Washington DC, Tidal Basin Loop Running Route

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Length: 3.5 km (2.2 miles), terrain flat


Washington Running Routes:
National Mall and monuments  
Georgetown  
Tidal Basin  
For more running routes, see the Route List.

Here is a little 3.5-kilometer run you can do in Washington DC by itself or as an extension of the Mall/National Monuments route. It's described quickly: It begins at the east end of the Reflecting Pool in the Mall, and goes once around the Tidal Basin to the south. You can run either direction around the small lake. This loop is especially beautiful in late March and early April when the Japanese cherry trees lining its shore are in bloom.

The Jefferson Memorial along the Tidal Basin

If you run counter-clockwise, then you'll first run along the west side of the lake, going by the construction site to a new Martin Luther King memorial. Soon you'll pass a memorial for Franklin Delano Roosevelt: a series of outdoor rooms depicting highlights during his eventful presidency (the Great Depression and the Second World War).

Jefferson

The whole time, you will be running towards the beautiful temple-like structure of the Jefferson Memorial, which is based on the design for Monticello, the home which Jefferson designed for himself. If you go into the memorial, you'll see inspiring excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, which Jefferson authored.

Continue along the water and you will come to a boathouse for renting paddle-boats, then head back to your starting point, and the Washington Monument, right next to it.

Nighttime visitors to the Washington Monument