Record of Determination for temporary restriction of access to DC area parks for the Dedication of Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial, Turnstile Benefit Concert, and Marine Corps Marathon and 8K

Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.5 the National Park Service (NPS) is imposing a temporary closure of, and public use limit in, certain designated parklands within the National Mall and Memorial Parks, Rock Creek Park, and George Washington Memorial Parkway as delineated in the attached map and as further delineated by fencing. These temporary closures will remain in place on October 24, 2026, and October 25, 2026. These closures and public use limits come at the request of the United States Park Police (USPP) based on their assessment and the implementation of the operational security and safety plan associated with these permitted special events. Less restrictive measures will not suffice to provide for public safety.

The Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial Dedication, Turnstile Benefit Concert and Marine Corps Marathon and 8K are expected to have thousands in attendance and heavy pedestrian traffic in the designated locations of the special events. The Memorial Dedication attendance will include several national and international government officials, while the Benefit Concert will attract heavy pedestrian presence. Approximately 4,000 runners will participate in the Marine Corps 8k and approximately 30,000 participants will participate in the annual Marine Corps Marathon.

Specifically, there will be temporary vehicle-access restrictions of the following locations beginning at approximately 5:00 a.m. on Saturday October 24, through approximately 10:30 a.m. on October 24, 2026, unless otherwise noted:

 

National Mall and Memorial Parks: Roadways

• West Potomac Parkway Drive SW from Independence Avenue SW to Ohio Drive SW
• West Basin Drive SW from Independence Avenue SW to Ohio Drive SW
• Ohio Drive SW from West Potomac Parkway Drive to Inlet Bridge
• East Basin Drive SW from Maine Avenue SW to Inlet Bridge
• Ohio Drive SW from Maine Avenue to Inlet Bridge to include Hains Point
• Ramp from SB 395 to Ohio Drive at East Potomac Park.
• Buckeye Drive SW between Ohio Drive SW to the Ramp from NB 395
• Access to East Potomac Park Golf Course will be facilitated from Buckeye Drive SW.

There will also be temporary vehicle-access restrictions of the following locations beginning at approximately 6:00 a.m. on Saturday October 24, through approximately 2:00 p.m. on October 24, 2026, unless otherwise noted:

• 23^rd Street NW between Constitution Avenue and Lincoln Memorial Circle.
• Henry Bacon Drive NW between Constitution Avenue and Lincoln Memorial Circle
• 17^th Street between Independence Avenue, SW and Constitution Avenue, NW (reopening at approximately 6:00 p.m.)

There will also be temporary vehicle-access restrictions of the following locations beginning at approximately 9:00 a.m. on Saturday October 24, through approximately 2:00 p.m. on October 24, 2026, unless otherwise noted:

• Constitution Avenue NW between 23rd Street. NW and 17th Street NW.
• Constitution Avenue NW between 15^th Street. NW and 18^th Street NW (reopening at approximately 6:00 p.m.)

Additionally, there will be temporary vehicle-access restrictions of the following locations beginning at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Sunday October 25, through approximately 2:00 p.m. on October 25, 2026, unless otherwise noted:

National Mall and Memorial Parks

Rock and Potomac Parkway, NW to Virginia Avenue NW
Ohio Drive, SW
Independence Avenue, SW between 23^rd Street, SW to 15^th Street SW
Madison Drive, NW between 3^rd Street – 15^th Streets, SW (3:45 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.)
Jefferson Drive, NW between 3^rd Street -15^th Street, SW (3:45 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.)
Parkway Drive closed from Rock Creek Parkway to Lincoln Circle
East Basin Drive from Maine Ave SW to Ohio Drive SW
West Basin Drive from Independence Ave SW to Ohio Drive SW
Buckeye Drive from 1-395 ramps to Ohio Drive SW
Lincoln Circle from 23rd Street NW to 23rd Street SW
West Basin Drive from Independence Ave SW to Ohio Drive SW
17th Street from WWII Memorial to Independence Ave SW
Ohio Drive SW from East Basin Drive SW to 23rd Street NW
Maine Avenue SW from East Basin Drive to Independence Avenue SW
5th Street from Constitution Ave NW to Maine A venue SW
12th Street SW from Independence Ave SW to Jefferson Drive SW
12th Street NW from Madison Drive NW to Constitution Ave NW
West Potomac Park Drive SW

Rock Creek Parkway

Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway NW to Beach Drive (reopens no later than 1:00 p.m.) Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway NW from Virginia Avenue to Shoreham Drive NW Beach Drive NW from Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway NW to Calvert Street

 

George Washington Memorial Parkway

Southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway ramp to Washington Blvd.
Southbound Boundary Channel Drive ramp to Washington Blvd.
Southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway to Memorial Drive
Southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway ramp to Key Bridge
Northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway at ramp to Memorial Circle
Northbound Washington Blvd at split to Route 50 bypass
Ramp from Route 50 bypass to Northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway
Northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway prior to ramp from North Lynn Street
Northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway north of Spout Run Parkway
Westbound Spout Run Parkway, from Langston Blvd to George Washington Memorial Parkway
Memorial Drive from Lincoln Circle to Arlington National Cemetery including Memorial Bridge

George Washington Memorial Parkway: Memorials, Monuments, and Park Areas

There will be restricted pedestrian access for the public at the following locations from approximately 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, October 24 to approximately 6:00 a.m. on Monday, October 26, 2026:

• Arlington Ridge, including interior IWO Access Road
• United States Marine Corps War Memorial
• Netherlands Carillon

In addition to the above road closures, on October 24, 2026, there will be public use limits in the area to the west of 23^rd Street NW, south of the newly constructed Desert Storm Memorial and Constitution Avenue NW, as well as in the Northwest Quadrant of Washington Monument Grounds. The public will be able to access portions of the above permitted areas subject to security screening and compliance with the prohibited items list in this Record of Determination as further described below. Unless otherwise noted it is anticipated that security company personnel will restrict public access and enforce the restricted items list from approximately 10:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. in the vicinity of the Desert Storm Memorial and from approximately 12:00 p.m. through approximately 6:00 p.m. on the Washington Monument Grounds.

