Washington Monument
Built to honor George Washington, the United States' first president, the 555-foot marble obelisk towers over Washington, D.C.
About under an hour from Washington and under an hour from Baltimore by car.
Alerts
- InformationWashington Monument is closed for maintenance one day each month
The monument is also closed for the holidays on July 4 and Dec 25 each year. BY MONTH 2026 CLOSURE DATES for Maintenance. JANUARY8 (THU) FEBRUARY3 (TUE) MARCH4 (WED) APRIL6 (MON) MAY7 (THU) JUNE2 (TUE) JULY8 (WED) AUGUST3 (MON) SEPTEMBER16 (WED) OCTOBER5 (MON) NOVEMBER5 (THU) DECEMBER8 (TUE)
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here. The tours below are the exception.
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Tours & reservations | ||
| Washington Monument Tour ↗Jan–DecReservations are required to enter the Washington Monument | $1 | |
This site is fee-free year-round, but timed tickets are required for entry.
Timed tickets are required to enter the Washington Monument and ride the elevator to the observation deck. Advance tickets are available online at recreation.gov. Same-day tickets are available at the Washington Monument Lodge ticket window, located at the rear of the building, while supplies last.
Parking: Street parking is located on Madison Drive NW, Jefferson Drive SW, and Constitution Drive NW. Metered lot parking is located at the Paddle Boat parking lot, accessed via southbound Maine Ave. SW.
Hours
| Regular Hours | Daily · 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
Hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas Day | Hours not published |
| Jan 10, 2027Maintenance Closures | Hours not published |
| Jul 4, 2027Independence Day (July 4) | Hours not published |
When to go
September draws the most visits here and January 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
- Visit the Washington Monument15-90 Minutes
Did you know you can go to the top of the Washington Monument? You can! But you will need to plan ahead. Tickets are required to visit the interior of the Washington Monument.
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 Washington Monument and the Mid-Atlantic
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
- Washington Monument Illustrated; Complete Guide and History; Authentic Facts and Figures; Pictorial City of WashingtonIna Capitola Emery, 2018Find at Bookshop.org
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Weather & climate
Washington, DC experiences all four seasons. Humidity will make the temps feel hotter in summer and colder in winter. Spring (March - May) Temp: Average high is 65.5 degrees with a low of 46.5 degrees Summer (June - August) Temp: Average high is 86 degrees with a low of 68.5 degrees Fall (September - November) Temp: Average high is 68 degrees with a low of 51.5 degrees Winter (December - February) Temp: Average high is 45 degrees with a low of 30 degrees (Source: www.usclimatedata.com)
Questions people ask
Does Washington Monument charge an entrance fee?
No. Washington Monument is free to enter, though some tours and ticketed sites inside charge separately.
Source: National Park Service
Do I need a reservation to enter Washington Monument?
Timed tickets are required to enter the Washington Monument and ride the elevator to the observation deck. Advance tickets are available online at recreation.gov.
Source: Timed entry, by park
What are the hours at Washington Monument?
Standard hours are 9:00AM - 5:00PM, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Washington Monument right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: Washington Monument is closed for maintenance one day each month.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Washington Monument?
204,489 recreation visits in 2025, number 174 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Washington Monument?
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 Washington Monument established?
1848.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Washington Monument?
Washington, DC experiences all four seasons. Humidity will make the temps feel hotter in summer and colder in winter.
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.
