George Washington Memorial Parkway
District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
6.6 h fully dark
Crowds
very high
Open today
Open
Entrance
Free entry
Washington Blvd/Boundary Channel Dr Ramps Closed Nightly
Beginning Monday, May 18 and continuing until Friday, June 26, the ramps to and from Southbound Washington Blvd and Boundary Channel Dr will be closed Monday through Friday, from 6:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. for construction work. Crews will be replacing damaged guardrails along the ramps.
Temporary Closure of Right Lane of Clara Barton Parkway
Temporary Closure of the Clara Barton Parkway Right Lane at Site 17, wooded areas between C&O Canal and Lock 10 parking lot, north to Lock 14, required to address ongoing safety concerns from DC Water emergency sanitary sewer overflow & bypass and pipe repair operations. Click on "More" below for specific details on the closure.
Official NPS alert →Intermittent Lane Closures at GW Parkway for Bridge/Pavement Preservation
Beginning on Monday, November 17, 2025, expect intermittent traffic impacts at GWMP. This Bridge and pavement preservation work is expected to extend into the Fall of 2026 and will make repairs to 24 GWMP bridges and over 30 paved roads and parking assets. To minimize traffic impacts, weekday lane closures on George Washington Memorial Parkway, Clara Barton Parkway, and Spout Run Parkway will NOT be allowed inbound to DC from 5:30am to 9:30am and outbound from DC from 2:30pm to 7:30pm Monday through Friday.
The George Washington Memorial Parkway was designed for recreational driving. It links sites that commemorate important episodes in American history and preserve habitat for local wildlife. The parkway and its associated trails provide a scenic place to play and rest in the busy Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Topics
No entrance fee.
Hours & seasons
Parkway headquarters is open Monday through Friday from 8:15 am to 4:15 pm. It is closed on weekends and holidays.
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 7032892500
✉ gwmp_superintendent@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Feb, Dec
Typical crowds: very high
Weather now: ☀️ Clear, 82°F
🌧️ 91°/74°
☁️ 91°/76°
🌦️ 97°/75°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
27%
Feb
40%
Mar
65%
Apr
83%
May
89%
Jun
89%
Jul
100%
Aug
92%
Sep
78%
Oct
79%
Nov
64%
Dec
46%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Live conditions
Things to do
Multi-Park Loop · 10 mi
Silver Line - DC Metro · 1 mi
Blue Line - DC Metro · 1 mi
Hike between Scott's Run Nature Preserve and Theodore Roosevelt Island · 10 mi · Depending on trail conditions and your ability and experience.
Take a walk or bike ride on the Mount Vernon Trail · 18 mi
Retreat to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove
Clara Barton National Historic Site
Panoramic Views at the US Marine Corps War Memorial · Spend as much time taking in the views!
Accessibility
117 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on George Washington Memorial Parkway — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to George Washington Memorial Parkway — each spans a cross-park journey.
George Washington
— Fort Necessity National Battlefield, President, Continental ArmyHorace Peaslee
— Meridian Hill, Landscape, Landscape ArchitectJohn Gross Barnard
— Civil War, Engineers, Chief EngineerSergeant William W Reed
— Civil War, Civil War Defenses Of Washington, PeoplePlaces to see
4th Infantry Division Memorial
audio
Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd
audio
American Armored Forces Memorial
audio
Arlington House Museum
audio
Arlington House North Slave Quarters
audio
Arlington House South Slave Quarters
audio
Arlington House gift shop and restrooms
audio
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
audio
Arlington Memorial Bridge
audio
Arts of War: Sacrifice
audio
Arts of War: Valor
audio
Battery Mount Vernon
audioAudio & media
🎧
🎬
🖼
Learn more
The National Park Service is pleased to congratulate the recipients of the 2022 George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service.
View the recipients of the 2023 National Park Service Excellence in Interpretation Awards, which recognize outstanding contributions to the practice of interpretation and education by NPS employees.
The National Park Service congratulates the regional recipients of the 2023 Excellence in Volunteerism Awards. These nominees embody the values of service, engagement, and stewardship fundamental to our national parks.
What if your office were the woods? Your break room a mossy log? This is the reality for members of the Inventory & Monitoring forest vegetation crew. The team has collected data on forest health in NCR parks every year since 2006 and recently completed the fourth cycle of forest vegetation monitoring (2018-2022). Learn what staff biologists and technicians have to say about their experiences in the field these past five years.
The 28th Regiment of U.S. Colored Troops was one of the troops attached to the Defenses of Washington. This regiment of infantry was established on November 30, 1863 by Indiana Governor Oliver P. Morton. Reverend Willis Revels of the African American Episcopal Church was the chief recruiting officer. The recruits trained for three months and on April 25 1863, six companies of the 28th left Indianapolis for Washington, D.C. where they were attached to the capital’s defenses.
Poor air quality is a common problem in many urban areas. It can lead to decreased human health, damage to landscape materials and ecosystem processes, and spoiled scenic views due to reduced visibility. The National Park Service monitors and assesses air quality in park units. The trees in NPS’s urban forests contribute to improved air quality.
In 1904, a deadly fungus began killing American chestnut trees, once one of the most dominant trees of the eastern U.S. Despite overwhelming odds, some American chestnut trees survive today in parks of the National Capital Region
American eels are found everywhere along the Atlantic Coast, but many aspects of these fish remain poorly understood. They are perhaps one of the most mysterious fish in the Potomac watershed.
How George Washington Memorial Parkway connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
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