National Capital Parks-East
National Capital Parks — East invites you to explore more than 8,000 acres of scenic parkland, historic landmarks, and vibrant community spaces across Washington, D.C. and Maryland. From the riverside trails of Anacostia Park to the homes of American leaders like Frederick Douglass and Carter G. Woodson, each of our 17 nationally significant parks offers a distinct experience.
About under an hour from Washington and under an hour from Baltimore by car.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| National Capital Parks — East Headquarters | Varies by day ▾
|
Hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow |
|
| Nov 11, 2026Veterans Day | Closed |
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Year's Day | Closed |
| Jan 18, 2027Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. | Closed |
| Feb 15, 2027Washington’s Birthday | Closed |
| May 31, 2027Memorial Day | Closed |
| Jun 19, 2027Juneteenth National Independence Day | Closed |
| Jul 4, 2027Independence Day | Closed |
| Sep 6, 2027Labor Day | Closed |
| Oct 12, 2027Columbus Day | Closed |
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 - Become an Oxon Hill Farm Junior Ranger30-90 Minutes
Oxon Hill Farm Junior Ranger Program
Opens on the Park Service site - Birding at Fort Washington Park
Come for the history, stay for the birds. Fort Washington Park has a diverse array of bird species spread among its distinct ecosystems.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hiking at Oxon Cove Park30-120 Minutes
Hiking at Oxon Cove Park
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 12Hide
- Go Roller Skating
Visit the National Park Service's only roller skating pavilion!
Opens on the Park Service site - Oxon Hill Farm Self Guided Tour15-45 Minutes
Take a walk and see the historic structures of Oxon Hill Farm.
Opens on the Park Service site - Golf in DC's National Parks
Visit one of three golf courses at National Parks in Washington, DC
Opens on the Park Service site - Discover Frederick Douglass’s Home30-120 Minutes
Explore the home of Frederick Douglass, a leading voice in the abolitionist movement.
Opens on the Park Service site - Peer Into the Past at the Carter G. Woodson Home30-90 Minutes
The Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site is one of the newest units of the National Park Service. Acquired in 2005, the historic home was restored and opened to the public in 2017, and the restoration of the remaining structures is expected…
Opens on the Park Service site - Explore the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House30-90 Minutes
Learn about the life and legacy of Mary McLeod Bethune as well as the work of the organization she established, the National Council of Negro Women, and how she used the power of education, political activism, and civil service to achieve racial and…
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Monthly Shepherd Parkway Community Clean-Up11/1410:30 AM · runs through Dec 12 · free · registration required555 Newcomb St SE Washington, DC 20032
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 25× · 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: 219 birds, 25 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 · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Bittern · American Black Duck · American Coot · American White Pelican · American Wigeon · Black-crowned Night Heron · Black-necked Grebe · Blue Goose · Blue-winged Teal · Bufflehead · Canada Goose · Common Goldeneye · Common Loon · Common Merganser · Common Teal · Double-crested Cormorant · Eurasian Wigeon · Glossy Ibis · Great Blue Heron · Great Egret · Greater Scaup · Greater White-fronted Goose · Green Heron · Hooded Merganser · Horned Grebe · Lesser Scaup · Little Blue Heron · Long-tailed Duck · Northern Pintail · Pied-billed Grebe · Red-breasted Merganser · Red-necked Grebe · Ring-necked Duck · Ruddy Duck · Snowy Egret · Tundra Swan · Virginia Rail · Wood Duck · Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Avocet · American Golden Plover · American Woodcock · Black Tern · Black-bellied Plover · Bonaparte's Gull · Caspian Tern · Common Snipe · Common Tern · Dunlin · European Herring Gull · Forster's Tern · Franklin's Gull · Great Black-backed Gull · Greater Yellowlegs · Killdeer · Laughing Gull · Least Sandpiper · Least Tern · Lesser Black-backed Gull · Lesser Yellowlegs · Pectoral Sandpiper · Ring-billed Gull · Sanderling · Semipalmated Plover · Semipalmated Sandpiper · Short-billed Dowitcher · Solitary Sandpiper · Spotted Sandpiper · Stilt Sandpiper · Western Sandpiper · White-rumped Sandpiper · Willet
Gamebirds & dovesCommon Pheasant · Common Pigeon · Grouse · Mourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Ruffed Grouse · 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 · Ae'o · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Pipit · American Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Baltimore Oriole · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Bicknell's Thrush · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-billed Cuckoo · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Blue-headed Vireo · Bobolink · Brant · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Canvasback · Carolina Chickadee · Carolina Wren · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Chuck-will's-widow · Common Grackle · Common Moorhen · Common Nighthawk · Common Starling · Common Yellowthroat · Connecticut Warbler · Coots · Dark-eyed Junco · Dickcissel · Ducks · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Wood Pewee · Evening Grosbeak · Field Sparrow · Fish Crow · Formerly known as Chewink · Fox Sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Golden-winged Warbler · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Gray-cheeked Thrush · Great Crested Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Least Flycatcher · Lincoln's Sparrow · Mallard · Marsh Wren · Northern Cardinal · Northern Goshawk · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shoveler · Orchard Oriole · Phalaropes · Philadelphia Vireo · Pine Siskin · Prothonotary Warbler · Purple Finch · Purple Martin · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-throated Diver · Red-winged Blackbird · Redhead · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Rough-winged Swallows · Roughleg · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rusty Blackbird · Sand Martin · Savannah Sparrow · Scarlet Tanager · Song Sparrow · Sora · Summer Tanager · Surf Scoter · Swainson's Thrush · Swamp Sparrow · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · Veery · Vesper Sparrow · Warbling Vireo · Western Kingbird · Whip-poor-will · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Winter Wren · Wood Thrush · Yellow-bellied Flycatcher · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-throated Vireo
Small mammalsAmerican Beaver · Brown Rat · Cinereus Shrew · Common Muskrat · Eastern Chipmunk · Eastern Cottontail · Eastern Gray Squirrel · Eastern Mole · House Mouse · Meadow Jumping Mouse · Meadow Vole · Southeastern Shrew · White-footed Deermouse · mole shrew
PredatorsAmerican Mink · Common Gray Fox · Cross Fox · River Otter · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsWhite-tailed Deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Eastern Red Bat · Little Brown Bat
Also on the checklistCommon Opossum · Groundhog
Activities
Weather & climate
Summers are generally hot and humid, with daytime highs frequently above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, high humidity, and scattered afternoon thunderstorms. Winters are generally cold, with nighttime lows frequently near freezing and occasional snowfall. Weather during spring and fall is generally moderate, but can change quickly.
Questions people ask
Does National Capital Parks-East charge an entrance fee?
No. National Capital Parks-East is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at National Capital Parks-East?
Standard hours are 8:00AM - 4:00PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and it is closed on Sunday and Saturday. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
Is there cell service at National Capital Parks-East?
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 National Capital Parks-East established?
1965.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at National Capital Parks-East?
Summers are generally hot and humid, with daytime highs frequently above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, high humidity, and scattered afternoon thunderstorms. Winters are generally cold, with nighttime lows frequently near freezing and occasional snowfall.
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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