Cabin John Trail

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Unknown

The Cabin John Stream Valley Trail starts near the C&O Canal near MacArthur Blvd and goes north to the trailhead at Goya Rd. The hiker-only portion of the trail from MacArthur Blvd to River Road. is one of MoCos best natural areas.

The first trailhead open to bikes heading north is on River Rd. less than 1 mile west of the Beltway (River Rd exit). Heading north from this point, trailhead are at Bradley Blvd (limited parking), Seven Locks Rd (no parking), Democracy Blvd (ample parking at the Indoor Tennis Center 7801 Democracy Boulevard Bethesda, MD 20817), Tuckerman Lane (Group Picnic Area) and at the northern terminus on Goya Dr.

Because the entire trail is within an urban setting, riders must be careful when crossing roads as they carry high volumes of vehicular traffic. A portion of the trail traverses Cabin John Regional Park.

The trail is not very technical, but the short, intense climbs will test your fitness level and there are a few spots that will test your technical skills. There are some low lying areas prone to flooding and that stay wet unless its been weeks between rainfall. These areas are primarily in the River/Bradley section, just prior to Seven Locks, and near the terminus at Goya Rd. The new MORE Trail Liaison will be focusing on these areas starting in 2015. The county has completed some nice re-routes north of Bradley Blvd and Tuckerman Lane eliminating some chronically wet sections.

Heading north from River Rd, the trail is blazed Blue and first road crossing is at Bradley Blvd. This section has one offshoot trail that will loop back to the main trail and with few exceptions, is flat and fast. The trail continues immediately across Bradley to a short, steep climb with a hard left hand turn at the top that will test your skill. There are offshoot trails in this section, with all either returning to the main trail or exiting the park at a road. As you approach Seven Locks a nice downhill section, you can either cross a small creek to your left or go right to Seven Locks. No matter which way you hit Seven Locks, turn left towards the traffic light at Democracy Blvd. Cross Democracy, turn right, and the trailhead is 100 yards ahead to your left.

Exiting the park at Tuckerman, you go left and the trail picks up on the right hand side of the road for another mile to Goya. At this point, the trail is on the west side of the Cabin John Stream and near the end there is a stream crossing to more trails on the east side.