George Washington Memorial Parkway
The George Washington Memorial Parkway was designed for recreational driving. It links sites that commemorate important episodes in American history and preserve habitat for local wildlife. The parkway and its associated trails provide a scenic place to play and rest in the busy Washington, DC metropolitan area.
About under an hour from Washington and under an hour from Baltimore by car.
Alerts
- ClosureSingle Lane Closures on South Parkway Near River Farm Drive
Beginning October 8, one lane both northbound and southbound will be closed 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for 4 weeks to repair an upheaval in the road. Please expect slight traffic delays in the area.
- ClosureNPS ↗Northbound GWMP Lane Closures Between Spout Run and Route 123 Resumes
Northbound lanes between Spout Run Parkway and Route 123 will close Mondays through Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. from Oct. 5 - 15 for tree maintenance. Southbound lane closures will begin on Oct. 19 and last until Nov. 26.
- ClosureNPS ↗Temporary Closure of the Clara Barton Parkway 3500 ft of right travel lane
Temporary Closure of the Clara Barton Parkway 3500 feet of right travel lane at Site 17, managed land areas between Clara Barton Parkway and C&O Canal, and between Lock 10 parking lot north to Lock 14 required to address the ongoing safety concerns from DC Water emergency sanitary sewer bypass and pipe repair. Click on "More" below for specific details on the closure.
- InformationNPS ↗Detour along Mount Vernon Trail at Gravelly Point
Due to constriction for the Long Bridge Project, the Mount Vernon Trail will be temporarily detoured around the construction zone beginning on July 15, 2026. Trail users should expect periodic crossings of equipment and materials where the trail meets the construction access road. Detour will be in place through 2030.
- InformationIntermittent Lane Closures at GW Parkway for Bridge/Pavement Preservation
Beginning on Monday, November 17, 2025, expect intermittent traffic impacts at GWMP. This Bridge and pavement preservation work is expected to extend into the Fall of 2026 and will make repairs to 24 GWMP bridges and over 30 paved roads and parking assets.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Passes are not required to drive the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Great Falls Park has a separate entrance fee.
Hours
| George Washington Memorial Parkway Headquarters | Varies by day ▾
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| The George Washington Memorial Parkway | Daily · All Day |
When to go
August draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Explore
Things to do
- Multi-Park Loop
Park your car and stretch your legs! Visit four different National Parks in Washington, DC and begin logging miles on seven different National Historic or National Scenic trails!
Opens on the Park Service site - Silver Line - DC Metro1-2 Days
Step off the Silver Line to take a walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island, or sight see from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Each of the parks listed here are 1 mile or less from each metro stop (about a 20 minute walk) or a 10 minute bus ride away.
Opens on the Park Service site - Blue Line - DC Metro1-2 Days
From the National Mall and Memorial Parks to the Mount Vernon Trail, travel the Blue Line to see what the southern portion of Washington, DC has to offer.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hike between Scott's Run Nature Preserve and Theodore Roosevelt Island4-7 Hours
The ten-mile Potomac Heritage Trail within George Washington Memorial Parkway is a popular path, connecting at some places to neighborhood trails, Turkey Run picnic area and Chain Bridge.
Opens on the Park Service site - Take a walk or bike ride on the Mount Vernon Trail1-4 Hours
The Mount Vernon Trail winds alongside the Potomac River offering uninterrupted views of Washington, D.C.'s skyline. A run, walk, or cycle along the trail leads to all of the same sites that can be reached by car on the parallel section of the…
Opens on the Park Service site - Panoramic Views at the US Marine Corps War Memorial1-2 Hours
From Arlington Ridge, experience a panoramic view of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the US Marine Corps War Memorial, and Capitol Building behind the US Marine Corps War Memorial against the Washington, DC skyline.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 10Hide
- Retreat to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove1-2 Hours
From this distance the seat of national power appears pristine across the river, so President Johnson came here often when he needed to escape from the stresses of building a Great Society. After he died, his wife chose this place for his memorial.
Opens on the Park Service site - Clara Barton National Historic Site15-60 Minutes
Clara Barton dedicated her life and energies to help others in times of need - both home and abroad, in peacetime as well as during military emergencies.
Opens on the Park Service site - Drive on the George Washington Memorial Parkway15-120 Minutes
Take a drive on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Make stops at scenic overlooks, drive over historic Arlington Memorial Bridge, and visit our first president's home at Mount Vernon.
