When determining when to start and how much time you’ll be out there, you need to factor in your interest in the monuments and memorials. It will only take about an hour to walk the loop trail. It’s little more than a half day trip, but “Half Day Trip” doesn’t sound so catchy. Because it’s difficult to drive and park at most memorials in the city, the loop trail is important for accessing the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and George Mason Memorial. There is a trail that loops around the entire basin, approximately two miles in length. It also provides the water for the nearby Reflecting Pool. Today, the Tidal Basin is the centerpiece of a few monuments and memorials. Of course, that is just the basic workings, but then again I’m a travel writer, not an engineer. Then, during low tide, the water captured in the basin floods into the channel. The basin’s purpose is to use the water from the Potomac River to fill up during high tide, cutting off water to the Washington Channel. The Tidal Basin is an interesting piece of civil engineering dating back tot he 1880s. Still, this is exactly what you can do around the Tidal Basin while exploring some monuments and memorials, enjoying the beautiful scenery, and learning about past presidents and influential people in our country’s history. When I think of hiking, I picture the rugged terrain of the Appalachian Trail. Maybe I shouldn’t use the word hiking to describe this little day trip in Washington, D.C.
