Lost Streams of D.C.: Lower Rock Creek bike tour (June 2025)

You’ve heard of the C&O Canal, but did you know that there were five canals around D.C.? (And that none of them flourished as canals?) That Rock Creek’s waters once powered a string of mills? And that the National Zoo’s main entrance was once on the east, toward Mount Pleasant, near the bear caves. (Also, bear caves.)

On this bike tour, we’ll visit sites that speak to all of those topics. We’ll start at the Georgetown Waterfront and move up the lower reaches of Rock Creek, wrapping up at Piney Branch. Along the way, we’ll talk about the streams that ran through this landscape — and we’ll even get to see them, because this is one of the few parts of the District where water still flows on the surface.

Free — get a ticket on Eventbrite.

The K Street bridge over Rock Creek, in 1907. (Via Library of Congress.)

When

Sunday, June 29, 2025, 9:30 a.m. til about 11:30 a.m. We’re starting early to avoid crowds and beat the heat.

Where

Meet at at the west end of Georgetown Waterfront Park, near the intersection of Water and 33rd streets northwest, Washington, D.C.

Route, equipment, and safety

The tour covers about five miles. We have to navigate a block of M Street and several quiet side streets in Georgetown. Otherwise, the route covers off-street paved trails. We end at Piney Branch Parkway NW, near the intersection with 16th Street.

Bring a bike and water, and wear a helmet. You are responsible for your own safety.

Registration’s free!

Sign up for free tickets at Eventbrite.

Learn more

You can read more about Slash Run in an article that I wrote for Greater Greater Washington, see a map of all of the city’s lost streams, browse an interactive map with historical images, and hear about the project over on WAMU.

This tour is part of a series of bike and walking tours that explore the District’s hydrographic past.