News Release

Greenbelt Park to reopen hiking trails and picnic areas for spring camping season

Date: March 8, 2023
Contact: Vince Vaise, [phone]

GREENBELT, Md.—The National Park Service (NPS) will reopen hiking trails and picnic areas in Greenbelt Park on March 10. The trails and picnic areas were closed following a severe windstorm in July 2022 that reached speeds of over 80 miles per hour and damaged many trees throughout the park. While one section of the Perimeter Trail at the southern end of the park will remain closed to repair a trail washout, all other major trails will open for hiking. The NPS looks forward to welcoming back visitors and neighbors to Greenbelt Park.

Since the July 2022 windstorm, NPS staff and contractors have removed more than 100 fallen and hazardous trees in Greenbelt Park. The NPS was able to safely reopen the Greenbelt Park campground on September 30, 2022, but needed additional resources to address damaged trees in the park’s picnic areas and nine miles of trails. Greenbelt Park staff received assistance from an NPS Arborist Incident Response (AIR) team to remove remaining safety hazards and prepare picnic areas and trails for reopening. NPS AIR teams are made up of tree care professionals from several national parks who specialize in addressing tree damage often resulting from emergency events.

“I appreciate the community’s patience as NPS staff and contractors worked diligently to address safety hazards throughout Greenbelt Park,” Tara D. Morrison, National Capital Parks-East superintendent said. “We’re excited to reopen major areas of the park just in time for spring and look forward to seeing visitors and neighbors there.”

Greenbelt Park is a natural oasis right inside the beltway. The surrounding forest and streams are a peaceful respite just 10 miles from Washington, D.C. The park offers nine miles of hiking trails, three picnic areas, 172 campsites and more.

You can reserve a campsite at Greenbelt Park on recreation.gov.

For more information, please visit www.NPS.gov/GREE or follow the Greenbelt Facebook page. 

-NPS-