Contact Info
Washington, DC 20008
- Phone:
- 202-282-1063
Basics
- Type:
- City Park-Neighborhood
Description
Rock Creek Park is truly a gem in the nation’‘s capital. It offers visitors an opportunity to reflect and soothe their spirits through the beauty of nature. Fresh air, majestic trees, wild animals, and the ebb and flow of Rock Creek emanate the delicate aura of the forest.
Hours + Fees
Hours:
Rock Creek Park is open during daylight hours.
Our Visitor Centers are open as follows:
Nature Center and Planetarium - Open All Year Wednesday through Sunday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Old Stone House - Open All Year Monday through Sunday Noon to 5:00 PM
Group tours (10 or more) available by reservation.
Peirce Barn -Open June 1st to November 30th, Saturday and Sunday noon to 4:00PM.
Map + Directions
Basic Directions
Via Route 66
Take Route 66 across the Teddy Roosevelt Bridge. Get in the right lane on the bridge, and take the ramp for Independence Avenue. Turn right at the bottom of the ramp (heading towards the Kennedy Center along the river; this is Ohio Drive, but it’‘s not marked as such). After passing the Kennedy Center (under its terrace) and Watergate, continue straight onto Rock Creek Parkway. When the parkway ends (near Connecticut and Calvert), continue north on Beach Drive. You will pass the zoo and Pierce Mill. Continue on Beach Drive until you see a sign for the Nature Center; bear left here (onto Glover Road), as the sign instructs. Follow the signs to the Nature Center. Via the Beltway or Maryland: Take the Beltway north into Maryland; exit at Connecticut Ave. and proceed southbound toward Chevy Chase. About 7-8 blocks south of Chevy Chase Circle, turn left onto Military Road. Go a little over a mile, and you will see a big brown sign that says "Rock Creek Park-Nature Center..."etc. Take the next right (at the traffic light), as the sign instructs, and follow subsequent signs to the Nature Center.
Via the Chain Bridge (VA)
At the end of the bridge, turn right onto Canal Road. Make the first left (at the light) onto Arizona Avenue. Proceed on Arizona until you come to a "T" intersection; make a right turn there onto Nebraska Ave. (The signs there may say "Loughboro Rd.," but it runs into Nebraska.) Proceed on Nebraska past American University, around Ward Circle, and across Wisconsin and Connecticut Avenues. Get into the right lane and turn right onto Military Road; less than 1/2 mile after you cross Connecticut. After a little less than a mile, you will see a big brown sign that says "Rock Creek Park-Nature Center..."etc. Take the next right (at the traffic light), as the sign instructs, and follow subsequent signs to the Nature Center.
From Dupont Circle
Proceed Northeast on New Hampshire Avenue for approximately half a mile when it will intersect 16th Street. Head north on 16th Street, towards the Maryland border. About 3 1/4 miles up the road, it will intersect Military Road, after Madison and Nicholson Streets. Make a right onto Military Road and follow the clover leaf pattern west towards Connecticut Ave. Cross Military Bridge and then it will turn into a small parkway. Get in the left-hand lane. Make a left at the first light that you come to, at Glover and Oregon Roads. You are now on Glover Road and can follow the signs to the Nature Center.
