Status: Proposed

Length: 2.2 miles

Difficulty: Challenging

In February 2021, Ward 8 Woods officially proposed the first new hiking trail in Ward 8 in a generation, tentatively named the Suitland Parkway Northside Trail. 

The trail would hug the sunny, south-facing hillside the rises above the roadway, passing by rock outcroppings, up and down ravines, and over numerous streams. 

The trail would begin at the corner of Sheridan and Pomeroy Roads and travel east across Stanton Road and Alabama Avenue before terminating at Southern Avenue. 

The trail would parallel the paved Suitland Parkway bike trail, which is slated to be renovated in 2026. It would also connect to the existing George Washington Carver Trail. 

                               Click here to explore the proposed route.

We hope to build not only this trail but, eventually, a parallel one through the woods on the south side, creating a five-mile loop. This vision has been on hold due to DDOT opposition, but the proposed Office of Natural Areas Conservation Establishment Act is our best hope. The bill would transfer management of District-owned forests to a new office with a mandate to develop their recreational potential.