Rock Creek

Rock Creek Park Rock Creek Park is a place where you can do a lot of different things. For some activities, however, you may need a permit or a reservation. Knowing where to go or whom to see will make your time in the park free of complications, so read the next few paragraphs carefully to see if something you want to do requires a permit or reservation. Picnicking Rock Creek Park has 30 picnic areas scattered throughout the park; some have rain shelters. Many of the areas can be reserved for groups up to 100. Reservations must be made in person. Call the D.C. Department of Recreation, 673-7646 or 673-7647 for information. The park map shows which areas can be reserved. Playgrounds The large recreation field at 16th and Kennedy Streets has room for many activities. Some of the playing fields, which are suitable for soccer, football, volleyball, and field hockey, can be reserved by calling the D.C. Department of Recreation, 673-6788. Tennis The 17 soft-surface and 5 hard-surface tennis courts at 16th and Kennedy Streets, NW., must be reserved in person through Guest Services, Inc. The courts are open from April through midNovember. A fee is charged. For the remainder of the year, the five hard-surface courts are available free on a first-come first-served basis. Six soft-surface courts are located off Park Road, just east of Washington, D.C. National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Peirce Mill. Reservations for these courts must be made through Guest Services, Inc., in person at the courts. The courts are open May through September. A fee is charged. The courts at Montrose Park are free. When others are waiting, limit play to one hour. Trails An extensive system of trails and paths covers Rock Creek Park and outlying areas such as Glover-Archbold Park. For the hiker, trails maintained by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club consist of a blue-blazed trail that follows the east side of the creek, a greenblazed trail that follows the western ridge of the park, and tan-blazed connector trails. A 2.4-kilometer (1.5-mile) exercise course has been laid out for joggers and those interested in physical fitness. It begins near Calvert Street and Connecticut Avenue. For the horse rider 18 kilometers (11 miles) of wide, dirt and gravel bridle trails crisscross the wooded northern section of the park. Near picnic area 25 is an Equitation Field. Horses can be rented and horseback riding lessons can be taken at the Rock Creek Park Horse Center. Biking A signed bicycle route runs from the Lincoln Memorial through the park and continues into Maryland; much of it is separate paved pathway. Memorial Bridge connects it to the Mount Vernon Trail in Virginia. Beach Drive between Military and Broad Branch Roads is closed to cars 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday and on holidays. From Maryland to Military Road Fort DeRussey was one of a ring of forts built to protect Washington, D.C, during the Civil War. The fort is located off the bike path at Oregon Avenue and Military Road. The Rock Creek Nature Center and Planetarium is the park's major information center and focal point for activities related to the park's natural history. Exhibits tell about the wildlife and the forest of the park, and a library, open to all, has many books on natural history. Guided nature walks and other ecology programs take place daily. Two self-guiding nature trails lead from and return to the center. The center and all pro- grams are accessible to wheelchairs. Astronomy programs about the sky over Washington are regular features at the planetarium. The nature center encourages teachers and youth group leaders to use the facilities and staff during the week. Reservations can be made for school groups by calling ahead of a planned visit. A quarterly calendar of activities is available upon request. The nature center is open year round from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Mondays and holidays. reached from 16th and Rittenhouse Streets, NW. Clubs and carts can be rented and the clubhouse has lockers and a snack bar. It is open year round, except December 25, from dawn to dusk. A fee is charged. The Rock Creek Park Horse Center rents horses for trail rides and lessons. A therapeutic riding program for the handicapped is available at the center. Fees are charged. The Rock Creek Golf Course is an 18-hole public golf course with a clubhouse. It can be From Military Road to Tilden Street At the Park Headquarters and Maintenance Yard, the superintendent's office gives information and permits for canoeing and special events. You cannot get picnic permits here; they must be gotten in person from the D.C. Department of Recreation. If you notice a downed tree across a trail or something that needs attention, call the maintenance yard. Headquarters is open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the maintenance yard is open the same days 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Fort Reno, one of the Civil War ring of forts, was originally known as Fort Pennsylvania. The site of the fort, of which no trace remains, is on the heights of Tenleytown, west of Rock Creek Park, on the highest point in the District of Columbia and commands three major roads: Wisconsin Avenue, River Road, and Reno Road. The site is located at Belt Road and Chesapeake Street. Fort Bayard was one of the 68 forts built around Washington during the Civil War. The site is located on River Road at Western Avenue, NW. Activities include picnicking and a ballfield. Carter Barron Amphitheater, a 4,000-seat outdoor theater in the woods, is a home to the performing arts during the summer months. Information and tickets are available at the theater box office, 16th and Kennedy Streets, NW. Newspaper ads also give performance times and ticket information. Parking for performances is free; on weekdays, the