Theodore Roosevelt Island
In the 1930s, landscape architects transformed Mason’s Island from neglected, overgrown farmland into Theodore Roosevelt Island, a memorial to America’s 26th president. They conceived a “real forest” designed to mimic the natural forest that once covered the island. Today miles of trails through wooded uplands and swampy bottomlands honor the legacy of a great outdoorsman and conservationist.
About under an hour from Washington and under an hour from Baltimore by car.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Theodore Roosevelt Island Trails and Parking Lot | Daily · 6:00AM - 10:00PM |
When to go
October draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
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
- 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 - Discover Theodore Roosevelt Island1-3 Hours
Theodore Roosevelt Island is a memorial that honors the legacy of a great outdoorsman and conservationist. Learn about America’s 26th president, and the diverse human and natural history of the island.
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 95× · Bald Eagle 26× · Barred Owl 12× · Osprey 12× · 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: 167 birds, 3 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barred Owl · Black Vulture · Great Horned Owl · Osprey · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Bittern · American Black Duck · Black-crowned Night Heron · Blue-winged Teal · Canada Goose · Great Blue Heron · Great Egret · Green Heron · Horned Grebe · Pied-billed Grebe · Ruddy Duck · Virginia Rail · Wood Duck · Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Woodcock · Black Tern · Black-bellied Plover · Bonaparte's Gull · Caspian Tern · Common Snipe · Common Tern · European Herring Gull · Forster's Tern · Great Black-backed Gull · Killdeer · Laughing Gull · Lesser Yellowlegs · Ring-billed Gull · Semipalmated Plover · Solitary Sandpiper · Spotted Sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesCommon Pigeon · Mourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite
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 Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Baltimore Oriole · Barn Swallow · Bay-breasted Warbler · Belted Kingfisher · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-capped Chickadee · Black-throated Blue Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blackburnian Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Blue-headed Vireo · Blue-winged Warbler · Bobolink · Brewer's Blackbird · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Canada Warbler · Canvasback · Cape May Warbler · Carolina Chickadee · Carolina Wren · Cedar Waxwing · Cerulean Warbler · Chestnut-sided Warbler · Chipping Sparrow · Common Grackle · Common Nighthawk · Common Starling · Common Yellowthroat · Dark-eyed Junco · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Towhee · Eastern Wood Pewee · Evening Grosbeak · Field Sparrow · Fish Crow · Fox Sparrow · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Golden-winged Warbler · Gray Catbird · Gray-cheeked Thrush · Great Crested Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Hooded Warbler · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Kentucky Warbler · Least Flycatcher · Louisiana Waterthrush · Magnolia Warbler · Mallard · Mangrove Warbler · Marsh Wren · Monk Parakeet · Myrtle Warbler · Nashville Warbler · Northern Cardinal · Northern Goshawk · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Parula · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Waterthrush · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Orchard Oriole · Ovenbird · Palm Warbler · Philadelphia Vireo · Pine Warbler · Prairie Warbler · Purple Martin · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Roughleg · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rusty Blackbird · Sand Martin · Scarlet Tanager · Sedge Wren · Song Sparrow · Swainson's Thrush · Swamp Sparrow · Tennessee Warbler · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · Veery · Vesper Sparrow · Warbling Vireo · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Winter Wren · Wood Thrush · Worm-eating Warbler · Yellow-bellied Flycatcher · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-throated Vireo · Yellow-throated Warbler
BatsBig Brown Bat · Eastern Pipistrelle · Eastern Red Bat
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Canoeing and kayaking in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
Outdoor trails and memorial plaza subject to weather for Washington, D.C. and Arlington, VA.
Questions people ask
Does Theodore Roosevelt Island charge an entrance fee?
No. Theodore Roosevelt Island is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Theodore Roosevelt Island?
Standard hours are 6:00AM - 10:00PM, every day.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Theodore Roosevelt Island?
159,828 recreation visits in 2025, number 188 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Theodore Roosevelt Island?
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
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.
