Anacostia Park
Anacostia Park is part of National Capital Parks-East, a unit of the National Park System. It is not counted as a unit of its own.
Welcome to Anacostia Park, your neighborhood national park in the heart of Washington, DC! Enjoy exercise along the river trail or relax by the water, Anacostia Park is a breath of fresh air and a space to unwind amid a bustling city.
About under an hour from Washington and under an hour from Baltimore by car.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Anacostia Park | Daily · 6:00AM - 10:00PM |
| Anacostia Park Skating Pavilion | Daily · 6:00AM - 10:00PM |
| Anacostia Park Skating Pavilion: Skate Rental Booth | Daily · 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
Anacostia Park Skating Pavilion: Skate Rental Booth: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hours | 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
| Sep 2 to Oct 31, 2026NowFall Hours |
|
| Nov 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027Closed for the Season | Closed |
| May 31 to Sep 6, 2027Spring & Summer Hours |
|
Explore
Things to do
- Junior Ranger Programs at National Capital Parks - East30-90 Minutes
Become a Junior Ranger at parks across National Capital Parks – East! Explore, complete a booklet, and earn badges and certificates along the way!
Opens on the Park Service site - Collect all the National Capital Parks - East Passport Stamps5-10 Minutes
Start your stamp collection and celebrate every park you visit! Explore historic sites and scenic parks managed by National Capital Parks - East and collect a unique stamp at each one.
Opens on the Park Service site - Go Roller Skating
Visit the National Park Service's only roller skating pavilion!
Opens on the Park Service site - Paddle the Anacostia Water Trail1-6 Hours
Discover the natural abundance of the Anacostia River as it threads through the heart of Washington, DC. Watch birds on Kingman Island or dock at the National Arboretum and roam the forest.
Opens on the Park Service site - Bike the Anacostia River Trail1-4 Hours
3.5 mile bike trail along the Anacostia River. This trail continues North into Maryland and across two bridges into downtown D.C.
Opens on the Park Service site - Sports and Recreation at Anacostia1-4 Hours
Come play basketball or tennis on one of our courts, or start a game of frisbee or soccer on one of our open fields that is along the scenic Anacostia River!
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 7Hide
- Picnic at Anacostia Park1-4 Hours
Relax and enjoy a picnic at Anacostia Park. The park has plenty of recreation activities to build up your appetite for a nice picnic while enjoying the view of the Anacostia River and downtown D.C. skyline.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Anacostia Park Care Day10/1710:00 AM · free · registration required1500 Anacostia Drive SE Washington, DC 20020
- Anacostia Park Late Skate - Harvest10/2401:00 PM · freeAnacostia Park Skating Pavilion, 1500 Anacostia SE, Washington, DC 20020
News
- Traffic advisory for additional July 4 road closures at Anacostia Park ↗2026-07-01
On Saturday, July 4, the National Park Service will host a special fireworks display at Anacostia Park in Southeast D.C.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for the Mid-Atlantic
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthRed Fox 62× · Bald Eagle 27× · Peregrine Falcon 9× · Barred Owl 9× · Osprey 9× · Greater Yellowlegs 8× · Belted Kingfisher 7× · Lesser Yellowlegs 5×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 222 birds, 9 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsHARRIER · HAWK · OsPREY · american kestrel · bald eagle · barred owl · black vulture · broad-winged hawk · cooper's hawk · falcon · great horned owl · merlin · turkey vulture
Waterfowl & wadersCormorant · DUCK · Duck · EGRET · GREBE · Goose · Great Egret · Grebe · LOON · MERGANSER · Tricolored Heron · american bittern · american black duck · american coot · american wigeon · black-crowned night-heron · blue-winged teal · bufflehead · canada goose · cattle egret · common loon · common merganser · eared grebe · glossy ibis · great blue heron · hooded merganser · least bittern · lesser scaup · ring-necked duck · snow goose · tundra swan · virginia rail
