Montrose Park — Attraction in Washington

This is a hidden gem in DC. The upper, street level of the park is a large open grassy space that includes a playground area and tennis courts. Walk back from the street through all of the this and the park turns much more natural and descends the steep forested hillside to Rock Creek. There are multiple paths down ranging from narrow footpaths to a gravel road. At the bottom is the dog beach. Many dog parents (and some people parents) come here to let their dogs swim in rock creek. The water is rapid but there is an eddy along the beach area to let small dogs swim. Bigger dogs will swim out into the current after balls and sticks. I personally only bring my dog here when it hasn’t rained heavily for at least a week and lightly for at least two days. This is because there are numerous sewage outflows into Rock Creek and its tributaries upstream of this spot. The bacterial counts in this waterway can be extremely dangerous after a storm. Even when it hasn’t rained recently the water is not considered safe for human swimming. I wade in with my pup but I am careful not to let any in my mouth and to wash my hands throughly afterwards. The pup also gets a full bath with shampoo after every visit. Despite all this it’s still my favorite place to take him in DC. He loves to run around without fear of running into traffic and explore the rocky...

It's well over half a century since I was at this quiet, shady, spacious park, growing up in Washington, but I know people still treasure it. My memories of walking as a child with my mother are still a source of delight. I particularly loved the playground equipment, made the way it used to be made, of wood and metal in natural tones rather than the garish bright plastic of today.

If you come from some distance to get to the park, you might want to combine the trip with a visit to Dunbarton Oaks right "next door" and/or Georgetown. That's wwhere we lived at the time I was a child, and I remember how pleasant it was to traipse block after block over the old red brick sidewalks. Even back then, I had a sense of history as we walked to the park. How much more for today's children if before coming to the park they were told a little about life in the bustling surrounding area that was Georgetown of the 18th and 19th Centuries.

I've heard the tennis courts are in bad shape these days, but the main reason for going to Montose Park is what it offers as a park, a bit of nature in the city. And perhaps a chance for dog...

Usually, I try to characterize a park before I go... Toddler-friendly? Picnic-friendly? Bbq options? Kids playground? Walk-friendly? What about hiking? Montrose Park has almost everything! This is nice because you have options (even with kids). Occasionally we end up at playgrounds where there isn't anything else and the adults are all just hanging around with nothing to do. At Montrose Park, you can have one adult watch kids while the other goes for a real walk! There were a number of people at the playground when we went. All adults was masked, which we found reassuring since we have little kids who can't be vaccinated yet. There was a fence to contain little ones, which was nice. It's all street parking. We didn't, however, have trouble finding parking (10 am on Sunday). It's a beautiful neighborhood. I didn't bring a stroller and I wish I had. It's not a long walk to the playground FOR AN ADULT 🙂. I'd like to go back and explore the walking trails. They looked beautiful...