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In September, 1890 Rock Creek Park was created and is now one of
the oldest national parks in the National Park Service. It is also one of
the largest urban forests in the United States, containing a wide variety
of natural, historical, and recreational features in the midst of
Washington, DC. etc.
In 1981, a coalition of bicyclists, park enthusiasts, environmental and
public health groups called People's
Alliance for Rock Creek won the weekend closures of Beach Drive in
Rock Creek National Park that now makes an ideal spot for skating, and
other outdoor activities.
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| National Park Service Map available in Portable
Document Format (.PDF) |
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A Complete map of Rock Creek Park
(328k) and surrounding areas are available in scalable, printable format
thanks to this handy map. |
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Download
Acrobat Reader, and find out more about PDF on the adobe web
site. |
Getting to Parking lot #6
From DC
From downtown DC and south of Military Road, take 16th Street north
towards Maryland. Just past Military Road there is a sign on the left for
the Rock Creek Park golf course. Make a left into the golf course entrance
and follow the signs for Beach Drive. It is a very short drive. Take the
first left onto Joyce Road which leads into Old Military Road. Stop where
this road crosses Beach Drive. At Beach Drive make a right turn onto
Beach Drive. (Ignore the cones, or sign that says no exit, or if a gate
is across part of the road. You are allowed to drive to the parking
lots.). Park in lot #6 which is the first lot on your left.
The Metro
There aren't any Metro stops near parking lot 6, but an advanced skater
should be able to get down into the park from the Van Ness station. Once
on Beach Drive the meeting area is a few miles north and the parking lot 6
is easy to spot (Just north of the park police station)
From Maryland: (Beltway Exit # 33)
Some Virginians may prefer to come around the beltway to Rock Creek Park
rather than using the Memorial bridge/Rock Creek Park route:
Take the Beltway (495) to exit 33 (Connecticut Avenue). Take Connecticut
Ave southbound. Drive through the Chevy Chase Circle. Continue on
Connecticut Avenue to Military Road and turn left (east). Travel on
Military Road through the neighborhood until you reach the Welcome to Rock
Creek sign. Look for a small sign for the Park Police on the right (not
Nature Center it is the next one). Turn right and go until you come to
the first four way stop at Beach Drive. Continue past the stop sign to
Beach Drive and make a left turn onto Beach Drive (Ignore the cones, or
sign that says no exit, or if a gate is across part of the road. You are
allowed to drive to the parking lots.). Please park at lot #6 which is
the first lot on your left.
From Maryland: (Beltway Exit # 31)
Take Beltway (495) exit # 31 going south onto Georgia Ave. At a fork in
the road (just after Seminary Road/Dale Drive), take the right fork onto
16 street. Continue south on 16th street and look for Rittenhouse street
on the left and the entrance to the Rock Creek golf course on the right
(If you hit Military Road you went too far). Make a right turn into the
golf course entrance (follow the signs for Beach Drive). It is a very
short drive. Take the first left onto Joyce Road which leads into Old
Military Road. Stop where this road crosses Beach Drive. When you get to
Beach Drive make a right turn onto Beach Drive. (Ignore the cones, or
sign that says no exit, or if a gate is across part of the
road. You are allowed to drive to the parking lots.). Please park at lot
#6 which is the first lot on your left.
From VA across Memorial bridge and Rock Creek Parkway:
From Virginia cross Memorial bridge (into DC) and circle to the right to
go back under the Memorial bridge (in the direction of the Kennedy
Center). Very quickly the road comes to a fork. Take the fork to the
left onto Potomac Parkway and pass the Kennedy center on the river
side. At this point the road becomes Rock Creek Parkway. After 2-3 miles
you will see signs to Beach Drive. Once on Beach Drive you will go through
a tunnel and pass the zoo. Stay on Beach Drive approximately 2-3 more
miles (be careful to follow the signs since there are a few
intersections) until Beach Drive is blocked off and you must go to the
left onto Broad Branch Road. (You will now go through the Park to pick up
Beach Drive again as follows.) Take an immediate right turn (see sign for
Beach Drive) followed by two more right turns and a left which will put
you onto Beach Drive. Throughout follow the signs for Beach Drive. (At
Beach Drive ignore the cones, or sign that says no exit, or if a gate is
across part of the road. You are allowed to drive to the parking
lots.). Please park at lot #6 which is the first lot on your left.
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Rock Creek Park