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican golden plover · Bonaparte's Gull · Caspian Tern · DOWITCHER · Franklin's Gull · GULL · Gull · KILLDEER · Laughing Gull · Least Tern · Sanderling · Sandpiper · Spotted Sandpiper · Willet · american woodcock · common snipe · dunlin · forster's tern · great black-backed gull · greater yellowlegs · least sandpiper · lesser yellowlegs · pectoral sandpiper · semipalmated plover · stilt sandpiper · western sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesDOVE · northern bobwhite
WoodpeckersFlicker · downy woodpecker · hairy woodpecker · pileated woodpecker · red-bellied woodpecker · red-headed woodpecker · sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftschimney swift · ruby-throated hummingbird
Also on the checklistAlder Flycatcher · American Cliff Swallow · BLACKBIRD · BLUEBIRD · Bay-breasted Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blackbird · Blackburnian Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · CARDINAL · CATBIRD · Canada Warbler · Cape May Warbler · Cerulean Warbler · Chestnut-sided Warbler · Crow · FINCH · Flycatcher · Hooded Warbler · Kentucky Warbler · Lawrence's warbler · Least Flycatcher · Louisiana Waterthrush · MOCKINGBIRD · Magnolia Warbler · Mangrove Warbler · Myrtle Warbler · NUTHATCH · Nashville Warbler · No common name · No common name · No common name · Northern Goshawk · Northern Parula · Northern Waterthrush · Orange-crowned Warbler · Ovenbird · Palm Warbler · Prairie Warbler · Snow Bunting · Sparrow · Sparrow · Tennessee Warbler · Vireo · Wilson's Warbler · Yellow-throated Warbler · acadian flycatcher · american crow · american goldfinch · american redstart · american robin · american tree sparrow · bank swallow · barn swallow · belted kingfisher · black-and-white warbler · black-billed cuckoo · black-necked stilt · black-throated blue warbler · blue grosbeak · blue jay · blue-gray gnatcatcher · blue-winged warbler · bobolink · brown creeper · brown thrasher · brown-headed cowbird · carolina wren · cedar waxwing · chipping sparrow · common grackle · common moorhen · common nighthawk · common yellowthroat · connecticut warbler · dark-eyed junco · dickcissel · eastern kingbird · eastern meadowlark · eastern phoebe · eastern wood-pewee · european starling · evening grosbeak · field sparrow · fox sparrow · gadwall · golden-crowned kinglet · grasshopper sparrow · gray-cheeked thrush · great crested flycatcher · hermit thrush · horned lark · house sparrow · house wren · indigo bunting · kinglET · lincoln's sparrow · marsh wren · northern oriole · northern rough-winged swallow · northern shoveler · orchard oriole · pine siskin · prothonotary warbler · purple finch · purple martin · red-breasted nuthatch · red-eyed vireo · rose-breasted grosbeak · rufous-sided towhee · savannah sparrow · scarlet tanager · solitary vireo · song sparrow · sora · swainson's thrush · swamp sparrow · tree swallow · veery · vesper sparrow · western kingbird · white-eyed vireo · winter wren · wood thrush · yellow-bellied flycatcher · yellow-billed cuckoo · yellow-breasted chat · yellow-throated vireo
Small mammalsAmerican Beaver · Common Muskrat · Eastern Cottontail
PredatorsCommon Gray Fox · Common Otter · Cross Fox · common raccoon
Also on the checklistCommon Opossum · Groundhog
Activities
Activity guides for this park Canoeing and kayaking in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 14 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Spring brings mild temperatures and a light breeze along with springtime flower blooms. Summer can be hot and humid. Fall cools down and changing of the seasons brings changing of the colors in leaves. Winter gets cold and temperatures may drop below freezing.
Questions people ask
Does Anacostia charge an entrance fee?
No. Anacostia is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Anacostia?
Standard hours are 6:00AM - 10:00PM, every day.
Source: National Park Service
Is there cell service at Anacostia?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
What is the weather like at Anacostia?
Spring brings mild temperatures and a light breeze along with springtime flower blooms. Summer can be hot and humid.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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