Essayist Molly Pascal explores some of the smallest though most important animals. “The French Creek watershed boasts rich biodiversity, including 27 varieties of fresh water mussels. This quiet form of wildlife actually falls under a very special category.”

Essays, Molly Pascal

Part I of our D.C. guide is focused on National Park Service units in the Washington D.C. jurisdiction area; a few sites in Virginia and Maryland are included. You can visit these sites without a car, either by walking, using public transportation, or taking a quick taxi ride. The parks are in alphabetical order, which the NPS categorizes by the first letter of the park. At the end, we’ll share a great tip to make sure you find all the stamps for your Eastern National Parks Passport. You can also continue to Part II of the guide here.

Spotlights, Parks & Points

Here we’ll be exploring National Parks Service units in Washington, D.C. that you will need to visit with a car, though it is possible to access a few via public transportation. The parks are listed here by location and then in alphabetical order, as they are in the extended DC area in Maryland and Virginia. You can find Part I one of the guide here.

Spotlights, Parks & Points

“The word “Conowingo” is Susquehannock for “at the rapids.” This area was also once known as Smyth’s Falls, after the explorer John Smith, who mapped the region in 1612. The Conowingo Dam supports a 9,000-acre reservoir covering what was once the village of Conowingo, which was ultimately resettled a mile north of the dam to make way for the project. The reservoir provides drinking water for the City of Baltimore and the Chester Water Authority, as well as cooling water for the Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station—not to mention habitat for fish and wildlife, and opportunities for boating, fishing, and birdwatching.”

Essays, Patrick D Hahn

Come hike with us via our video through the three main trails of Assateague National Seashore, the Life of the Dunes, Marsh and Forest trails.

New York City might seem an unlikely venue for national sites, but in Manhattan alone, seven NPS sites interpret significant moments in American history; there is also a vibrant beach scene along the Brooklyn and Queens shorelines, and an enclave of art, culture and history on Governor's Island.

Spotlights, Parks & Points

We explored Valley Forge National Historical Park, where George Washington and the Continental Army decamped during Revolutionary War from 1777-1778, on a summer day where the weather was "polar opposite" to that historically frigid winter. Our day was an enchanting foray into the rural Pennsylvania countryside, which is expansive and idyllic. The park is not only a repository of vital history, but also home to 19.5 miles of hiking trails, 21 miles of cycling trails, and 17 miles of horseback trails. Bicycle rentals are available, as are ranger led walks and storytelling activities for younger visitors. Wildlife is plentiful, in river, forest, meadow, and wetland habitats. As per the NPS, the park is home to more than 225 species of birds and 730 species of plants.

Spotlight, Parks & Points

“I head out to Assateague Island National Seashore to take in some of the primitive beauty of the day. A trail leads me out to the marsh, and also runs alongside the ocean. I notice the sulfuric smell from the marsh’s salty air. In the high grass I watch a young rabbit, looking for its mother, I assume. The young rabbit appears frantic as it regards my company; also, he’s not able to locate his mother. A little later on, I can see her further down the trail, fully indulged with grazing, and savoring the grass before her. She seems to be completely unaware of both my presence and the younger rabbit’s panicked state.”

Essays, Martin James Wood

“I am young. I am six years old. We are a poor family but my parents have prepared an adventure for me and my two older sisters, one who is eleven and the other who will turn ten soon. We enter the subway at our East Broadway station, on the Lower East Side of New York City. The station is in front of “the Garden," a vegetarian restaurant where my parents first met at the end of World War II, and down the block from The Forward, the foremost, prominent Yiddish newspaper in America. We are leaving our little world on the Lower East Side and heading uptown, to the bigger “New York” world of Central Park.”

Essays, Beryl Brenner