September 2026 Newsletter

Mount Vernon Trail Wins Hall of Fame Recognition

The Mount Vernon Trail has been inducted into the Rails to Trails Conservancy’s 2026 Trail Hall of Fame! This national recognition celebrates the Mount Vernon Trail as one of the country’s most outstanding trails. Thank you to everyone who voted, shared the campaign, volunteered on the trail, and helped spread the word.

Trail Maps

We now have Mount Vernon Trail Maps! You can pick up a free printed Mount Vernon Trail map at one of our community partners throughout DC, Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax County or at a volunteer event. Check out a pdf version of the map and see locations for pickup here.

New Capital Bikeshare Stations on the Trail

Four new Capital Bikeshare stations are now on the trail at:

Belle Haven Park
Fort Hunt Park
Riverside Park
Mount Vernon Estates

Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail were able to get bikeshare placement included into the George Washington Memorial Parkway South Section and Mount Vernon Trail Environmental Assessment. Fairfax County funded the stations as part of a 27 station bikeshare expansion. The new stations join existing stations at Theodore Roosevelt Island, Gravelly Point, and Jones Point. Now you can bike the full length of the Mount Vernon Trail via a bike share bike. You can watch an overview video here.

August Recap

In August, we hosted 5 volunteer events and a National Park Week Bike Ride with 166 volunteers giving 380 volunteer hours.

Before/After Photo of the Month

The willow trees were getting so low they were smacking trail users in the face! This month, Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail volunteers gave the trees their yearly hair cut. We feathered the bangs instead of a straight bowl cut. 😉

Should we start our own hair salon?