Rock Creek Park

Rock Creek Park

5200 Glover Road NW, Washington, DC 20015
(202) 895-6070

[This entry covers the main section of Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC. For the adjoining park in Montgomery County, MD, see Rock Creek Regional Park – Meadowside Nature Center & Lake Frank and Rock Creek Regional Park – Lake Needwood.]

Rock Creek Park is a large urban park bisecting the Northwest quadrant of Washington, DC. With 1,748 acres, the main section of Rock Creek Park is the largest forested area in DC and is one of the largest urban parks in the nation. If you look at a satellite map of DC, the park clearly stands out as a swath of intense green running through the heart of DC, in contrast to the grid of city streets surrounding it. Rock Creek Park forms a major migration route of birds through the urban desert of Washington, and thus has become popular as a site to view warblers and other migrants in both fall and spring. Rock Creek Park is administered by the National Park Service and has many disjunct subsections; the main (and largest) section of the park is long and narrow, running from the MD/DC line on the north end, between Oregon Avenue and 16th Street, through the National Zoological Park, almost to the Potomac River on the south end. The park is about 4.3 miles long and 1.4 miles wide at its widest point, but there are some narrow sections that are barely a block wide.

The shape of Rock Creek Park contributes to its function as a migrant trap for birds heading north or south: the band of vegetation serves to concentrate birds in a relatively narrow area.  Claudia Wilds, the author of Finding Bird in the National Capital Area (1992), called it the best migrant warbler trap in the area. In fall of 1998, a bird survey conducted for 27 days by two observers recorded over 10,000 individuals of over 60 neotropical migrant species passing along the West Ridge within the park. Over 180 species, including all the northeastern breeding warblers, flycatchers, vireos, and thrushes, have been reported here, including several species rare in the region.

With habitat loss and declines in bird populations across the country, the glory days of huge migrant fallouts at Rock Creek Park are perhaps in the past, but the park remains the most intensively birded area in DC. Although East Potomac Park – Hains Point is the #1 eBird hotspot in DC in terms of the number of species reported, Rock Creek Park far exceeds Hains Point in terms of the cumulative total number of checklists submitted: to date (spring of 2020), there have been over 9,000 checklists submitted for the Rock Creek Park collection of hotspots, more than double the 4,000 cumulative total of checklists at Hains Point. The place is thick with birders almost any day of the year.

The area of greatest interest to birders is the West Ridge, from Military Road south to Broad Branch Road, encompassing the Dog Run (formerly called Military Field), the Nature Center, Maintenance Yard, Horse Center, and a number of adjacent picnic areas. This area is considered the most important for migrating land birds in the District of Columbia and more details are given below. Primary access to the West Ridge vicinity is along Glover and Ross Roads, which are generally free of the commuter traffic which plagues Beach Drive. Be aware, however, that during weekends Beach Drive is closed to vehicular traffic (see Hours at left) and that at times traffic can be heavier on Glover Road. When crossing the roads or walking the roadsides on foot , caution should always be used, as cars and bicycles may appear quickly, so bird from the grassy areas. Park in established lots or in one of the many picnic areas (see Parking below).

Timing. As noted above, the West Ridge area is best during migration, that is, in spring from mid-April to the end of May, and in fall from mid-August to mid-October. Visit early in the morning when migrants are concentrated along the high, forested ridge. Later in the day, the birds disperse to rest and feed in the surrounding forest and lower areas of the park, and can be harder to locate. The park can also be productive in the summer months. Winter birding is much slower. In general, migration birding is best on the days immediately following a front — a warm front in spring and a cool front in autumn.

Specific locations. There are several prime areas to explore. The best sites are the Maintenance Yard areas, and the “Ridge,” otherwise known as picnic areas #17 and #18. The equestrian corral area by picnic area #25 and #26 can also be productive.  The Dog Run, formerly referred to as Military Field, at the junction of Glover and Military Roads, offers meadow habitat, and is especially good in fall when the vegetation is thick.

Birders in the know start at dawn in the Maintenance Yard area and at the Ridge, around picnic areas #18 and #19, although the area directly around the Nature Center parking lot can also prove exciting. Action can sometimes be hot and heavy, with scores of birds moving through the trees, which are just catching the rising sun. Usually by mid-morning, this first activity slows as birds begin to disperse to feed. Birders themselves disperse to other areas, looking and listening for feeding flocks. The blacktop path north of the Nature Center is convenient for visitors who bird from a wheelchair. There are also benches from which you can peer into the treetops in relative comfort.