Persons passing through these screening measures will be prohibited from possessing the following items:

• Laptops, tripods, monopods, and selfie sticks
• Large bags and suitcases exceeding the size restrictions (18” x 13” x 7”)
• Drones and other unmanned aircraft systems
• Animals other than service or guide dogs
• Bicycles, scooters, folding chairs, balloons, coolers, glass, thermal or metal containers, and paint
• Umbrellas (umbrellas without metal tips will be permitted)
• Pointed objects, including knives of any kind
• Aerosols, e-cigarettes, lighters, and matches
• Firearms, ammunition, fireworks, laser pointers, stun guns, Tasers, mace or pepper spray, and toy weapons
• Tents and structures
• Any other items determined to be potential safety hazards

Additionally, the prohibition on structures includes props, folding chairs, any type of displays such as puppets, papier mâché objects, coffins, crates, crosses (other than those worn as personal adornment in sizes consistent with jewelry), theaters, cages, and statues. It does not include signs and objects meeting the size restrictions, portable bullhorns, baby carriages and baby strollers that are in use for their intended purpose, wheelchairs and other devices for the handicapped that are actively being used by a handicapped individual. These restrictions are similar to the restrictions on the size, physical composition, and use of signs, placards and structures on the White House sidewalk set forth in 36 CFR 7.96(g)(5).

These restrictions do not apply to items within the security footprint that are present prior to the USPP sweeps of the are provided that such items cannot be relocated from the location following USPP security sweeps.

Unless otherwise noted, these closures and restrictions come at the request of the USPP and are necessary to provide a secure perimeter with sufficient stand-off distance to protect participants, invited guests and attending public while they participate in this permitted activities. The temporary restrictions are also necessary to allow for secure security sweeps of the area, facilitate guest arrivals and departures, allow for security screening of attendees, and restrict unauthorized access to the area.

This temporary and partial closure and public use limit is not of a nature, magnitude and duration that will result in a “significant alteration in the public use pattern.” Further, the public use limit and closure will not adversely affect the parks’ natural, aesthetic or cultural values, is not of a highly controversial nature, and does not require a long-term or significant modification in the resource-management objectives of any affected park. Rather, these closures are limited temporally and geographically as much as possible while still providing for the safety and security of these permitted events and still allowing for public access to a significant amount of park land within security screened areas and maintaining unrestricted public access outside of security screened areas. Closures and public use limits such as these are commonplace for these types of public events for which law enforcement agencies have evaluated there to be public safety concerns and are necessary to provide the public with as much access as possible to park land while also providing for the security has and public safety measures that law enforcement has deemed necessary for this event.

Accordingly, the National Park Service determines publication as rulemaking in the Federal Register is unwarranted under 36 C.F.R. § 1.5(b). This is consistent with hundreds of earlier partial and temporary park closures or public use limitations, the legal opinion of the Office of the Solicitor, and judicial adjudications. Mahoney v. Norton, No. 02-1715 (D.D.C. August 29, 2002), plaintiff’s emergency motion for injunction pending appeal denied Mahoney v. Norton, No. 02-5275 (D.C. Cir. September 9, 2002) (per curiam); Picciotto v. United States, No. 99-2113 (D.D.C. August 6, 1999); Picciotto v. United States, No. 94-1935 (D.D.C. September 9, 1994); Picciotto v. Lujan, No. 90-1261 (D.D.C. May 30, 1990); Picciotto v. Hodel, No. 87-3290 (D.D.C. January 26, 1988); Spiegel v. Babbitt, 855 F. Supp. 402 (D.D.C. 1994), aff'd in part w/o op. 56 F.3d 1531 (D.C. Cir. 1995), reported in full, 1995 US App. Lexis 15200 (D.C. Cir. May 31, 1995). Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.7, notice of this temporary and partial closure and public use limit will be made though media advisories, maps, fencing, and by posting at conspicuous locations in the affected park areas. Finally, pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.5(c), this determination is available to the public upon request.

Michael Commisso 10/23/2026 /s/
Superintendent, National Mall and Memorial Parks

Vincent Vaise 10/23/2026 /s/
Superintendent, George Washington Memorial Parkway

Brian Joyner 10/23/2026 /s/
Superintendent, Rock Creek Park

 

Map of October 24, 2026 – Marine Corps 8K

 

Map of October 24, 2026 – Desert Shield and Desert Storm Dedication

 

Map of October 24, 2026 – Desert Shield and Desert Storm Dedication

 

Map of October 24, 2026 – Turnstile Benefit Concert

 

Map of October 24, 2026 – Turnstile Benefit Concert

 

Map of October 25, 2026 – Marine Corps Marathon

 

Map of Prohibited Items area for Desert Storm/Shield Memorial Dedication

 

Map of Prohibited Items area for Turnstile Concert