Opens on the Park Service site - Cast Your Gaze Across the City Skyline from the Netherlands Carillon1-2 Hours
Visitors can view the Washington, DC city skyline from the base of the Netherlands Carillon along the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Webcams
Camera images load live from the National Park Service and partner agencies
Events
- Netherlands Carillon Concerts10/1706:00 PM · freeParking is extremely limited at the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, which is the closest parking lot to this event.
- Bird Walk at Great Falls Park10/1808:00 AM · runs through Dec 27 · free
- Girl Scout First Aid Program at Clara Barton National Historic Site10/2511:00 AM · free · registration required
- Thank a Veteran11/1109:00 AM · free
News
- National Park Service Completes Environmental Review for Future Improvements at Glen Echo Park ↗2026-10-07
The National Park Service has completed the environmental review for the Glen Echo Park Management Plan Amendment. The review evaluated proposed updates to guide future planning, design and management of the park.
- Southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway Lane Closures Begin Oct. 5 ↗2026-10-02
The National Park Service will temporarily close all southbound lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway in two sections between Tulane Drive and Alexandria Avenue from Monday, Oct. 5 through Thursday, Oct.
- 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Designated as an Affiliated Area of the National Park System ↗2026-09-09
The National Park Service today announced the designation of the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial as an Affiliated Area of the National Park System, formally recognizing the memorial’s national significance and strengthening the…
- George Washington Memorial Parkway Announces Extended Northbound and Upcoming Southbound Closures for Tree Maintenance Between Spout Run Parkway and Route 123 ↗2026-09-01
The National Park Service (NPS) is advising motorists that the existing full northbound closure of the George Washington Memorial Parkway between Spout Run Parkway and Route 123 will continue through September 17, 2026.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
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 124× · Bald Eagle 28× · Osprey 16× · Barred Owl 14× · Peregrine Falcon 11× · Belted Kingfisher 8× · Greater Yellowlegs 8× · Lesser Yellowlegs 5×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 290 birds, 42 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barred Owl · Black Vulture · Broad-winged Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern Screech Owl · Great Horned Owl · Hen Harrier · Merlin · Mississippi Kite · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Short-eared Owl · Snowy Owl · Turkey Vulture · barn owl
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Bittern · American Black Duck · American Coot · American White Ibis · American White Pelican · American Wigeon · Barnacle Goose · Black-crowned Night Heron · Black-necked Grebe · Blue Goose · Blue-winged Teal · Brant Goose · Bufflehead · Cackling Goose · Canada Goose · Common Goldeneye · Common Loon · Common Merganser · Double-crested Cormorant · Eurasian Wigeon · Glossy Ibis · Great Blue Heron · Great Cormorant · Great Egret · Greater Scaup · Greater white-fronted goose · Green Heron · Green-winged Teal · Hooded Merganser · Horned Grebe · King Rail · Lesser Scaup · Little Blue Heron · Long-tailed Duck · Mute Swan · Northern Pintail · Pied-billed Grebe · Red-breasted Merganser · Ring-necked Duck · Ruddy Duck · Snowy Egret · Tricolored Heron · Tufted Duck · Tundra Swan · Virginia Rail · Wood Duck · Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Avocet · American Golden Plover · American Woodcock · Baird's Sandpiper · Band-rumped Storm Petrel · Black Skimmer · Black Tern · Black-bellied Plover · Bonaparte's Gull · California Gull · Caspian Tern · Common Snipe · Common Tern · Dunlin · Forster's Tern · Franklin's Gull · Glaucous Gull · Great Black-backed Gull · Greater Yellowlegs · Herring Gull · Hudsonian Godwit · Iceland gull · Killdeer · Laughing Gull · Least Sandpiper · Least Tern · Lesser Black-backed Gull · Lesser Yellowlegs · Little Gull · Little Tern · Long-billed Dowitcher · Marbled Godwit · Pectoral Sandpiper · Piping Plover · Red-necked Phalarope · Ring-billed Gull · Royal Tern · Ruddy Turnstone · Sanderling · Semipalmated Plover · Semipalmated Sandpiper · Short-billed Dowitcher · Solitary Sandpiper · Sooty Tern · Spotted Sandpiper · Stilt Sandpiper · Thayer's Gull · Western Sandpiper · White-rumped Sandpiper · Willet · Wilson's Phalarope · Wilson's Storm Petrel