Visitors are encouraged to explore the full range of birding opportunities by touring other nearby sites. For example, one may proceed from the Maintenance Yard Parking Lot to the Nature Center along a path that takes a birder through the Horse Center. Each of the these areas can be good for observing warblers and other species of birds. Not far from the Nature Center one may visit the Dog Run. Another possible tour could include a visit to the Ridge and Equitation Field by way of Ridge Road.

Birdlife:

In total, over 180 species have been reported on eBird from Rock Creek Park. A large number of eBird hotspots have been established for Rock Creek Park. See also the official, printer-friendly checklist for Rock Creek Park published by the National Park Service, available at https://www.nps.gov/rocr/learn/nature/upload/birdchecklist.pdf, but be aware that the species names in this list do not conform to the most recent taxonomy (e.g., Blue-headed Vireo is listed by its older name of Solitary Vireo). For a more up-to-date list, see https://irma.nps.gov/NPSpecies/Reports/SpeciesList/Species%20Checklist/ROCR/2/true but be aware that this latter list is not ideally formatted for printing.

The following eBird hotspots cover locations mentioned in the description above as well as other spots in Rock Creek Park or associated with it. Species numbers are as of fall 2022; the total numbers at each spot are always growing — hence the plus signs.

• Rock Creek Park overall – 177+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Beach Drive – Park Rd. –  137+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Carter Barron area – 75+ Species
• Rock Creek Park Community Garden – 103+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Conn. Ave. to National Zoo – 117+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Dog Run – 145+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Fort DeRussy – 82+ species
• Rock Creek Golf Course – 103+species
• Rock Creek Park–Klingle Mansion – 105+ species
• Klingle Valley Trail – 59+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Maintenance Yard – 176+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Mass. Ave. – Conn. Ave. – 114+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Nature Center area – 185+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Peirce Mill – 139+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Rapids Bridge Area – 90+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Reservation 630 Trail (formerly Melvin C. Hazen Trail) – 109+ species
• Reservation 630 Park (formerly Melvin Hazen Park) – 111+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Ross Drive – 145+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Sherrill Drive – 136+ species
• Soapstone Valley Park – 100+ species
• Rock Creek Park–The Ridge – 157+ species
• Rock Creek Park Trail – Q St. NW – 85+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Valley-Pine-Holly loop – 102+ species
• Rock Creek Park–upper Beach Drive – 158+ species
• Rock Creek Park–West End – 115+ species
• Rock Creek Park–Western Ridge Trail – 108+ species

Unusual species which are seen virtually every year in Rock Creek include Red-headed Woodpecker; Yellow-bellied and Olive-sided Flycatchers; Black-billed Cuckoo; Philadelphia Vireo; and Gray-cheeked Thrush. Rarities that have been recorded include Whip-poor-will; Clay-colored and Lark Sparrows; Lawrence’s Warbler; Evening Grosbeak; and Red Crossbill.

Migration: Rock Creek is most exciting in spring from about mid-April to the end of May, and in fall from mid-August to mid-October. Migrating hawks and nighthawks can often be seen flying over, although the view can be somewhat limited by trees. Sometimes loons, geese, cormorants, and swans are also tallied as flyovers. The most common neotropical migrants include Red-eyed Vireo; Swainson’s Thrush; Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Black-and-White, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Bay-breasted and Canada Warblers; Northern Parula; American Redstart; Common Yellowthroat; Rose-breasted Grosbeak; and Scarlet Tanager. Twenty-plus species of warbler can be recorded on good days in both migration seasons. Trees and shrubs along the ridge are best for spring and fall migrant warblers, vireos and flycatchers, while thrushes seem to favor the wooded areas with good leaf litter and relatively sparse undergrowth. Field areas are generally most productive in autumn, when vegetation is mature and when fruiting Devil’s Walking Stick, Porcelain-berry, and Chokecherry attract a surprising variety of migrants. Any overgrown lawn or roadside, as well as the larger fields at Military Road and the Maintenance Yard, should be checked for the abundant migrant sparrows, which can include Lincoln’s. Orange-crowned, Mourning and Connecticut (autumn only) Warblers can also be found in these habitats. Although all the northeastern warbler species have been reported, warblers more associated with riparian bottomlands, such as Yellow-throated or Prothonotary, are very rarely seen. Most abundant are the edge and forest species noted above.

