A favorite spot for a nice walk. If you don't like dogs, be prepared that some people will often bring their dogs unleashed to the park (although not allowed). The green boats program (which offers hour long kayaking sessions where you also pick up trash from Kingman lake,via water) is one of my favorite activities on the program, in addition to enjoying all of the lovely trails. It's a great (less traffic filled) short cut to get from Benning road to Oklahoma avenue, if you are on foot or bike. The trail can be bumpy and rocky in places so I don't recommend for road bikes or scooters and absolutely no motorized vehicles. read more

A little known fact is that Washington, DC has several islands throughout the city where you can escape from the hustle & bustle of city life and commune with nature right within the city limits. I used to visit the Kingman and Heritage Islands Park quite often when I lived in the DMV. They tend to have a lot less foot traffic due to their NE DC environs. read more

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This a beautiful and peaceful environment. Perfect place to go hiking, biking also great for picnic activities. Totally recommend wearing hiking shoes for safety. read more

Kingman and Heritage Islands Park - Parks Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Wonderful serene hiking trails with unique wildlife and nice foot bridges separating the islands tucked away near RFK Stadium. While feeling secluded, the islands are only a stone's throw from the bustling city. The main paved boardwalk trail to both islands is about a 1 mile out and back with 1-2 miles of little trails throughout the islands. While the Kingman Island (after the 2nd footbridge) is larger than the Heritage Island, they are both much smaller than Roosevelt Island with less foot traffic. It can feel pretty creepy and get sketchy (especially the graffiti rocky area of the underpass on Kingman Island), so definitely bring a friend! Furry friends are welcomed as there are a couple dog waste disposals spots near the beginning of the trail. There's also an enclosed meadow where our dog loved running around! While there are no views of DC, there's some pretty interesting aquatic and wildlife of sweet jasmine trees, corndog plants, and monarch butterflies fluttering around. Staying on the main paved path is your safest bet as the overgrown trails are brushed with poison ivy and can be muddy. On Heritage Island, there's a 0.25 mile loop trail that was full of poison ivy and so swampy and muddy, that we turned around mid-way. On Kingman Island, there's a narrow dirt overgrown nature trail that splits off from the main trail (right after the underpass) that you don't want to explore too deep into the woods. The guy in front of us encountered a couple of raccoons. The #TRASHFREEDC litter display of all the trash collected from the Anacostia River is quite remarkable - 1.2 Million Pounds every year mostly due to stormwater runoff! The Islands are a hidden gem and a great city escape! There are some blue grass festivals that I would love to check out here. read more

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Beautiful park and nature area. Secluded enough from the city but you still get the background noise of the train going by every once in a while. read more

DC is probably the only city where you can be lost in a swamp while listening to the vuvuzelas and Latin music of a soccer tailgate within the city limits. The footbridge to this island park is near Lot 6 of RFK Stadium, which is apparently used for some international friendlies, despite being a moribund structure which has now been abandoned by three of our local major sports teams. The Anacostia is DC's forgotten river, and has been undergoing a long cleaning and revitalization process. The neighborhoods around it have a reputation for blight and crime. I've been watching the development of this part of our city for some time, and with regards to this park, it seems still a work in progress. The boardwalk is nice enough, but taking the trail on the first island yields some interesting views at the cost of a lot of broken glass, and a sense that you might want to bring some bug spray and perhaps a machete. The trail is a bit overgrown, and the boardwalk on the eastern end of the island was hard to even find. That's Heritage Island. Kingman Island is larger and somewhat less swampy, though if you venture under the bridge to its southern end, you'll find another fairly overgrown trail. There are some nice children's programs, some interesting history, and some important conservation work all associate with this area, which I have been following from afar. The visitor experience hasn't quite made it yet, but it's a nice stretch of nature and one that I hope will continue to be developed responsibly. read more

