Longest indoor walk in the DMV area?

[Anonymous]

So it's a crap weather day and I really wanted to go for a long hike. Now I'm at a loss. Either I go and get wet (which is an option) or I try to find a mall / museum / secret underground tunnel or something were I can walk indoors.

I used Google Maps measuring and saw that doing a loop in Tysons I measured at about 3,600 feet. Annapolis mall was 3,900. The National Gallery East and West buildings (with the tunnel underground) was about 1800 feet once around.

Any other suggestions for very long walks indoors?

[Anonymous]

Crystal City has a huge underground mall that connects some (most?) of the nearby office buildings but I don’t know how big it is.

[Anonymous]

I think in this are you have to add in height. So once around Tysons, but there are two levels.

What about the Hirshorn? You take an escalator to the top, then circle down the ramp.

If you add in the floors of the national Gallery of Art, you'll add easily (though there's only the one tunnel, of course).

What about the American Art/National Portrait gallery - that's a giant city block and a bunch of floors.

OH. Duh. The largest place with underground tunnels - The Capitol Building and the Senate/House office buildings and the tunnels to the library of Congress. You'd have to map it out in advance, and there are some tunnels that are closed to the public, but most of the floors of the office buildings are open - I'd do the three big buildings on the house side, and then the library of Congress maybe? These buildings are way more accessible than most people think they are - I wouldn't wear exercise clothes and exercise walk, but normal clothes (sneakers are ok) and a brisk walk and you'd be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think in this are you have to add in height. So once around Tysons, but there are two levels.

What about the Hirshorn? You take an escalator to the top, then circle down the ramp.

If you add in the floors of the national Gallery of Art, you'll add easily (though there's only the one tunnel, of course).

What about the American Art/National Portrait gallery - that's a giant city block and a bunch of floors.

OH. Duh. The largest place with underground tunnels - The Capitol Building and the Senate/House office buildings and the tunnels to the library of Congress. You'd have to map it out in advance, and there are some tunnels that are closed to the public, but most of the floors of the office buildings are open - I'd do the three big buildings on the house side, and then the library of Congress maybe? These buildings are way more accessible than most people think they are - I wouldn't wear exercise clothes and exercise walk, but normal clothes (sneakers are ok) and a brisk walk and you'd be fine.

Anyone can just go in and walk around the tunnels?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Crystal City has a huge underground mall that connects some (most?) of the nearby office buildings but I don’t know how big it is.

Its even longer when you (inevitably) get lost. I don't have the exact distance, but I heartily recommend this.

[Anonymous]

It costs money to park there, bu Udvar-Hazy is the largest indoor walking area that I know of. That place is huge.

[Anonymous]

I'd do the mall. Loop around each level. Tysons or Pentagon city. Find the stairs, don't use the escalators or elevators. Walk all the stairs in the parking garage levels too.

My mom walks Tysons a lot. But she goes before most of the stores open so that it's not crowded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in this are you have to add in height. So once around Tysons, but there are two levels.

What about the Hirshorn? You take an escalator to the top, then circle down the ramp.

If you add in the floors of the national Gallery of Art, you'll add easily (though there's only the one tunnel, of course).

What about the American Art/National Portrait gallery - that's a giant city block and a bunch of floors.

OH. Duh. The largest place with underground tunnels - The Capitol Building and the Senate/House office buildings and the tunnels to the library of Congress. You'd have to map it out in advance, and there are some tunnels that are closed to the public, but most of the floors of the office buildings are open - I'd do the three big buildings on the house side, and then the library of Congress maybe? These buildings are way more accessible than most people think they are - I wouldn't wear exercise clothes and exercise walk, but normal clothes (sneakers are ok) and a brisk walk and you'd be fine.

Anyone can just go in and walk around the tunnels?

You can’t cross from the House to the Senate though the Capitol, but the tunnels in each respective chamber are open to the public.

[Anonymous]

I recommend the House and Senate buildings. If you haven't been, they are huge and historic, and really interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in this are you have to add in height. So once around Tysons, but there are two levels.

What about the Hirshorn? You take an escalator to the top, then circle down the ramp.

If you add in the floors of the national Gallery of Art, you'll add easily (though there's only the one tunnel, of course).

What about the American Art/National Portrait gallery - that's a giant city block and a bunch of floors.

