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WAS H I N G TO N I AN N MON T H 2 0 1 6

How to Absolutely Crush

Rock Creek Park From
Top to Bottom in One Day

For her book A Year in Rock Creek Park, Washington writer Melanie
Choukas-Bradley spent hundreds of hours walking (and skiing) every
nook and cranny of the park. Our challenge for her: Cram its highlights
into a single hike on a single day. Heres the path we followedall
seven milesin pocket-guide format so you can take it, too.

Gr
ub
b

From Grubb Road, take this

Boundary Trail down to the
Valley Trail, our pick over
the parks west side because it follows Rock Creek
and has way better scenery.

START HERE

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Probably not the creek itself, according to NPS

ranger Bill Yeaman. Although Rock Creek has
plenty of time to accumulate pollutants on its
33-mile flow from a spring in Laytonsville, that
summer stench youre getting a nasty whiff of isnt
water-based. Instead, its gas venting from nearby
manholes that gets caught in the parks valley.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PHOTOGRAPHER NAME

Look for a vernal poolits the amphibians

happy place. Toads and salamanders mate
here, and if its spring, youll hear the sleighbell tune of the spring peeper frog. See any
green or white golf-ball-like specimens near
the waters edge? Theyre salamander eggs.

Tr
ai
l

Behold the scarlet oak. The

Districts official treewhich grows
throughout the parkcan extend up
to 80 feet. In the fall, it displays its
cant-miss/dont-miss red leaves.

See those who came before

by way of their carvings
on the parks American
beech treesan illicit but
decades-old tradition.
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Whats That Smell?

Just past the Pine Trail crossing, veer off to the right onto
a short, unmarked side trail
to get to Laurel Ledge, so
named by Choukas-Bradley.
Youll have a sit-and-stayawhile view of the creek, especially if youre daring enough
to climb down the ledge.

Map
illustrations
by L-Dopa

Clearly this is no day to go hungry, so

your first stop is a Silver Spring institution: Parkway Deli. Because latkes,
eggs, and loxin heaping portions.

R
d.

Hear a high-pitched
whistle? You may not
see the wood thrush,
the bird of DC, but its
singsong call may be
your soundtrack for
the whole day.

By
Jennifer
Ortiz

TRIVIA!
The Rolling Meadow Footbridge is one of eight built
as part of public-works projects during the Depression.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PHOTOGRAPHER NAME

At the two blue blazes,

veer off to the right onto
this foot-and-horse path.

Golf Course

MORE
TRIVIA!
Until 1996, passenger
cars (and before that,
crop-filled wagons)
were allowed to drive
across the shallow
parts of the creek here
at Milkhouse Ford.

Now head west

onto the footpath for about a
half mile to see
the remnants of
Fort DeRussy,
one of many Civil War forts
that helped protect DC
from Confederate capture.
During one 1864 battle,
Union soldiers fired the
forts 100-pound cannon 28
times to fend off the enemy.

Nature Center
Last loo until Peirce Mill!
Its technically not in
the park, but in summer
the meadow across
from St. Johns High
School = nature porn,
packed with milkweed
and butterflies.

Now double back

via this footpath.
Otherwise, youll
miss the most
dramatic part of
the Valley Trail.

Horse Center

Who cares if you finished

your hash browns three
hours ago? The grassy
expanse around Miller
Cabin (page 78) is perfect for refueling. Bonus:
great people-watching
on the weekend.

Capitol Stones

TRIVIA!

4 Hacks That Will

Make Your Day in
Rock Creek Park

In 1902, President Teddy Roosevelt, who

hiked the park regularly, lost a ring near
here. A search failed to turn it up. Roose
velt put an ad in the paper saying, Golden
ring lost near Boulder Bridge. . . . If found,
return to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Ask for
Teddy. The ring has yet to be found.

Amazing View!
Tennis Stadium

If you insist on a paper map, order

Map N from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

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This may sound obvious, but BYO

water. Our route doesnt have many
spoutsyoull find them only at
Miller Cabin, the Nature Center, and
Peirce Mill.

We
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NM O NTH 2016 WASHINGTO NI A N

Make sure your phone has 100 percent charge. Trails in the park arent
well marked, so youll want Google
Maps to help you along at times.

Trust us, all the rockscrambling is worth it

when you get to Pulpit
Rock. Sit. Savor. And
psych yourself for more
scrambling on the Teddy
Roosevelt Trail, which
you need to pick up here
in order to cross Beach
Drive and get onto the
Western Ridge Trail.

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Carter Barron Amphitheatre

The Red Line drops you off in Silver

Spring; its a short walk from there
to Parkway Deli. Otherwise, park in
the Boundary Bridge parking lot and
walk north from therebut note
that on weekends, the lot is accessible only coming from the north.

Check out Peirce Mill, a 19thcentury gristmill powered by

the creek. Back outside, look
upstream for the fish ladder,
which helps herring and shad
get up over the dam to mate.

Jules Jusserand Memorial

The contract for Boulder Bridge

called for it to be surfaced with
actual bouldersspecifically,
man-sized stones, a technical
term meaning that a stone
mason could easily carry them.
Perhaps the contractor didnt
have an architecture background: He used life-sized stones
instead. No matterthe mistake
resulted in one of the most picturesque spots in the park.

After seven miles, we called it a day here at

Bluff Bridge. But you could go on, via the
bike and foot trails that lead around the zoo
and all the way to the Potomac. Better idea:
Quit at Peirce Mill and Uber to St. Arnolds
Mussel Bar patio in Cleveland Park for liters
of beer in boot glasses. You earned it.