Hiking in Piscataway Park just got better! Last month, thanks to a collaboration between the Accokeek Foundation, the Potomac Heritage Trail, and the National Park Service, a new connector trail has been blazed in Accokeek.
By clearing almost a quarter-acre of brush, volunteers were able to conjoin the Mockley Point Trail and the Foundation’s trail system, resulting in nearly 4 miles of uninterrupted views of the Potomac River shoreline.
This connector trail serves as the newest addition to the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail network.
Segment of new connector trail. Photo Credit: Piscataway Park Facebook.
The Potomac Heritage Trail is a network of 12 trails that span across D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and link the Potomac River and the upper Ohio River basins. Established by the National Park Service, these networks of trails preserve routes used by George Washington and other early American settlers to travel from the Chesapeake Bay to the Allegheny Mountains. This network of beautiful hiking paths with historical roots is accessible by foot, bike, horse, or boat.
Volunteers from the Wounded Warrior Project at the Ecosystem Farm cutting up small trees that they had cut down to make part of the trail. Photo Credit: Mark Holt.
Don Briggs, the superintendent of the National Park Service, Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail Network, commented on the new connector trail saying,
“The new connection between the Visitor Center and Mockley Point exemplifies the concept of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, combining partnerships, opportunities for outdoor recreation, conservation, history, demonstrations of sustainability, and the exceptional roles of volunteers.”
The Colonial Farm bush hog clearing a path through the brush and brambles to make the new trail connection. Photo Credit: Mark Holt.
The new trail can be accessed from the Accokeek Creek parking area and stretches along the forest edge to the Ecosystem Farm, an 8-acres educational farm exhibiting permaculture methods of growing food sustainably. Currently, the trail is nameless and requires some further blazing, but it is open to the public and ready to be hiked!
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