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Pretty great nature preserve, right near DC! Situated northeast of RFK stadium, Kingman Island (as most people call it, I have no idea what the difference is between Kingman and Heritage Parks) is special. Parking is a little weird, at least right now in the summer of 2019. Work on an adjacent park with astroturf playing fields is still underway in its final stages at the time of this review. There is a partially newly paved parking lot, brand new athletic fields, and a really nice bike trail that leads to Kingman Island. The athletic fields are really cool, and they include everything from nice restrooms to water fountains to a really great kids playground. So there are amenities nearby. To get to the island parks, there's a nice sign and gate that you can walk through, which gives you access to some wood bridges going over the Anacostia River. The first island has a 0.25 mile loop trail which inspired this review. I took my twin 2-year olds out here and we enjoyed everything from turtles, to sticks, to trees, to various bugs, to turtles. There are clearly some rodents around, probably raccoons, judging by the frequency of mysterious burrows. I bet there are also water snakes, so just be careful. The island trails feel extremely isolated and other than the odd engine braking on the interstate or a helicopter passing overhead, it's pretty quiet and can just hear some birds chirping. The trail is clear but encroached by plant life. It also obviously gets muddy, as evidenced by the many bike tracks through the woods. While we were out here, there were several groups who came through on nature hikes. Most of them looked like they had never been in the woods before and certainly didn't dress for the occasion, so they were uncomfortable. It was very hot, so I strongly recommend bringing water with you. However it was also very shaded. There was a bit of old trash and random stuff left out in the park, as you might expect. An old sock, a random plastic water bottle here and there. It's virtually impossible to keep it trash free considering its size and adjacency to a trashy river. But generally it was pretty nice and I would strongly recommend it as a great way to experience nature right by the city. In terms of its competitors, it was less crowded, more secluded, quieter and more bohemian than Teddy Roosevelt Island, for instance. I have been to the larger island (over another wooden bridge) as well during the Kingman Island and Heritage Festival, which is a really neat music festival that is probably my top music fest in DC. The larger island has a larger trail. I'm not sure if there are restrooms out there, so this is only speculation on my part but don't count on it. And do count on more mud, although the trail on the larger island is more well paved with a bit of gravel and straw, and there are large rocks in various locations where you can sit and enjoy nature. It's really neat out there. It's very special to have something so secluded and nice and reasonably safe only minutes from the hustle and bustle (woo, cliche used in numerous reviews!) in downtown DC. I do think this could become unsafe very quickly, however. RFK is not the greatest area, so I'd suggest coming with a friend or keeping your phone handy and having a good sense of your surroundings. Most visitors are just trying to get away and enjoy nature, but being safe is imperative no matter what. Still, total 5-star nature experience! read more

Was excited to check this out but admittedly it was underwhelming. It's overgrown and neglected by the city. I would bring someone with you because it's isolated and not a lot of people on the paths. There is easy and free parking at RKF and a sign that points you to the Island. It closes at dark (I wouldn't stay there until dark). You could explore for an hour or so but that's about it. The paths are beaten up and there are a lot of fallen trees. In the summer you can kayak which could be fun. The boardwalk has areas where you can launch a kayak but I don't know if it needs to be registered with the city. Overall I wouldn't recommend. read more

If you are someone who gets exhausted by the hustle and bustle of a city like DC, Kingman and Heritage Island Park is for you. Metro on over to Stadium-Armory and walk over to the small bridge to the left of the stadium. Once over, you'll feel like you're in a small part of the Shenandoah National Forest. Walk around the island by the water and enjoy the trees. At some point, you'll walk under the bridge filled with beautiful graffiti and Instagram worthy moments. Warning: Don't go here alone. It's a little creepy at times. Take a friend or two or your dog. read more

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I was looking for something different to do, and I sort of stumbled upon this place. Adjacent to RFK Stadium with plenty of parking, Kingman and Heritage Islands Park offers a refreshing break form the hustle and bustle of city life in our nation's capital. It is neat walking on the bridges to enter the island, overlooking dirty water. I assume this is the swamp that people refer to when they say DC was built upon one. Not many people were hiking in the area, so we had much of the place to ourselves. It was quite peaceful. read more

Kingman and Heritage Islands Park - Parks Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Awesome park. I so miss coming here. So many free performances for the community. So vast with beautiful scenery. read more

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I visited both Heritage & Kingman islands yesterday, and they were incredible!!! I got in a 2-hr nature walk and saw so many places to take amazing photos. Heritage Island is more rustic than Kingman and had many plants from my childhood that I recognized including foxtail weeds, lilies, and bulb plants. I had been concerned about safety from reading the WaPo article. However, the islands both felt safe. I parked on the street, free with a 2-hr time limit, and walked through RFK parking lot 6. It's not scary like the WaPo article made out, and the bridges are solid and gorgeous not "rickety." Plus there's a pedestrian access point on Benning Rd and from the Anacostia River Walk trail so if parking lot 6 isn't your thing, no worries. We spotted no encampments or panhandlers. We did see people hiking and cycling, people planting trees, and a couple having a picnic on the bridge overlooking the river. We met Lee, the Living Classrooms manager of the Islands, and he is super cool. He answered all our questions and was super inviting. He told us that 4th graders had replanted the wetlands I had admired off Heritage Island and that the wetlands have many natural predators of mosquitoes and that's one reason we didn't see or experience any. I had bug spray ready just in case. But no bites noticed yet! The primary purpose of the island & Living Classrooms is to educate DC children and to train at-risk youth (age 16-24) in marketable fields and help them gain employment. So cool! Commissioned street art adorns an underpass, and it's not tagged because it's that freaking cool. Wear athletic attire, and go with a friend because that's just more fun. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/washington-has-its-own-island-oasis-so-why-isnt-anyone-going-there/2016/05/17/ce40f20a-13a8-11e6-81b4-581a5c4c42df_story.html read more

