Fort Dupont Park
Fort Dupont 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.
This 361 acre wooded park was once home to an earthen fort built to protect Washington, DC, during the Civil War. Today, visitors can see the fort's earthworks and escape to the great outdoors. Activities include picnics, nature walks, biking, gardening, environmental education, music, and ranger-led programs.
About under an hour from Washington and under an hour from Baltimore by car.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Fort Dupont Park | Daily · 6:00AM - 10:00PM |
| Lanham Estates Picnic Area Gates | Daily · 7:00AM - 10:00PM |
Lanham Estates Picnic Area Gates: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 7:00AM - 10:00PM |
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Year’s Day | Closed |
No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Things to do
- Explore the Civil War Defenses of Washington Hiker-Biker Trail1-5 Hours
Hike or bike the 7-mile trail from Fort Stanton to Fort Mahan and take in scenery that ranges from urban greenspaces to forest ecosystems, all while recreating through a historic landscape.
Opens on the Park Service site - 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 - Picnic at Fort Dupont1-4 Hours
Enjoy a relaxing picnic at Fort Dupont Park. There are three picnic shelters that can be reserved through recreation.gov. Individual picnic tables and benches are also available without reservations.
Opens on the Park Service site - Mountain Bike Fort Dupont!1-2 Hours
Mountain bike in metropolitan D.C.! Approximately 10 miles of easy to moderate biking trails meander through the Anacostia area of Washington D.C. The trails traverse through the Civil War defensive sites used to protect the city in the early 1860s.
Opens on the Park Service site - Birding at Fort Dupont1-4 Hours
Enjoy peaceful birding right in the heart of the Anacostia area of Washington D.C. 157 species of birds have been sighted at Fort Dupont in the last year. Come engage your senses as you look and listen for birds while walking in a dense forest.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
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
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthRed Fox 58× · Bald Eagle 26× · 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: 0 birds, 3 mammalsHide
Small mammalsEastern Gray Squirrel · White-footed Deermouse · mole shrew
Activities
Activity guides for this park Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
Open in all weather, unless otherwise noted under the alerts section of the parks website.
Questions people ask
Does Fort Dupont Park charge an entrance fee?
No. Fort Dupont Park is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Fort Dupont Park?
Standard hours are 6:00AM - 10:00PM, every day.
Source: National Park Service
Is there cell service at Fort Dupont Park?
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
When was Fort Dupont Park established?
1930. It covers about 0.6 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
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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