Matthew Henson Trail

Matthew Henson blazed a trail to the North Pole. Montgomery County's new trail bearing his name is not quite as extreme, but worthy, nonetheless.

Give a hearty Trail Voice welcome to the newest thoroughbred in the Montgomery County Parks stable - the Matthew Henson Trail. Eight years in the making, the trail is not without its detractors (best chronicled in the WashCycle blog) and it has flaws (several sketchy road crossings and a limited tree canopy). However, when all is said and done, the completion of this trail represents a crowning achievement for the Montgomery County Department of Parks, its citizens, and trail advocates across the DC area.

Cyclist and walkers using the Matthew Henson Trail

The Trail

Boardwalk section on the Matthew Henson Trail

So what should you expect from the "new guy" in the Montgomery County trail system? How's 4.5 miles of smooth-rolling, stream-flowing, neighborhood-connecting greenway sound? Starting in Winding Creek Park, the Matthew Henson Trail branches east from DC/Maryland's popular Rock Creek Trail. The trail follows Turkey Branch Stream as it winds its way east across Viers Mill Rd. (a detour is in place to cross at Parkland Dr.) and under Connecticut Ave. Tall oaks line the path which is, in most places, no more than thirty yards from the suburban backyards of Wheaton and Silver Spring. After crossing busy Georgia Ave, the trail returns to the greenway where two unique aspects may catch your eye:

Tree plantings (and lots of them) line the path. Montgomery Parks planted close to thirty tree species to replace the loss of tree coverage from trail construction.
A series of boardwalk paths (0.6 total miles), designed to minimize the environmental impact of the trail, hover above the forest carpet.

Meanwhile, the trail continues across Layhill Rd and about a mile beyond it, ending in a "T" at Alderton Rd in Silver Spring.

But is that really the end of the Matthew Henson Trail? Proponents envision it to eventually be the elusive Rock Creek/Sligo Creek trail connection, but that's a discussion for another day. For now, let's lay out the welcome mat for Mr. Matthew Henson - Arctic explorer and trailblazer.

Trail Stats: 4.5 miles - Winding Creek Park in Wheaton (map) to Alderton Rd, Silver Spring (map)
Trail Type: Paved, 8 ft. wide
Trail Map: Matthew Henson Trail Map
Administration: Montgomery County Department of Parks