Fort Washington Park

13551 Fort Washington Rd, Fort Washington, MD 20744, USA

Address:	13551 Fort Washington Rd, Fort Washington, MD 20744, USA
Phone:	+1 301-763-4600
Site:	nps.gov
Rating:	4.5
Working:	9AM–4:30PM 9AM–4:30PM 9AM–4:30PM 9AM–4:30PM 9AM–4:30PM 9AM–4:30PM 9AM–4:30PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 7

Steve Markos

I am a writer and photographer for National Park Planner and I visited Fort Washington Park in May 2016. The park is located in Fort Washington, Maryland, just south of Alexandria on the Potomac River. It preserves the site of a brick fort that was constructed between 1814 and 1824, plus a number of concrete artillery batteries built in the 1890s. The fort is open to the public for self-exploration, and Ranger-guided tours are given throughout the year, though the schedule varies per season. A few of the batteries are also open, though some require a hike to reach. Fort Washington Park was actually created by Congress in 1930 for the purpose of becoming the terminus for the George Washington Parkway, but that never happened. No public grounds were available until after World War II. Throughout the 1930s the fort and grounds were used as housing for the 12th Infantry, the honor guard for Washington D. C. It wasn’t until 1939 that the fort was turned over to the Department of Interior, but it was pressed back into action during World War II. After the war it was decommissioned for good and transferred back to the National Park Service, at which time the grounds were opened to the public. Since 1965, Fort Washington Park has been a unit of the National Capital Parks-East, a collection of National Park properties extending from the US Capitol to the suburbs of Maryland. While the park draws tourists coming to the Washington D. C. area who are interested in history, the large majority of visitors each year are local residents who use the park for recreational activities. Only a small percentage of visitors ever set foot in Fort Washington. By far the most popular activity is picnicking, and the park is home to eight large picnic areas that accommodate more than 100,000 people each year who come for family reunions, corporate outings, and church functions. A survey showed that most people think of Fort Washington Park only as a picnic facility and don’t even know that it is part of the National Park system or that it is significant to the history of the United States. Other recreational activities include hiking, biking, and fishing. There are also a number of large, nondescript fields throughout the park that are open to field sports of any type—soccer, softball, volleyball, football, etc. No need to reserve them; if they are open, start playing. At nearly 350 acres, Fort Washington Park is one of the largest public green spaces in Prince George’s County. For complete information about visiting Fort Washington Park and plenty of photos, see National Park Planner (npplan).

Alice Wang

On a simmering summer day, my boyfriend and I were driving along GW Parkway when we stopped at an overlook and saw Fort Washington across the river. Neither of us knew there was a fort so close to DC, and we decided to venture over to Maryland to check it out. Fort Washington was the only permanent fortification built to defend the river approach to DC. It was destroyed by its own garrison in the War of 1812 to prevent the British from capturing and occupying it, and the fort was rebuilt 10 years later. Now its one of the few seacoast forts in its original design. You can walk around the historic fort and the visitor center. The views are spectacular from the top, as you can see the Potomac River, the Wilson Bridge, and some of DC. There is also 3-mile trail that follows the perimeter of the park. Theres quite the deer population in the park, and I actually saw a family of them on the way out. There are also groundhogs, turtles, and birds roaming around. In front of the fort is Fort Washington Lighthouse, which is actually still in use today. Each year the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society host the Maryland Lighthouse Challenge and the interior of the lighthouse is opened up to visitors. There are also historic reenactments at the fort, like artillery demos, which give you a more-in-depth glimpse into Fort Washingtons history. After visiting the fort, a lot of folks will picnic in the park. You can reserve picnic areas online or by phone. You can also go fishing by the water. All in all, its a relatively unknown historic area with fantastic views of the Potomac, trails for walking/running, and picnic areas for gatherings. $5 per vehicle for a 3-day pass or $20 annual pass. Great spot for history buffs!

Geof Goodrum

I hiked the "Piscataway Creek Trail" from the Pine Road trailhead to the LEnfant Connection. As of 30 August 2014, the trail is undeveloped and largely unmarked. Use a GPS with tracking to trace your route and avoid briars on your return (I used Google Maps and BackCountry Navigator Android app). The trailhead off Pine Road is overgrown but path is marked by blue blazes inside the woods. The blazes end and requires some path finding, then bushwacking downhill toward the river where the path along the river is easy to follow. The stream valley is mostly deer trail and sewer line markers, then cross the stream over logs. There were scattered car tires, animal bones, and an abandoned golf cart near the LEnfant Connection. Mostly deer trail at this point. I turned around when I encountered a snake in the undergrowth that I did not want to disturb. Usual spider webs and chiggers for this time of year.

A Private User

I visited the Park on an August weekday to hike the perimeter trails. Some of the trails are just fine, others are not. Especially bad was the trail that begins just before the Entrance Station; at first it was a poorly maintained asphalt road, then it deteriorated to a footpath, eventually it was more like a deer trail near the tall fence that separates the park from the Tantallon golf course. Eventually we lost sight of any trail at all and were more or less bushwhacking our way toward daylight - - I say daylight because we were primarily in the forests understory and wanted to be back where the grass had been mowed and the paths were obvious. I think the trail maintenance folks have fallen down on the job.

Nola Iden

It would have been nice if there was a trail map or something when you get there, and signs off the trails themselves telling you distance and destination. We wandered around, came across some HUGE old guns that were awesome, but were really confused about all the other war relics and random diagrams around. It looks almost completely overgrown and unkept. The trail down to the water has a neat old building of some sort (no signs of what it was of course) and Im pretty sure homeless people live there. There is broken glass and trash all over the place. Maybe neat for photographers but dont take your family here, its a bit creepy. Such a shame to loose this place to nature...Maryland.

Marinda Wong

Beautiful view of George Washingtons Mount Vernon across the river. The Fort was well kept and the park was beautiful. There were a lot of deer and I saw several very young ones - too cute! I decided to hike the River Trail. I could find info on how many miles it is. I started from the parking lot by the lighthouse, crossed a small wooden bridge with trees/bushes overgrown into the bridge. It was a little creepy. As I continued on the trail, it just wasnt well kept. Not knowing how much further before I loop back to my car, I turned around and backtracked. The trail didnt look like it had many visitors.

Tracey Cones Renshaw

So cool...you get to actually get to stand so close if not 8n the artillery firing positions and see what the artillery commanders may have seen when creating the defense plan. The military history you learn about even on a self guided tour is so amazing. Its a physically enjoyable hike climbing the mounds that cover the munitions bunkers. My husband and I fished there in the morning, had a picnic lunch, hiked through the historical structures and learned a whole new side of US milotary history. Its a great plce for photo shoots. I wish we had included This place in our wedding album.