• Rock Creek

    Rock Creek

    Park District of Columbia

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »

  • North bound Ramp Closed, Rock Creek & Potomac Parkway to Massachusetts Avenue, NW

    On June 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the northbound ramp from the Rock Creek & Potomac Parkway to Massachusetts Avenue, NW (Waterside Drive) will be closed for work on traffic loop detectors. More »

  • Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Lane Closures and Construction Update Spring 2013

    Construction work on Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway at Waterside Drive continues. There will be lane closures between rush hours to accommodate work. More »

Self Guided

Exhibits

The Nature Center's exhibit hall displays models of numerous plants and animals, arranged by habitat, that live in Rock Creek Park. Activity sheets provide guided discovery to reveal interesting facts about the featured exhibits.

"Discover/Descubra Rock Creek" is the first bilingual (Spanish/English) exhibit in the National Capital Region of the National Park Service. The exhibit focuses on the park's habitats: the forest in the fall, the creek in the spring, and meadow in the summer. It is targeted for grades 4th-6th and is multisensory.

Seasonal displays on nature and astronomy are also located in the auditorium of the Nature Center.

Films

A variety of natural, cultural, and astronomy films, varying in length from ten minutes to one hour, are available for viewing at the Nature Center. For a list of titles, please contact the Nature Center.

Self-guided Nature Trails

The two self-guided nature trails surrounding the Nature Center are perfect for introducing students to the outdoors.

The Edge of the Woods Trail is an easy, wheelchair accessible, paved 1/4 mile path. Interpretive signs along the way help students explore an upland forest, a pond, and a meadow.

The Woodlands Trail is a slightly strenuous, 1/2 mile loop trail with 17 posts and an accompanying guide book. The trail winds through an upland and ravine woodland's community.

Nature Discovery Room

This special room is filled with puppets, books, and activities to stimulate young children's interest (pre K and above) in discovering the natural world. No more than eight children may use the room at one time.

Did You Know?

The Sun

It takes light 8 minutes and 18 seconds, traveling at 186,000 miles per second to cover the 93 million miles from the sun to the earth. You can learn more amazing astronomy facts at the only planetarium in the NPS in Rock Creek Park. More...