companion[2] is useful for this major section of the PHT. For more information visit www.nps.gov/pohe.
These trails have different surfaces: gravel, asphalt, and natural surface, respectively – a fact that illustrates the general heterogeneity of the PHT, compared to other National Scenic Trails.
Completed and planned sections
The entire Potomac Heritage Trail consists of the following sections:
two partially completed routes within the District of Columbia – the 23-mile (37 km) Fort Circle Parks Trail, part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, and a multi-use route between Georgetown and Oxon Cove Park, including areas along the Anacostia River.
the 18.5-mile (29.8 km) Mount Vernon Trail and the 10-mile (16 km) Potomac Heritage Trail within George Washington Memorial Parkway in Arlington and Fairfax counties, Virginia.
a 27-mile (43 km) Potomac Heritage Trail On-Road Bicycling Route in Prince George's County, Maryland.
the 23-mile (37 km) Alexandria Heritage Trail in Alexandria, Virginia.
the Government Island Trail, the planned 5-mile (8.0 km) Historic Falmouth-Ferry Farm Trail, and the Aquia Creek Water Trail, all in Stafford County, Virginia.
The Potomac Heritage Trail Association (PHTA) is a membership-based organization dedicated to the development, construction, preservation, and interpretation of the trail.
The group, in cooperation with other trail advocacy groups, sponsors work trips to construct and maintain natural surface portions of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. These organizations include the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club; the Sierra Club's Potomac Regional Outings Program; REI, Inc.; Great Falls Trail Blazers; the Appalachian Mountain Club; Fairfax Trails and Streams; Southern Prince George's Trails Coalition; and the Oxon Hill Bicycle Club.
The group works with local, state and federal government officials and park authorities to promote and develop new sections of trail along the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail corridor.
The PHTA regularly features progress and challenges in building/advocating for the trail, at website and on facebook.
References
^Lillard, David Edwin, and Ed Talone. 2006. Potomac Heritage Trail: A Hiker's Guide. Great Allegheny Press, West Newton, Pennsylvania. ISBN 0-9717475-5-5.
^High, Mike. 2000. The C&O Canal Companion. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London. ISBN 978-0-8018-6602-9