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Fletcher's Boathouse

Fletcher's Boathouse is a good starting point for runs in Rock Creek Park. This is often were we start where we are too lazy to drive to the mountians or have to do other things than run that day. Fletchers is along the C & O Canal in Washington, D.C. between Georgetown and Chain Bridge. You get to Fletchers by driving on Canal Road. If you come upstream from Georgetown, you can turn left into the parking lot. If you come downstream from Chain Bridge, you cannot make a u-turn into the parking lot so you need to turn left just after the parking lot and drive until you can make a u-turn and come back down to the parking lot--or, you can just back down the entrance when no one is looking, but that is probably illegal! Fletchers is just upstream of the three mile post on the C & O Canal towpath. The National Park Service has a great map of the park [585 kb PDF File].

The Tunnel at Fletchers

Note to Newbies: To get to the Rock Creek Park trails from the Fletchers parking lot, one needs to cross Canal Road. Long ago, we discovered how to do that without getting run over by a car. We take the tunnel. So any Rock Creek Park run from Fletchers will start with a rather harrowing trip through the tunnel. Don't worry, you will get to the end! There is light at the end of the tunnel