Where to Find Nature in Washington, DC

A running list of the places I escape to for time spent outside when I’m not able to travel further out of the city.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list; rather, it’s more like a chronicle of places I’m recording as I explore them!

The U.S. National Arboretum

Northeast, DC | Accessible by bus, bike, or car.

Why I like it:

From my part of the city, I can get there in 10 minutes by car.
It’s huge, and there are a lot of trails, so I visit something different every time.
There are a ton of trees and plants I can’t see anywhere else in the city.
In the winter, when most of our mid-Atlantic trees have shed their leaves and entered dormancy, I like to visit the conifer collection and frolick among the evergreen trees, including firs, and even a California redwood!
It’s usually not very crowded, since it’s further from the tourist centers, so I find it very peaceful. This is all with the exception of peak cherry blossom season, of course.

Rock Creek Park

Northwest, DC | Accessible by bus, metro+bus, bike, or car.

Why I like it:

I can get there in about 30 minutes by car from my part of the city.
It’s a real, natural forest full of native tree and plant species, and plenty of wildlife. There are some BIG tulip poplars, beeches, and oaks in there.
Because of how the creek has carved the landscape over time, there is some decent elevation variation here, so it feels like true hiking.
It’s run by the National Park Service, and there is a nice visitor center with good parking.
I find it beautiful when it’s full of foliage, and in winter when the foliage is gone, it’s extremely peaceful with fewer crowds, and more deer.
It’s a very popular park, so there are almost always other people around – biking, jogging, driving, and hiking. I like to go early in the mornings or on special weekdays when I happen to be off work to get solitude if I’m craving it.

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens & The Anacostia River Trail

Northeast, DC | Accessible by bus, bike, or car.

Why I like it:

I can get to both of these in about 15 minutes by car. I’ve combined them, because they are connected, and I like to visit both in the same outing when I can.
They are further from tourist centers and therefore less crowded, and typically more peaceful. This does exclude Kenilworth’s Lotus festival, when the lotuses are in bloom, which leads to some major crowding. But it’s worth braving for the flowers!
They are both great places to observe the rich riparian (of or near a river) environments that make up our city – from the trees that prefer to grow on the tidal banks (sycamore, silver maple), to the wildlife that enjoys the waterways (cranes, heron, eagles, osprey, and turtles).
While I wouldn’t call the walking I do along the Anacostia River hiking, as the trails are usually flat and paved, they do give me a wonderful alternative to walking in the city proper and a lush place to clear my head.

Woodend Nature Sanctuary

Chevy Chase, MD (Northwest, DC) | Accessible by bus, bike, or car.

Why I like it:

While technically in Chevy Chase, Maryland, it’s just over the NW DC border, so I’m including it.
This is a new find for me, and I haven’t explored it all yet, but on my first visit, I very much enjoyed the educational aspect of this space.
The sanctuary focuses on growing and protecting native plants, and is home to beautiful older, bigger, trees like tulip poplar, magnolias, cedar, and oaks.
They have a stream-bed rehabilitation project that doubles as a beautiful aquatic plant pond you can walk through.
All of the native plants create a fantastic habitat for local birds, so the bird-watching here is top-notch.
I went on a Saturday and it wasn’t crowded in the least.
It connects to the Rock Creek trail, which can take you all the day down to Rock Creek Park on foot or by bike.
They host a lot of events, and have a very cute gift shop, where I picked up a local native cactus (have you heard of eastern prickly pear? so cool).

City parks like Stanton, Lincoln Park

Northeast, DC (though the whole city has them) | Accessible by bus, bike, sometimes metro, or car.

Why I like it:

We’re very lucky in DC to be only a few blocks away from a small city park, no matter where you are in the city. For me, the closest parks are Stanton Park, and Lincoln Park.
These parks provide quick and accessible access to beautiful trees, grassy space for picnics, benches for resting during a longer walk, and usually play areas for kids.
I’ve discovered that at dusk in the summer, both of these parks are FILLED with fireflies. It’s worth walking over in the evenings, picking a bench, and admiring the view.
In the winter, I watched a hawk land in a tree at Stanton Park. I didn’t expect to have that cool of a wildlife encounter so close to home.

Thanks for reading! I’m always exploring new places and plan to add more to this list. Have a park or other spot that I should see? I’d love for you to leave me a comment below.