parking lot is open for commuters. The Park Police Substation and Information Center provides maps, information, and visitor assistance. It is on Beach Drive south of the Military Road overpass and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Battery Kemble was named after Gouveneur Kemble, a former president of West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, New York. Activities range from picnicking and games during the summer to sledding and skiing during the winter. It is bounded by Chain Bridge Road, MacArthur Boulevard, 49th Street, and Nebraska Avenue. During the summer there is limited parking on site; in winter it is permitted oniy on adjacent streets. From Tilden Street to the National Zoo Peirce Mill is a restored gristmill that offers a chance to step back in time to hear the rumbling millstones grinding corn and wheat into fine flour and to see the gears, drive shafts, and pulleys operating, powered only by the force of the falling water. Peirce Mill is the only survivor of a number of mills along Rock Creek that served local farmers from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries. The cornmeal and wheat flour ground here and the other items are for sale. It is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. year round, Wednesday through Sunday except holidays. At the Art Barn, an old carriage house adjacent to Peirce Mill, groups of local artists display their work. Exhibits change monthly and free drawing lessons and other art activities are scheduled frequently. The barn is managed by the Art Barn Association in cooperation with the National Park Service. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays and holidays. The National Zoological Park, known locally as "the Zoo," is administered by the Smithsonian Institution. It contains more than 2,000 animals from around the world. The Zoo is in the midst of developing natural environments for many of the animals to replace confining cages. Enter either from Connecticut Avenue or Beach Drive. There is a fee for parking. It is open daily except December 25. From the National Zoo to Memorial Bridge At Thompson's Boat House you can rent bikes, canoes, and rowboats to explore the Potomac River and nearby Theodore Roosevelt Island. It is open daily, weather permitting, with an entrance opposite the Watergate Apartments at Virginia Avenue and Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway. Limited free parking is available. Ness Street behind the restaurant at the corner of Van Ness and Wisconsin south to MacArthur Boulevard. A 4-kilometer (2.5mile) nature trail runs the entire length of the park. Via the Whitehaven Parkway and Dumbarton Oaks Park, Glover-Archbold is connected to Rock Creek Park. Information is available at the nature center. town, adjoining the historic Dumbarton Oaks estate. Montrose Park has tennis courts (available on a first-come first-served basis), open play areas, and picnic areas. Dumbarton Oaks Park contains the wildflower gardens and walking paths of the original Dumbarton estate. For more information, contact the nature center. The parks are open daily. Glover-Archbold Park is a forested tract of 73 hectares (183 acres) that runs from Van Montrose Park and Dumbarton Oaks Park are located on the northern edge of George- Old Stone House, 3051 M Street, NW., is open Wednesday through Sunday 9:30 to 5. even dead ones, for firewood. Please restrict your hiking to the marked trails and thus help minimize erosion. Trucks and buses are prohibited on park roads. (playing field reservations) 673-6788 or 673-6789 Golf Course 723-9823 Government Services, Inc. 726-2669 Guest Services, Inc. (for tennis courts) 726-2669 Maintenance Yard 426-6909 or 426-6910 National Zoological Park 357-1300 Nature Center 426-6829 Park Headquarters 426-6832 Park Police 426-7716 (Emergency) 426-6600 Peirce Mill 426-6908 Rock Creek Park Horse Center 362-01 17 Thompson s Boat House 333-4861 Regulations The park is open only during the daylight hours; traffic is permitted 24 hours a day. Overnight camping is not allowed. Pets must be kept on a leash at all times. Trash cans are in all picnic areas. Help keep the park clean. Fires are permitted only in grills or fireplaces. Bring your own grill and fuel. Amplified music is permitted only in picnic areas 23 and 24, with written permission from the superintendent. All natural objects are protected. Do not disturb rocks, live animals, or plants. Let the wildflowers grow. Do not remove the trees, These telephone numbers will help you reach the people who can help you with information, reservations, or in an emergency. Art Barn 426-6719 Carter Barron 829-3202 D.C. Department of Recreation (picnic area information) 673-7646 or 673-7647 D.C. Department of Recreation Rock Creek Park North 0.5 Kilometer Foot trail o Picnic area Horse and foot trail e Picnic area (permit neede Bike and foot trail £53 Metro station 1 Trails Here are the main park trails; many side trails connect with the main ones, so you can plan a circular route. Hikers may use any trails, bikers are limited to paved bicycle routes, and horses must stay on equestrian trails. The park has three self-guiding interpretive trails; check at the nature center for more information. Name Length/Route Description Name Length/Route Description Valley (Hiking) 8.3 km/5.2 mi Maryland line to Bluff Bridge Moderate Near stream; Blue Blazed. Glover-Arch bold (Hiking) 4.7 km/2.9 mi Van Ness St to C&O Canal Easy Western Ridge (Hiking) 6.9 km/4.3 mi Maryland line to Bluff Bridge Strenuous Blazed. Black Horse (Equestrian) 7.2 km/4.5 mi Maryland line to Broad Branch Rd. Moderate Follow black horse signs. Bike Trail 12 km/7.5 mi Maryland line to Memorial Bridge Easy southern part, Moderate northern part. White Horse (Equestrian) 6.9 km/4.3 mi Maryland line to Broad Branch Rd. Moderate Follow white horse signs. Green Blue Blazed.