This spot is one of my favorite parts about living in Kingman Park. It's an awesome spot for reconnecting with nature and it's been so rewarding to see how the islands have and continue to improve due to the hard work of lots of volunteers, Friends of Kingman and Heritage Islands, the Anacostia Watershed Society and DC govt. Can't wait to keep making memories here!! read more

Kingman and Heritage Islands Park - Parks Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I wanted to love Kingman Island... but it was too neglected, overgrown, and lonely and somewhat trashed - broken glass, water bottles and other junk littered sections of the trail. With just a little care it could be an absolute treasure. Three stars because my puppy loved it and it's got potential. read more

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Who knew this was here?! (Okay, so probably plenty of people other than me, but I was really surprised.) Kingman Island is a long, narrow island in the Anacostia River - the north end of which is separately maintained as a golf course - on the north side of RFK Stadium, and the park includes at least one smaller island in "Kingman Lake." The park currently seems to be relatively little-known, except for the growing crowds that have shown up each year for the National Get Outdoors day events and the bluegrass festival. The islands have a few trails, lots of trees, and a good amount and diversity of birds and bugs. (For what it's worth, the Canadian geese do not seem to have taken over this area yet.) The park's also attached to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, which gives convenient access for bikers; the bridges and the main island's road (a construction road, I think) seem to be good places for riding. Parking is plentiful - at least on the weekend - in a distant RFK lot, just outside the gate to the park. Two things to keep in mind. First, facilities are nonexistent. And second, there's construction going on as some of the trails are developed/improved -- be careful of the equipment and some of the divots in the road caused by some of the heavier equipment. (The park's website says the park is closed until June 25 because of the initial construction. Although the park was open in mid-June, it may have been specifically because of special events.) The construction will continue for a while because an environmental education center is also scheduled to be built. read more

I really want to like this place. I've done a cleanup there and it just needs more of that and more care. The first time I came here, I couldn't figure out where the entrance was from the parking lot. read more

I found an entrance off of Benning Road today and was wowed! I have wanted to run through here for a long time.... So, that said, I went through the people gate on Benning and wound my way around to the path. The Signage on Kingman could be a little better (telling me there was no egress at the other end would have been helpful). But I sallied forth and continued my march on...even when the path ended I continued on, following bike treads and puppy treads, I thought I would come out on the other end and find a bridge...sadly, the trail sort of ended and I reversed my course and exited out on the RFK parking lot, which, delightfully was the Open Air Farmer's Market (Saturdays and Wednesdays (I think)) so I was able to buy some water before my trek home. So, on a coolness factor, this place rocks! There were families with kids on bikes, kids wandering around, runners on the trail, it was so awesome! I will be back, after the damned half marathon I am training for read more

Absolute gem -- will make you feel like you are in the woods rather than feet from the hustle of DC. Went there for the first time for the Kingman Island Bluegrass Festival (which was fabulous), but there is so much to do on any other day too. Island is managed by a science/environmental educational organization. Tons of great trails and peace/quiet. Believe there are several entrances, but I enter from one of the northern parking lots of RFK. Would recommend going during daytime and with a friend for safety's sake, although I've always felt safe when there. read more

3.25 stars sounds about right with the potential for more with extra care from the city. While I am no fan of man made nature, it looks passable! I think with better maintance, this could turn into a real gem in the city but I had the feeling that it was somewhat ignored when I visited. None the less, if you have had your fill from Roosevelt island and want a more obscure island in the city, you have another place to check out! Worth it if you have done tons of other things in the city and are looking for more..But I would no read more

Came here for the Blue-grass festival. The festival itself was an enjoyable time, and the island was pretty nice. The hordes of people and rain turned the majority of the ground into mud very quickly, and everything was soaked through-- but on a sunny day, I'm sure it's nice for a short walk or picnic. read more