• young visitor petting horse

    Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm

    Maryland

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  • Changes to Visitor Service due to Sequestration

    Due to mandatory, across-the-board budget cuts, some visitor services in this park have changed. Please check the Plan Your Visit section for more information.

Nature & Science

oxon run

Looking downstream towards Virginia along Oxon Run, a moderate sized stream that broadens into a wide shallow estuary before joining the Potomac River.

NPS Photo

Oxon Hill Farm and the natural areas of Oxon Cove Park comprise a rich, diverse ecosystem that supports a wide variety of plant and animal life.

The topography of the park consists of two general zones: an area of broad Potomac River Floodplain and a high upward terrace. The upland terrace is cut and divided by several small intermittent drainages and descend to the floodplain. The floodplain is crossed by Oxon Run, a stream that broadens into a shallow estuary before joining the Potomac River. Oxon Run itself has been trained and rationalized by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, so that its course only partially follows its original path.

Oxon Cove Park offers two trails that allow visitors to walk on their own pace to explore some of the natural features of the park. These trails are the .3 mile Woodlot Trail and the Hiker - Biker Trail which is 1.6 miles.

  • Magnolia Bogs Magnolia Bogs

    One of the most significant natural areas in metropolitan Washington, D.C. Read More

  • Nature and Science in the National Park Service Nature and Science in the National Park Service

    Explore nature and preservation efforts in national parks Read More

  • USGS Bird Inventory of Oxon Cove Park USGS Bird Inventory of Oxon Cove Park

    Find out about the birds who live in Oxon Cove Park

Did You Know?

white farm house

The white farm house at Oxon Hill Farm was known as Mount Welby in the early 1800s.  In 1891, Saint Elizabeths Hospital acquired Mount Welby and renamed it Godding Croft. The white farm house is the oldest structure in the park.