Yes, you can walk the National Mall, but it is much larger than it appears on most maps and requires significant physical effort. The "Mall" itself stretches roughly 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the U.S. Capitol building on the east end to the Lincoln Memorial on the west end. If you include a walk around the Tidal Basin to see the Jefferson, FDR, and MLK Jr. memorials, you can easily cover 3 to 6 miles in a single day. The paths are generally wide and flat, made of gravel or pavement, making them accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. However, visitors in 2026 are often surprised by the lack of shade and the intensity of the D.C. humidity in the summer. To make the walk manageable, it is best to break it into sections: the "Museum Mile" near the Smithsonian buildings and the "Monument Core" near the Reflecting Pool. For those who find the distance daunting, the DC Circulator bus offers a cheap "National Mall" loop, and there are several Metro stations (like Smithsonian or Archives) that provide easy access points along the route.