George Washington's Forest Walkabout
George Washington owned extensive lands throughout Virginia, and one of his properties was located partly within present-day Arlington County. Washington purchased this 1200-acre tract in 1775. The American Revolution then broke out and he was kept away leading the Continental Army for the next eight years. Only when the war was over and Washington returned home to Northern Virginia was he able to survey the property that he had purchased. Washington continued to own the land until his death in 1799, and it later became known as "Washington's Forest." Now home to subdivisions and soccer fields, a small portion has been preserved as parkland. During the shorter version of the Walkabout, you can see the John Ball House — the oldest house in Arlington — and visit the site of a mill constructed by Washington’s step-grandson. The seven-mile version includes one of the original boundary stones that established the borders of the District of Columbia.
Length: 3.5 miles or 7 miles
Terrain: Slightly hilly, traversing streets as well as paved woodland trails
Car-Free Access: ART 75, ART 41, and Metrobus 25, 16ABDJP, 16F, 16GHK, 4ABEH, and 22A from Pentagon Metro station
Printable map/flier (PDF, Adobe Reader required)
Acknowledgements: Created with Kevin Vincent of the Arlington Historical Society
George Washington's Forest News You Can Use
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Taped in 2005.
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