RailTrailWxRailTrailWx
E-bikingBikingWalkingRunningand more
The Bethesda Trolley Trail follows an old streetcar route north from downtown Bethesda to North Bethesda, about four and a half miles. It is paved and close to level, with a gentle climb toward the north end. South of the Capital Beltway the route uses the National Institutes of Health grounds and the sidewalk beside Old Georgetown Road. North of the Beltway it passes Fleming Park, then crosses Interstate 270 on a bridge open only to people on foot and on bikes. Parts of the route run on sidewalks and quiet residential streets, so expect some street crossings. Walkers, runners, commuters, and neighbors out with their dogs all share it.
Bethesda Trolley Trail
Your comfort. Prognosticated.
-Cory
In a typical year the Bethesda Trolley Trail has about 116 to 164 days of excellent weather for popular activities such as hiking, dog walking, e-biking, running, birding, walking, and biking, with April, October, and November the best months.
Hourly comfort scores for the next 15 days of weather, tuned to your activity and your own thresholds.
Plan your visit to this trail. Get the best windows for a comfortable outing.
Enjoy the Bethesda Trolley Trail!
In half of past years, color along the Bethesda Trolley Trail peaks November 1 to 8, typically around November 4. The trail has 35% deciduous coverage, with the majority being red maple, yellow-poplar, white oak, black cherry, and chestnut oak.
The Tennallytown and Rockville Railroad began running streetcars north from Tenleytown toward Bethesda in 1891. To fill its cars, the company built Bethesda Park, a small amusement park at the end of the line. A hurricane destroyed the park in 1896. It never reopened. By 1900 the tracks reached Rockville, and full service there began in 1904. For three decades the trolleys carried passengers along this corridor. In 1935 the streetcars stopped running to Rockville, and buses took over the route. The right-of-way from Alta Vista to North Bethesda then sat abandoned for decades. Montgomery County's 1978 Countywide Bikeways Master Plan first proposed a trail on the unused line. Design began in the early 1990s. Funding for bridges over the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270 was approved in 1999. Construction started in the fall of 2000 and went on for nearly a decade. The Beltway bridge opened in 2002, and the Interstate 270 bridge followed in 2003. Paving of the missing segments began in November 2005. New sections received signage in 2008. In 2012 the county built a wayside rest area at Edson and Woodglen. Today the trail links downtown Bethesda and North Bethesda, partly on the old right-of-way and partly on sidewalks and side paths.
None
