A modest loop sandwiched between Wisconsin and Connecticut, featuring the National Cathedral that goes through the Tregaron Conservancy and Melvin Hazen.
Location: Cleveland Park
Length: Approx. 4.25 miles
MAP
ROUTE GUIDE
As with all loops, you can start this route anywhere along the path since you’ll always finish back where you started. My guide begins at Sidwell Friends School since that is where I start this loop from.
The route begins on Wisconsin Avenue in front of Sidwell Friends School (3825 Wisconsin Avenue). Facing Wisconsin Ave, go left (southbound).
Starting at the main Sidwell entrance, make a left onto Wisconsin Ave.
Wisconsin Ave.
Half a mile in, you’ll pass the National Cathedral.
National Cathedral
Shortly after that, you’ll get to this intersection. Make a slight left onto Massachusetts Ave.
Make a slight left onto Massachusetts Ave.
Immediately after that, stay to the left to merge onto Garfield St.
Stay to the left to get on Garfield St.
Garfield St.
.4 miles after getting onto Garfield, you will get to this 6-way intersection. You need to make a left onto 32nd St. So that is not the most immediate left but the second most immediate left.
Make a left onto 32nd St.
32nd St.
Soon you will get here:
Go to the black gate and go right, following the gate
There will be a black gate directly ahead. Get to it then follow it in the right-ward direction.
Follow the black gate
Keep following the black gate and you’ll get to this gate. Go in.
Find the fence along the black gate
This is a map of the Tregaron Conservancy trails (which is what we are entering). We are starting at the star marked on the map. We want to eventually end up near the top of Causeway Drive and exit through the entrance gate at the northern terminus.
When I ran this trail (late May, 2017), there was lots of construction that blocked out the main trail. As a result, I had to improvise a bit. You can follow this trail or go exploring, but as long as you end up by the north entrance gate, it doesn’t matter.
Tregaron Conservancy map
After going through the gate, make a right here.
Go right
You’ll see a tunnel up ahead. Go under it.
You should go under a bridge
Immediately make a left after the bridge. Technically the right path is the main path, but it was blocked off due to construction. You can try your luck and see if the right path is available.
Left immediately out of the bridge
After going left, go left again here:
Left again
You’ll emerge into this grassy field.
You emerge onto a grass field
Grass field cont.
Keep running and you’ll see a big grassy hill to your right.
You’ll get to a big grass hill
At the bottom of this grassy hill is the “main trail”. Cut through this field and you’ll see a trail opening to the main trail.
Run down the hill and look for a trail entrance
When you get to this trail opening, go left.
Trail entrance here
Eventually you will see a road up ahead. This is Causeway Drive. Get onto it and run right.
Make a right onto Causeway Dr.
Causeway Dr.
This gate is the northern entrance. Exit through here and go right.
Right onto Macomb St.
Macomb St.
Then a left onto Connecticut.
Left onto Connecticut Ave.
Connecticut Ave.
About .4 miles later, you will pass Rodman St. Immediately after, look for a path to the left that leads to a parking lot.
Make a left into the parking lot right after Rodman St.
Go down this path.
Parking lot entrance
Enter the parking lot and go straight to the back.
All the way to the back.
You will find the next trail entrance hidden in the back of a parking lot. I have no idea why it’s here and not somewhere else.
This part is not too bad. There are a few rolling hills but nothing too steep. It’s not very long either. Before you know it, you’ll exit out onto the corner of Reno, Springland, and Tilden.
Immediately after exiting, make a left and cross at the intersection to go up the Springland culdesac.
Cross:
Up Springland:
At the end of the culdesac is a trail opening up to Hearst Field. Hearst is right across the street from Sidwell so we are basically done.
Go up a few staircases.
Cross the field:
Up one more staircase:
And you’ll find yourself at the rear entrance to Sidwell Friends School on 37th St. Getting to the start is easy from here. Go right.
Left onto Upton.
Left onto Upton St.
Take the little stone path up to the Post Office to save a few meters.
Take the left shortcut up to the Post Office
Make a left onto Wisconsin Ave.
Left onto Wisconsin Ave.
Wisconsin Ave.
And back where you started.
Back to starting position
NOTES
At just a bit over 4 miles, this loop is too short for a real long run. However, due to its a good trail for easy shakeout runs because it maintains a close vicinity to your starting location and there are no big hills.
This trail also is a good out-and-back run, letting you choose exactly how long you want to run for if you choose to not run the full amount.
Nothing super special, but useful for chill, short runs.