OH. Duh. The largest place with underground tunnels - The Capitol Building and the Senate/House office buildings and the tunnels to the library of Congress. You'd have to map it out in advance, and there are some tunnels that are closed to the public, but most of the floors of the office buildings are open - I'd do the three big buildings on the house side, and then the library of Congress maybe? These buildings are way more accessible than most people think they are - I wouldn't wear exercise clothes and exercise walk, but normal clothes (sneakers are ok) and a brisk walk and you'd be fine.

Anyone can just go in and walk around the tunnels?

You can’t cross from the House to the Senate though the Capitol, but the tunnels in each respective chamber are open to the public.

Yes - you have to go through security to get into the building to start, but you can walk between the office buildings on each side. It used to be you could cross from the House buildings to the Senate buildings, which was awesome (and a long walk). I am almost certain a member of the public can get to the Library of Congress from the House side, too, so that can add up. If you started in Rayburn (which is the most annoying as you don't have a clear square path down, then hit Longworth then Cannon, you'd get in a long walk if you did all the floors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in this are you have to add in height. So once around Tysons, but there are two levels.

What about the Hirshorn? You take an escalator to the top, then circle down the ramp.

If you add in the floors of the national Gallery of Art, you'll add easily (though there's only the one tunnel, of course).

What about the American Art/National Portrait gallery - that's a giant city block and a bunch of floors.

OH. Duh. The largest place with underground tunnels - The Capitol Building and the Senate/House office buildings and the tunnels to the library of Congress. You'd have to map it out in advance, and there are some tunnels that are closed to the public, but most of the floors of the office buildings are open - I'd do the three big buildings on the house side, and then the library of Congress maybe? These buildings are way more accessible than most people think they are - I wouldn't wear exercise clothes and exercise walk, but normal clothes (sneakers are ok) and a brisk walk and you'd be fine.

Anyone can just go in and walk around the tunnels?

You can’t cross from the House to the Senate though the Capitol, but the tunnels in each respective chamber are open to the public.

Yes - you have to go through security to get into the building to start, but you can walk between the office buildings on each side. It used to be you could cross from the House buildings to the Senate buildings, which was awesome (and a long walk). I am almost certain a member of the public can get to the Library of Congress from the House side, too, so that can add up. If you started in Rayburn (which is the most annoying as you don't have a clear square path down, then hit Longworth then Cannon, you'd get in a long walk if you did all the floors.

Beware of level changes due to it being on a hill! It’s easy to get lost, but that only increases your steps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crystal City has a huge underground mall that connects some (most?) of the nearby office buildings but I don’t know how big it is.

Its even longer when you (inevitably) get lost. I don't have the exact distance, but I heartily recommend this.

+2

[Anonymous]

Arundel Mills Mall is one giant loop.

[Anonymous]

at national airport you could get off the metro, walk to the end of terminal C, then all the way to the ticket/baggage check area at terminal A. if you do that a few times you'd have a pretty long walk!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in this are you have to add in height. So once around Tysons, but there are two levels.

What about the Hirshorn? You take an escalator to the top, then circle down the ramp.

If you add in the floors of the national Gallery of Art, you'll add easily (though there's only the one tunnel, of course).

What about the American Art/National Portrait gallery - that's a giant city block and a bunch of floors.

OH. Duh. The largest place with underground tunnels - The Capitol Building and the Senate/House office buildings and the tunnels to the library of Congress. You'd have to map it out in advance, and there are some tunnels that are closed to the public, but most of the floors of the office buildings are open - I'd do the three big buildings on the house side, and then the library of Congress maybe? These buildings are way more accessible than most people think they are - I wouldn't wear exercise clothes and exercise walk, but normal clothes (sneakers are ok) and a brisk walk and you'd be fine.

Anyone can just go in and walk around the tunnels?

You can’t cross from the House to the Senate though the Capitol, but the tunnels in each respective chamber are open to the public.

Yes - you have to go through security to get into the building to start, but you can walk between the office buildings on each side. It used to be you could cross from the House buildings to the Senate buildings, which was awesome (and a long walk). I am almost certain a member of the public can get to the Library of Congress from the House side, too, so that can add up. If you started in Rayburn (which is the most annoying as you don't have a clear square path down, then hit Longworth then Cannon, you'd get in a long walk if you did all the floors.

I don't think the public can go to the LoC from the House office buildings, but it's still a good walk just through Rayburn, longworth, and Cannon--especially if you start at the top of Rayburn, walk around it, then down the stairs and walk around each additional level. There are a lot of tourists visiting their Representatives' offices now so you wouldn't stand out in casual clothes (unless you were like wearing headphones and a water bottle fanny pack and powerwalking or something).