Be advised that the NPS has issued alerts for this park.
Picnic Area Closure at Fort Washington Park
The D1 Picnic Area will be closed April 15–November 15, 2025, and remain closed afterward per the Superintendent’s Compendium schedule.
Lighthouse Area Closed
A section of Fort Washington Park, including the area around the Fort Washington Lighthouse and nearby sidewalks, will be closed from 12:00 a.m. on May 9, 2025, through 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2025.
Built to defend the river approach to Washington, DC, Fort Washington has stood as silent sentry for over 200 years. As technologies advanced so did Fort Washington, from the brick and stone of the 19th century to the concrete and steel of the 20...
A chain link fence surrounds the battery, brush and weeds have grown up around the fence. The two-story concrete structure is about 200 feet long and in disrepair. The north and south ends slope towards the ground with dirt covering them. The concrete is cracked and falling in places along the upper platform. The ground level has 14 square openings that are created by the concrete supports for the upper level. There are two square columns that stand outside of the main structure with two sets of iron steps behind them that lead from the ground level to the upper level. Under the upper platform are several doorways into the structure where the storage rooms and additional stairs are. The upper level is the gun level. Directly behind the columns is where the gun platforms are. The wall in front of the guns are curved to allow motion of the gun. To the left of the gun platforms are a additional structures which are square and supported with 4 concrete columns across the front. A handrail crosses the battery on the upper level.
The two-level concrete structure is about 175 feet long. It is in the woods and has been overtaken by trees and weeds. The battery is in disrepair. The space behind the battery has trees in the pathway, and in the slopes next to the battery. There are concrete steps from the ground level to the first level. There are concrete supports that hold up the upper level, that forms openings across the battery. The ground level has various storage areas and concrete steps that lead to the upper level. The gun platforms are on the upper level, in front of them the concrete is curved to allow motion of the cannon. To the left of the gun platforms are square buildings with four concrete supports. The top of the battery is overgrown with weeds. The upper level has weeds growing through the concrete.
This two-level concrete structure is about 175 feet long. The upper level has a safety handrail across the length of it. The ends of the battery are sloped with the and covered with dirt. There are 16 concrete supports that hold up the second level platform. There are storage rooms and concrete stairs to the second level across the length of the battery, a few areas have been closed off with chain link fencing. The upper level of the battery has two rounded areas that would have been the gun platforms. To the left of the platforms is additional structures which are square and have three concrete supports. Across the top of Battery Humphreys is another safety hand rail. About 6 foot tall concrete wall that works as a retaining wall.
A one level concrete structure is the largest on site, about 250 feet long. The battery is designed with three large concrete structures and two open spaces. The open spaces are closed by chain link fence with brown privacy slates. The north end has an addition area protruding from the main wall. It looks like the short leg of an "L". This addition has a small room with a door and window opening. Along the main wall are doors leading to storage areas. The doors are either extra wide or regular size doors. Going across from north to south, wide door, regular door, chain link fence about 30 feet, two wide doors, regular door, chain link fence about 30 feet, wide door, door, window, door, window. The majority of the doorways are closed for safety. The top of the battery is covered with weeds or trees. A few small trees have begun to grow within the open spaces. These areas are used for storage by the Park Service.
This two level concrete structure is about 125 feet long. The lower level is at ground level. There are two ramps and one set of steps that lead up to the upper level. Between the ramps and steps are grass covered slopes. There are bridges over the ramps that lead to concrete steps that go to the top of the battery. A second set of steps lead up to the gun platforms. The front of the gun platforms have a curved wall. The battery and surrounding area has high weeds. There is a tree line in front of the battery and grass field behind it.
The two level concrete structure is about 120 feet long. Behind the battery are two small hills with an opening between them that allows access to the battery. This makes it look like the battery is below ground level. The lower level has three ramps and two sets of concrete steps. Between the ramps and steps are grass covered slopes. The ramps lead into storage rooms and the step to the second level. In front of the steps are the areas for the gun platforms. A second set of steps lead up to the platform area. There are bridges that cover the ramp openings that allow travel across the battery. The two bridges on the ends lead to steps that go to the top of the battery. The concrete is cracked and has weeds growing on the battery in areas.
This two level concrete structure is about 175 feet long. The ends are sloped and act as a retaining wall. The battery is in an area that is rarely mowed therefore there are high weeds surrounding it. In front is a line of trees. The north end of the battery has rusted steel steps attached to the side wall the hand rail is broken at the top and crosses the stairs. Across the front are window opening and doors, pattern is window, two doors, window, two doors, double wide door, this pattern continues in the reverse across the rest of the battery. In the center is an outcropping made of steel I-beams supporting an upper platform. A safety hand rail goes around the platform. The left side of the upper level also has a safety rail. The upper level has two gun emplacements with curved wall for movement of the guns. The guns are separated by a large concrete square that is a part of the battery. The top of the battery is covered by grass and weeds.
