Événement

Nature Walk in Rock Creek Park

Join Melanie Choukas-Bradley, the author of A Year in Rock Creek Park - the Wild, Wooded Heart of Washington, D.C., for an early summer nature walk under the tall trees in the Boundary Bridge area of Rock Creek Park. Melanie is a naturalist who frequently leads guided walks in the park, and she is intimately acquainted with the trees and wildflowers growing along Rock Creek. We will walk beneath the verdant canopy of Rock Creek Parks venerable sycamores, elms, hickories and maples of the floodplain forest and see the first summer wildflowers in bloom. Our trail will take us into the upland woods where ancient oaks reach for the sky and the lovely wild hydrangea blooms. The walk will be a musical experience too as nesting birds, including the ethereal wood thrush, DCs official bird, sing from the canopy. Melanie will share some of her favorite spots, which are described and depicted in her book, including Boundary Bridge, the Skunk Cabbage Swamp, the Laurel Ledge, and Meditation Rock. She will also talk about the history of Rock Creek Park and describe some of the environmental challenges the watershed faces today, and what can be done to mitigate them.

The tour will take place on Saturday, June 17th, from 9:30 a.m. to roughly 1:30 p.m. The group will meet at the Boundary Bridge parking lot found along Beach Drive, where attendees can park. To get there, take the East-West Highway (Route 410) east from Connecticut Avenue (a right-hand turn if driving north on Connecticut from D.C. and a left-hand turn if driving south from the Beltway). Take the East-West Highway to Beach Drive and turn right (south) and drive to the locked gate across Beach Drive at the District line. Park in the parking lot just before the gate or along the road if the parking lot is full. Note: Beach Drive is closed to motorized vehicles south of the park gate on weekends.

Because the tour should last up to four hours, attendees are encouraged to bring water, snacks, and/or a light lunch. In addition, depending on the days weather, sunscreen and bug spray may be needed. Bring binoculars if you wish.

We will cover up to 2 miles at a slow hiking pace with some elevation change on hiking trails. *There are no restrooms at the meeting location or along the route.*

(Photographs from A Year in Rock Creek Park are by Susan Austin Roth.)