Check for migrants later in the day in areas described above, including areas along Broad Branch. The Art Barn by Pierce Mill may have woodcock. In the Reservation 630 Park (formerly known as Melvin Hazen Park*), look for migrants. Olive-sided Flycatcher is sometimes seen near Klingle House. Also around the house, you may find Alder Flycatchers or Mourning and Connecticut Warblers. The trail north from Pierce Mill is good for Black-throated Blue Warblers. Patches of giant ragweed should be checked especially thoroughly in fall for Connecticut and Mourning Warblers, Lincoln’s Sparrow and other goodies. Unfortunately, over the years, some of the best patches have become overgrown. Connecticut and Mourning Warblers are still seen every year, the best locations being the Maintenance Yard and Dog Run.

(*The Melvin Hazen name was removed from the park and corresponding trail in 2022 because of social justice concerns. Melvin Hazen was a local developer whose business practices were oppressive to the African-American community. “Reservation 630” is simply a parcel number in the National Park Service database.)

Fall migration will sometimes produce results that are just as rich in warbler sightings as in spring.  The best time to catch the fall migration action is after a cold front.

Summer: Red-shouldered and Broad-winged Hawks, Barred and Great Horned Owls nest in small numbers. Pileated Woodpeckers are fairly common. Eastern Screech-Owls nest along the streams, but you are not likely to see them during the day, and the park is closed at night. Sometimes, though, you can be lucky and hear them around dawn or dusk. Songbirds that may nest include Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Wood Thrush, Veery, Ovenbird, Scarlet Tanager, and Louisiana Waterthrush. Check the trail down to Rock Creek from the Equestrian Corral for the waterthrushes. Sometimes Brown Creeper and Hooded, Kentucky, Worm-eating, and Cerulean Warblers can be found. Look for Wood Duck and Belted Kingfisher along the creek by Broad Branch. In the Reservation 630 Park (formerly Melvin Hazen Park area), Broad-winged Hawks sometimes nest in the woods near Klingle House and House Wrens may nest around the barn. Look for resident Veeries on the trail north from the Pierce Mill parking lot.

Winter: Downy, Hairy, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Carolina Chickadee, and kinglets are prominent. Accipiters overwinter and there may be Red-breasted Nuthatches and warblers such as Pine or Yellow-rumped in the pine trees. During irruption years, there may be Evening Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls at the Nature Center’s feeding station. Also during an irruption year, look for passing Pine Siskins, Purple Finches, and Evening Grosbeaks at the Ridge or at the Maintenance Yard. The Equestrian Corral area can produce many of the same species

Wheelchair Accessibility:

The Nature Center is wheelchair-accessible, including the restrooms, the planetarium, exhibit hall, and auditorium. The first floor of the Old Stone House, the exercise course at 16th and Kennedy streets, the Carter Barron Amphitheater and Picnic Groves #1, #6, #23, and #24 are wheelchair-accessible. A one-half mile self-guiding interpretive trail, the Woodland Trail, begins behind the Nature Center, while a one-fourth mile wheelchair-accessible Edge of the Woods trail begins right out the front door.

Pet Policy:

Pets must be leashed at all times and you must pick up after your pet. Keep pets on trails and do not let them destroy trailside vegetation.

Special Features:

• The Rock Creek Park Nature Center serves as the park’s visitor center and offers hiking information, brochures and maps, a bookstore, exhibits on area plants and animals, and has the only planetarium in the National Park Service. Many of the park’s ranger-led programs start or take place at the Nature Center. The facility includes a children’s Discovery Room offering environmental education books and games and a “Discover Rock Creek” bilingual (Spanish and English) exhibit geared for middle school audiences. The Nature Center also includes live animals, a bird observation deck, and “water-wise” garden.
• Rock Creek Park provides a full-range of organized programs and activities, as well as opportunities for hiking, bicycling, picnicking, tennis, golf, paddling (canoe & kayak rentals available), and horseback riding, and also has a planetarium, amphitheatre offering a summer concert series, ballfields and playgrounds, and many historical features. See https://www.nps.gov/rocr/planyourvisit/things2do.htm.
• The National Park Service provides a downloadable self-guided walking tour of a historic black community near the park.
• The Piney Branch area of Rock Creek Park is undergoing a special habitat restoration effort to benefit songbirds, under the leadership of the Rock Creek Conservancy, which assists the National Park Service with stewardship of the park.

Local MOS Chapters

There are no MOS chapters in DC, but Montgomery Bird Club & Patuxent Bird Club are in the neighboring suburbs. Two organizations — Nature Forward (formerly known as the Audubon Naturalist Society) and the Audubon Society of DC — hold field trips to birding spots in the District and the Greater Metropolitan DC region.

