Established in 1890, Rock Creek Park was the third national park created in the United States and the first in a major city. More than 2,000 acres winding through Northwest Washington, D.C., were set aside as a refuge for wildlife and an escape for District residents. Before the founding of the park, the land supported Indigenous people, agriculture, fishing, and industry. The creek powered mills, watered orchards, and was a conduit for trade in the nation’s capital.
While the landscape feels natural today, much of the park was meticulously laid out by a noted landscape architectural firm, Olmsted Brothers. The architects’ rustic style of bridges, roads, and structures helped set the tone of “parkitecture” in national parks across the country. In addition to its natural beauty, Rock Creek Park contains historic structures, memorials, ruins, and other remnants of the past.
The tour begins outside the Smithsonian’s National Zoo before plunging into Rock Creek Park via a little-known entrance. Follow the course of an abandoned road to a secluded stone mansion, one of the oldest structures in the park. Then trek across the park’s western ridge before dipping down into the valley to see Peirce Mill, built in 1829, and going up along the Theodore Roosevelt Side Trail to beautiful Boulder Bridge. Passing the ruins of another old mill, stroll back along Beach Drive before hiking one more stretch on a recently renamed trail while tour leader Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours, shares its history.
Finally, emerge onto bustling Connecticut Avenue and wrap up at the Cleveland Park Metro station.
Know Before You Go
- Tour participants meet outside the west entrance of the National Zoo, near the lion statues (3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.)
- The tour concludes at the Cleveland Park Metro station at 3599 Connecticut Ave. NW.
- Hike approximately 4 miles along both paved paths and uneven terrain, with some steep hills.
- Sturdy shoes, bottled water, and comfortable clothes are recommended.
Additional Date Options for this Tour
General Information
- Registration for this tour will end by 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 23, 2025.
- Smithsonian Associates is a mask-friendly environment. Please feel free to bring and wear a mask at any time during a tour, both for your safety or the safety of others.
- As we aim to move away from single use water bottles, guests are strongly encouraged to get in the habit of bringing their own reusable water bottle on tour.
- For additional tour information:
