The Potomac Heritage Trail, also known as the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail or the PHT, is a designated National Scenic Trail corridor spanning parts of the mid-Atlantic and upper southeastern regions of the United States that will connect various trails and historic sites in the states of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. The trail network includes of existing and planned sections, tracing the outstanding natural, historical, and cultural features of the Potomac River corridor, the upper Ohio Riverwatershed in Pennsylvania and western Maryland, and a portion of the Rappahannock River watershed in Virginia. The trail is managed by the National Park Service. Unlike many long-distance hiking trails such as the Appalachian Trail, the Potomac Heritage Trail is a general route with numerous side trails and alternatives, some in parallel on each side of the river. Currently, many of these are separate, connected to the others only by roads. Potomac Heritage Trail: A Hiker's Guide is a guidebook addressing the PHT's various sections, and some intervening or adjacent areas. The C&O Companion guidebook is useful for this major section of the PHT. The PHT crosses another National Scenic Trail – the Appalachian Trail – near Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. The PHT also coincides with the American Discovery Trail along the portion of the C&O Canal Towpath from Oldtown, Maryland, to Washington, D.C.
Initial sections
Three substantial sections of the trail were in existence when the Potomac Heritage Trail officially became a National Scenic Trail in 1983:
These trails have different surfaces: gravel, asphalt, and natural surface, respectively - a fact that illustrates the general heterogeneity of the PHT, compared to other National Scenic Trails.
Completed and planned sections
The entire Potomac Heritage Trail consists of the following sections:
the Great Allegheny Passage, between Cumberland, Maryland, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This is a system of seven trails managed by an alliance of organizations and agencies.
the unpaved Potomac Heritage Trail in Arlington County and Fairfax County, Virginia, along the Potomac River within the George Washington Memorial Parkway between Rosslyn and the American Legion Memorial Bridge
The Potomac Heritage Trail Association is a membership-based organization dedicated to the development, construction, preservation, and interpretation of the trail. The group works with local, state and federal government officials and park authorities to promote and develop new sections of trail along the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail corridor. The group, in cooperation with other trail advocacy groups, sponsors work trips to construct and maintain natural surface portions of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. These organizations include the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, the Sierra Club's Potomac Regional Outings Program, REI, Inc., Great Falls Trail Blazers, the Appalachian Mountain Club, Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts, Fairfax Trails and Streams, Southern Prince George's Trails Coalition, and the Oxon Hill Bicycle Club. The PHTA regularly features progress and challenges in building/advocating for the trail, and .
