Horseshoe Bend at Great Falls – Lincoln Memorial loop from Medical Center

Bike touring routes & trails

Horseshoe Bend at Great Falls – Lincoln Memorial loop from Medical Center

Hard

4.6

(8469)

10,898

riders

Horseshoe Bend at Great Falls – Lincoln Memorial loop from Medical Center

06:07

87.4km

410m

Cycling

Hard bike ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 15, 2026

Tips

Cycling is not permitted along parts of this route

After 43.2 km for 310 m

After 57.2 km for 272 m

After 70.5 km for 90 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

22.3 km

Dierrsen Wildlife Management Area

Nature Reserve

23.8 km

Pennyfield Lock

Highlight • Monument

Lock 22, aka Pennyfield Lock, was built between 1829 and 1831, and the name came from the misspelling of the Pennifield family name. It has been restored and offers overnight stays to recreate the rustic feeling from that period.

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32.8 km

Start of the Great Falls Foot Trail

Highlight • Trail

The Great Falls of the Potomac is a place with various rapids and small falls in the Potomac. The place marked here may only be entered on foot. Bicycles and dogs 😜 must stay outside.

Translated by Google •

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33.1 km

Horseshoe Bend at Great Falls

Highlight • River

Great Falls has a scenic Horseshoe Bend where the river curves in a horseshoe shape around a rocky outcrop. It's a nice spot to stop for photos on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail.

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34.8 km

Widewater

Lake

39.3 km

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Lake

43.3 km

Cedar Island Conservation Park

Nature Reserve

55.7 km

View of the Georgetown Waterfront

Highlight • Viewpoint

The cycle path leading here offers magnificent views of the city at any time of the day or night almost along its entire length.

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57.3 km

Lincoln Memorial

Highlight • Monument

The Lincoln was built to honor Abraham Lincoln. He was the 16th president, assassinated on April 14, 1865 as the civil war was concluding. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his …

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57.8 km

Elm Walk

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

Elm Walk features a beautiful tree tunnel, with long rows of elm trees and walkways that frame the view to and from the Capitol. The surrounding museums create a cultural …

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70.6 km

Potomac River

Highlight • River

The Potomac River, stretching 405 miles from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Maryland's Chesapeake Bay, ranks as the fourth-largest river on the East Coast. Swimming is prohibited in …

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74.8 km

Crossing Over the C&O Canal

Highlight • Bridge

It's just a shame that cycling is only allowed on the paved road. The many earthy trails to the right and left of the road are very tempting for a mountain biker. Unfortunately explicitly forbidden.

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87.4 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types