Fort Washington Marina - Piscataway Park is located on the Piscataway Creek and the Potomac River…read more The marina area gives water access to boaters, offers slips for rental, and boat repair services. The park trail runs along the river and gives fabulous waterscape views and peeks of local wildlife, flora and fauna. Informational signage can be found along the trail giving historical insight. Fort Washington Marina is managed by the National Park Service and is one of various sites composing the Piscataway Park system. NOTE: When using the address provided, Google Maps will direct you to the marina itself. If you are interested in the marina only this address is accurate. If you are interested in the park.....the actual park entrance is just before the marina entrance on the left and there is a small pull-off / parking area. Due to recent rains and floods, the park has suffered severe erosion and damage. Use care when visiting.

This park has a small parking lot. It is located on the site of the old Fort Foote. There is not…read moremuch of the Fort remaining. I saw 2 15-inch Rodman Cannons, a house water trof and some collapsed cement structures. At the front of the park is a huge patch of green space with picnic tables under shade trees and a restroom structure. The Fort dates back to 1863, was constructed to defend the water approach to Washington DC and operated to 1878. It spans about 70 acres and sits 100 feet above the Potomac River. Along the backside of the trail (along the river) you can see Alexandria, The George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Mount Vernon and other monuments. The Park also has a small beach area to explore as well. I liked the placard, to the left as you enter the trails with the picture that has the superimposed image of what the Fort's gate looked like. I gave me a real idea of where the Fort was and you can really see where the gate would have been. To the left is also where you will find the 2 cannons. If you go to the right you will eventually hit the beach, The park is located off the water and has some nice, be it short nature trails. There are also some open green space. There was a guy in one of the fields letting his unleashed dogs running wild. Outside of the few remnants of the Fort, and some information placards, this is a decent and somewhat fairly maintained nature park. It is far off of the road and is very peaceful. I would recommend wearing long pants and a long sleeved shirt because some areas has some thick brush. Bug spray would not be a bad idea either. I like this park. You can just feel the history. I wish there was more of the Fort that was preserved, but oh well, the placards placed around the park do a decent job explaining where you are located in reference to the Fort. This place is definitely worth a visit. Being a nature park, it is not very accesible and would be very challenging for someone with mobility issues. I enjoyed my time at the park in addition to getting a little peace, I learned a bit as well.

A hidden gem from my childhood i grew up just 10 minutes away from this park. It's a super cool…read morehistorical site and easy to access. Take a moment to check it out, the cannons are HUGE!

I'm still new to cycling and have made it my business to note good local trails with scenic views…read more This is one of them. Located in Charles county, but it feels like you're far away from urban chaos. In fact, some of the views remind me of various vacation spots. I arrived at the trail head approximately 11:00am on a Saturday, which helped me avoid the early morning riders. According to my friends, even early morning rides have moderate trail usage, never crowded. They were finishing up as I got started. This is also important because parking at the trail head is limited. If you start at the beginning and go to the end, it's 13 miles of mostly smooth asphalt. Highway crossings are well marked and there are some inclines. There are also benches & a couple porta potties along the way. I'll return soon and see if I can spot a bald eagle.

If you love the great outdoor you would love the Indian Head Rail Trail. Located in southern…read moreMaryland at the end of Indian Head Hwy 210. You will find a small town with a big future. Come enjoy walking or riding the trail. You will see a lot of wildlife. Be prepared to do a lot of speaking and waving because that is what we do here. The trail is 13 miles one way. Indian Head to White Plains Maryland. One of my favorite things to do on a nice day is to grab my bike and my riding partner T'Challa - my dog literally lol and take the trail by storm. Hope to see you they one day.