Multimedia: 

The National Park Service provides a cell phone tour of the park with a printable tour map.

Parking:

Paved parking lot at the Nature Center; there are two fair-size lots around a circle with one-way traffic. There is also parking at the picnic groves. See Directions below.

Directions:

There are several entry points to the park. Check the National Park Service website for instructions to each Rock Creek Park entry point.

Getting to and around the park by car:

• Take Connecticut Avenue, NW northbound to Military Road NW. Turn right onto Military Road and proceed to Glover Road on the right (The street to the left is named Oregon Avenue). Turn right on Glover Road and follow the signs to the Nature Center, officially at 5200 Glover Road.
• Alternatively, you can also reach the park by traveling north on 16th Street NW until you reach Military Road, where you will turn left. Again, follow the signs to the Nature Center.

Inside the park: 

• When you are done birding around the Nature Center, return to your car. As you leave the parking lot proceed to the stop sign by the main road and turn left to go south on Glover Road.  Notice the picnic areas along the road. Each has a number. Don’t attempt to bird these areas from your car; speeding cars abound. Park at a picnic area and walk.
• Park first in picnic areas #17 or #18. This site is just before Ross Drive.
• Proceed to picnic areas #25 and #26 near the equestrian corral. This site is just after Ross Drive.
• Return to Ridge Road and continue south. Turn left on Broad Branch Road and and an immediate right into the parking lot. Visit the creek and walk down the bicycle path to Pierce Mill. This area becomes extremely congested in the mid-morning on weekends and you may find it impossible to park.
• To reach Reservation 630 Park, (formerly known as Melvin Hazen Park), leave the Broad Branch Road lot and turn right, then right again onto Beach Drive. Follow Beach Drive south until you reach Porter Street. Make another right on Porter and a final right onto Williamsburg Lane. This is a steep hill which turns to gravel. You can park in the dirt lot at the top.
• These are the most popular routes. However, there are many more areas to explore. Search out the wider areas of the park north of Military Road where there are large blocks of forest where you can look for breeding species.

By Metro and Bus:

The Friendship Heights (Red Line) or Fort Totten (Green Line and Red Line) Metro Stations are the closest to the Nature Center. From either station, take the E-4 bus to the Nature Center.

• If taking the bus from the Friendship Heights Metro Station, you will get off of the bus at the Military & Glover stop. Once off of the bus, look to your left and follow the trail up the small hill to the Nature Center.
• If taking the bus from the Fort Totten Metro Station, you will get off of the bus at the Military & Oregon stop. Once off of the bus, look to your left and follow the trail up the small hill to the Nature Center.

Then follow directions within the park as above. You could take a bike on the Metro and bus and use your bike inside the park.

Nearby Sites:

Washington, DC: Anacostia Park ▪️ Battery Kemble Park ▪️ C&O Canal – Fletcher’s Cove and Boathouse ▪️ Constitution Gardens ▪️ Dumbarton Oaks Park▪️East Potomac Park (Hains Point) and the Tidal Basin ▪️  Georgetown Reservoir & Palisades Trolley Trail ▪️ Glover-Archbold Park▪️Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens▪️ National Arboretum ▪️ National Zoo  ▪️Theodore Roosevelt Island

Montgomery County: Blue Mash Nature Trail ▪️ C&O Canal – Pennyfield, Violette’s & Riley’s Locks ▪️ Little Bennett Regional Park ▪️ Lois Y. Green Conservation Park ▪️ McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area (Hughes Hollow) ▪️ Rock Creek Regional Park – Lake Needwood ▪️ Rock Creek Regional Park – Meadowside Nature Center & Lake Frank ▪️ Seneca Creek State Park ▪️ Wheaton Regional Park – Brookside Gardens, Brookside Nature Center, Pine Lake Area

Habitats:

Upland Deciduous Garden or ArboretumLawn, Ballfields, Golf CourseUrban or Small Town Landscape Old Fields, Shrubby Meadows Rivers & Streams

Features:

BeginnersBicycle Trails (Bikes may be prohibited on some trails)Free - No Entry Fee at Any TimeGift Shop or BookstoreHabitat Restoration ProjectHiking/Walking TrailsHistorical FeaturesHorseback RidingNative Plant Garden or Meadow/Pollinator PlantsNature Education ProgramsParkingPets AllowedPicnic AreaPlaygroundRestroomsVisitor Center, Interpretive Displays, ExhibitsWheelchair Accessible FeaturesYoung People / Families

Type:

Community and Urban ParksNational Parks & Monuments