Stepping Out

A cardboard box stashed away somewhere in my mom's attic holds a relic of my childhood self: a doll-size Kelly green T-shirt with the words "I'm a Backpacker" emblazoned across the chest. I wore it at 6 months of age -- usually while hanging off my mom's or dad's shoulders in one of those baby Snuglis.

Walking outdoors was as important to my family as eating meals. Whether enjoying a simple walk or its more rugged, off-road cousin, the hike, we experienced the world on foot together. As I grew old enough to tread both urban streets and backcountry trails on my own, I learned to love this way of taking in my environment.

But anyone at any age can discover why striding over turf beats driving on it: It stimulates all the senses; enriches knowledge of one's surroundings; and can be tailored to provide moments of solitude, hours of family bonding or good times with friends. Plus, with a decent calorie burn for the buck (usually walking costs nothing), it's a lot cheaper than a gym membership.

To Washingtonians concerned with tan lines or tree lines, who drive a Chevy Metro or ride the Metro, who have an hour to kill or a summer to spare, I say this: Get to steppin'. One of these 10 diverse area hikes or walks might just help you embrace your own inner 6-month-old backpacker.

The District

BEFORE TYSONS . . .

Every day droves of locals drive by a small stone house at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 17th Street NW. But without reading the plaque outside, they would probably never know that before Constitution Avenue was built, there was a canal here and that this was the lockkeeper's home.

This is one of Carolyn Crouch's favorite little-known facts about the Mall. The founder of the walking tour group Washington Walks, she says, "You never know everything you think you know about the Mall -- especially when the last time you passed through the memorials was an eighth-grade school trip."

While strolling from Arlington Memorial Bridge to the Capitol past the more familiar facades, such as the neoclassic National Museum of Natural History and the space-pod-like Hirshhorn Museum, pedestrians can journey beyond the guidebooks. For starters, they can sit in Albert Einstein's bronze lap, see real palm trees and find out what Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi designed besides the Statue of Liberty: a stunning 30-foot-high fountain across from the U.S. Botanic Garden.

Wide sidewalks, which can accommodate jogging strollers and wheelchairs, form about a five-mile loop between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol. So whether motivated by curiosity or the desire to show off for out-of-town guests, perhaps it's time Washingtonians learned a bit more about a mall that has nothing to do with food courts and shopping bags.

NATIONAL MALL AND MEMORIAL PARKS 900 Ohio Dr. SW. 202-426-6841. Metro: Smithsonian. http://www.nps.gov/nama.

LIVING FOR THE CITY

While perched atop Pulpit Rock, a jagged formation nestled high in the forest overlooking Rock Creek, it's hard to believe that two Metro stops lie less than a mile away. But it's true; Rock Creek Park is Washington's accessible urban wilderness, filled with peaceful natural surroundings, historic sights and tons of walking and hiking trails.