News & Politics I Walked 64 Miles Around the Beltway. What the Hell Was I Thinking? The highway ringing Washington is 64 miles long. No one ever confused it with a scenic nature trail. But on a six-day hike along its periphery, a born-and-bred Washingtonian found moments of surprising beauty, tolerated excruciating blisters, and learned quite a lot about his hometown. Hikes, Best Features of 2017, Beltway, Inside the Beltway | Sep 10, 2017