Gamebirds & dovesMourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Rock Dove · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Pileated Woodpecker · Red-bellied Woodpecker · Red-headed Woodpecker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian Flycatcher · Alder Flycatcher · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Pipit · American Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Baltimore Oriole · Barn Swallow · Bay-breasted Warbler · Belted Kingfisher · Black Scoter · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-billed Cuckoo · Black-throated Blue Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blackburnian Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-Winged Warbler · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Blue-headed Vireo · Bobolink · Bohemian Waxwing · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Canada Warbler · Canvasback · Cape May Warbler · Carolina Wren · Carolina chickadee · Cedar Waxwing · Chestnut-sided Warbler · Chipping Sparrow · Chuck-will's-widow · Cliff Swallow · Common Grackle · Common Nighthawk · Common Redpoll · Common Yellowthroat · Crow · Dark-eyed Junco · Dickcissel · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Towhee · Eastern Wood Pewee · European Starling · Evening Grosbeak · Field Sparrow · Fish Crow · Fox Sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-Plovers · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Golden-winged Warbler · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Gray-cheeked Thrush · Great Crested Flycatcher · Gulls · Harris' Sparrow · Henslow's Sparrow · Hermit Thrush · Hooded Warbler · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Kentucky Warbler · Least Flycatcher · Lincoln's Sparrow · Louisiana Waterthrush · Magnolia Warbler · Mallard · Mangrove Warbler · Marsh Wren · McGillivray's Warbler · Mourning Warbler · Myrtle Warbler · Nashville Warbler · Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow · Northern Cardinal · Northern Goshawk · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Parula · Northern Raven · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shoveler · Northern Waterthrush · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Orange-Crowned Warbler · Orchard Oriole · Ovenbird · Palm Warbler · Philadelphia Vireo · Pine Siskin · Pine Warbler · Prairie Warbler · Prothonotary Warbler · Purple Finch · Purple Gallinule · Purple Martin · Red Knot · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-throated Diver · Red-winged Blackbird · Redhead · Redshanks · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Ruff · Rusty Blackbird · Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow · Sand Martin · Savannah Sparrow · Scarlet Tanager · Seaside Sparrow · Snow Bunting · Song Sparrow · Sora · Summer Tanager · Surf Scoter · Swainson's Thrush · Swainson's Warbler · Swamp Sparrow · Tennessee Warbler · Tree Swallow · Veery · Vesper Sparrow · Warbling Vireo · Whimbrel · Whip-poor-will · White-Winged Scoter · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Winter Wren · Wood Thrush · Worm-eating Warbler · Yellow-bellied Flycatcher · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-throated Vireo · Yellow-throated Warbler · black-capped chickadee · tufted titmouse
Small mammalsAmerican Beaver · Black Rat · Brown Rat · Common Muskrat · Deer Mouse · Eastern Chipmunk · Eastern Cottontail · Eastern Gray Squirrel · Eastern Harvest Mouse · Eastern Mole · House Mouse · Meadow Vole · Pine Vole · Southeastern Shrew · Southern Flying Squirrel · Southern Short-tailed Shrew · Star-nosed Mole · White-footed Deermouse · mole shrew
PredatorsAmerican Mink · Common Gray Fox · Common Otter · Coyote · Cross Fox · Striped Skunk · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsWhite-tailed Deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Black Bat · Eastern Red Bat · Evening Bat · Hoary Bat · Little Brown Bat · Northern Bat · Tricolored bat
Also on the checklistCommon Opossum · Domestic cat · Domestic dogs · Groundhog · Marsh Oryzomys · Virginia Opossum · skunks
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Questions people ask
Does George Washington charge an entrance fee?
No. George Washington is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at George Washington?
Standard hours are 8:15AM - 4:15PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and it is closed on Sunday and Saturday.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in George Washington?
The Park Service lists no campgrounds inside George Washington.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at George Washington right now?
5 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Single Lane Closures on South Parkway Near River Farm Drive; Northbound GWMP Lane Closures Between Spout Run and Route 123 Resumes; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is George Washington?
6,732,932 recreation visits in 2025, number 8 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
When was George Washington established?
1930. It covers about 11 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.