Exploring areas around the DMV and finally made it to this gem in Maryland. Great Visitor Center…read morewith friendly & informative Staff. She went over map of area, described the trails, what was closed for repair or Eagle nesting. She also gave us a bird check-list which upon reviewing will definitely be back in Spring in hopes of getting a couple Lifers. Clean restrooms and plenty of displays of local wildlife. We visited 09 Feb 2024 (mid-day) so bird activity was somewhat quiet, but did spot several types of Woodpeckers to include a few Red-Heads. We also saw some sparrows, tufted titmouses, robins, crows and seagulls. Trails were nicely marked and not too strenuous. Plenty of boardwalks and viewing blinds to view wildlife. Plenty of parking and entrance fee of $6 is reasonable to support the upkeep of such a nice Sanctuary. They also have memberships which we would do if a little closer to home. Will be back for sure.

Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary is a perfect day trip from Washington, D.C. A 30-minute drive from the…read morecity, it's 1,500 acres of boardwalk wetlands and wooded hiking trails. Here are a few things to note: 1) Parking: The park opens at 9am and parking is free during the week. If you go on a weekend, it's $6 per vehicle. 2) Classes: Once you park and walk to the education center, you'll notice the array of classes and events they host from kayaking to birdwatching to gardening. The center is closed due to the pandemic, but they do lay out helpful maps outside to guide your visit. 3) Exploration: There are many trails throughout the sanctuary with signs that guide you. There's a boardwalk out into the wetlands with beautiful views of the Patuxent River. As you walk along the boardwalk, look for wildlife like frogs and heron. Most of the trails are wooded with fun things to find along the way like a blue tic-tac-toe board made from shells. There are observation decks along the trails as well. 4) Points of interest: Nearby the actual sanctuary are a few other fun things to visit like the Glendening Butterfly Garden and Nature Preserve and the Mount Calvert Archeological Park. Jug Bay Wetlands is a great place for a day trip for adults and kids! It gives you a little bit of everything from nature to wildlife to history.

Attended a family reunion at indoor facility. The indoor space was very nice. Holding many people…read more Bathrooms right at entrance. Sadly there are no playground areas in the park. We couldn't find picnic tables either. So for us with little ones in tow, being outdoors wasn't a good experience. It's such a beautiful park hopefully a playground area is in the works.

This is a great hidden park It's very quiet and clean and…read moreeveryone is very friendly. They have a peer that you can go fishing on as well as crabbing and they also have a kid friendly outdoor pool which is separate from where the pier is located. It's very inexpensive only three dollars to enter and everyone is nice. I've never had any problems and the kids are super friendly Cash Only (it's not posted on the web site) and be ready to have a lot of fun!!

Accokeek East Community Park offers multi-use / multi-dimensional recreational fields and picnic…read moreareas. There is a trail that runs the perimeter of the park. Also available is a playground area, basketball courts, a covered pavilion with grill capacity, and several seating areas sporadically placed throughout the park. The surrounding wooded area provides a pretty landscape / backdrop. Accokeek East is a nice place to just walk, sit and read a book, enjoy nature, have a family gathering or just take the kids to play. Handicapped/disabled parking is available and the paved top allows easy access and use for most.

this park doubles as an overpass of the woodrow wilson bridge....from an aerial view, it's actually…read morequite pretty since you can see the intricate landscaping of this landmark. i didn't spend too much time here, as i was just "passing by" on the way to the woodrow wilson bridge trail during my morning run from national harbor, md to alexandria, va via the wilson bridge. the climb to get here was mildly challenging, but short, and i had just a few minutes to admire this park before i ascended onto the bridge. there aren't any restrooms or water fountains here, but one could take time to sit on one of the many benches and just admire the panoramic views of the potomac river and national harbor. this park is suitable for walkers, runners, rollerbladers and cyclists, but is not open to cars - vehicles have their own ramp up to the bridge.

The most iconic trail in Fort Belvoir. Lining the trail are signs bearing historical information of…read morethe Belvoir Mansion ruins. The trail leads to the grave of Deborah Clarke (died in 1746) , the wife of William Fairfax, the owner of the mansion. A monument is built over her grave (1921). The trail also leads to the Potomac View Trail. Excellent trail with sitting areas to view the Potomac River and the border area line of Maryland.