The Counterscarp Gallery is an L- shaped defensive structure that is approximately 50 feet in length, and is made up of red bricks and stone with a black slate shingled roof. The interior of the L-shaped structure is hollow on the inside resembling a tunnel, and was used as a reinforced firing position for the rear defenses of Fort Washington.
The Enlisted Men's Barracks is a two story building approximately 120 feet by 22 feet in diameter, and primarily made up of red bricks, with a black wooden shingled roof. The front porch of the structure is lined with brick columns which hold up the second story's white wooden balcony. The interior of the first floor is divided into two separate large rooms, while the second floor is made up of one singular large room. There are two white wooden staircases on either side of the building that allows passage up to the second floor.
The 32-foot tower is trapezoidal with the base being 16 feet and the top 4 feet. The wooden tower is painted white and is sitting on four grey brick pillars at the corners that are about 2 feet tall. There is a four-foot chain link fence around the lighthouse. The north and south sides of the light has a “ghost” image of the triangle marker that used to be on the tower and removed in October 2020. The west side of the lighthouse has two small windows on in the middle near the right edge and the other close to the top in the center, below a ridge that is part of the top of the lighthouse. The north side of the light has a small window on the left side of the light about midway up the tower. Above the ridge is a shelf that is attached to the tower that was for the light prior to its removal. There is a stack of wood under the tower, to add support to the structure until it can be repaired.
The Main Parking Lot Bathroom is a one story building and is made of orangish tan bricks with a shingled roof. A 20 foot concrete sidewalk leads to the building. The men's room is about 5 feet to the right where the sidewalk meets the building, this is close to the middle of the bathroom. The women's room entrance is another 5 feet at the right corner of the bathroom just to the left. There is a brown, vinyl privacy wall at the end of the sidewalk. Two six foot panels goes toward the back and connects to another 6 foot panel that connect it to the building, making the entrance to the women's room. There are two sets of three vertical rectangular windows that follow the angle of the roof making them three different height sizes and about 18 inches wide, which is to the right and left of the men's entrance way.
The Officers Quarters is a red brick two story building approximately 112 feet by 22 feet, with a black slate shingle roof. The front porch of the structure is lined with white concrete pillars that support the second story white wooden balcony. The two rooms in the interior of the first floor of the structure are divided by an interior staircase, and the second floor is divided in the same way with two rooms separated by a shared common area.
Built to defend the river approach to Washington, DC, Fort Washington has stood as silent sentry for over 200 years. As technologies advanced so did Fort Washington, from the brick and stone of the 19th century to the concrete and steel of the 20th century. Joining the National Park Service in 1946, the park continues to protect the Potomac River.
This 341-acre park was created to preserve its many historic structures. The park's namesake is the 19th century brick and stone fort which stands guard on the shore of the Potomac River. Throughout the park are gray concrete batteries built in the late 19th and early 20th century and other modern and historic buildings. Recreation opportunities include 8 reservable picnic areas, a playground, basketball court, fishing areas, and 3 miles of hiking trails.
The area is surrounded by trees, creating a private area. The areas is entered from the west to the parking lot. On the east end of the lot is a black metal pole gate that has orange and white reflective stickers on it. To the left of the gate is a brown wooden bulletin board with a shingled room. Behind the gate, about 25 feet back and slightly to the left is the restroom facility. To the north are the picnic tables, about 20 feet from the curb. The tables are placed among a stand of trees that is circular in shape. The grills are placed outside of the tables to the left and right. Behind the tables is a large open field. Behind the field is a wooded area. The east There are four brown trash cans place at the curb of the parking lot about 50 feet from the picnic tables to the right. The restroom is located about 100 feet feet from the tables, there is a concrete sidewalk that leads to the building. It is a rectangular brick building, that is orangish tan in color. It has a brown shingle roof. The gutters and downspouts are brown, the downspouts are on the north and south walls near the corners. There are lights above the doors. There are three windows just below the roof to the left of the women's and right of the men's doors. The sidewalk meets up with the building in the center of the north wall. The brown door is for the maintenance room. To the right is the men's room about 10 feet to the corner there is a brick privacy wall extends about 4 feet from the corner of the building. The women's room is to the left about 15 feet from the maintenance room door. There is a privacy wall that extends about 4 feet from he corner of the building. The doors are brown in color.
From the view of the parking lot's north end, which is closest to Area B1, a concrete sidewalk to the right leads to the area from the lot. The sidewalk leads to the bathroom. The building is a square, orangey tan brick with brown trim and shingle roof. The men's room is to the left with the women's room on the back right side of the building, both doors are brown. There is a water fountain on the front center wall, left of the men's room. To the right of the bathroom about 30 feet is the picnic area. The grills are placed on the outer edges of the tables, the stone grill is on the north east side with several smaller grills near it. The tables are placed in groups or straight lines among the few trees that are in the area to provide shade. To the east of the tables is a hill which is the front side of Battery Meigs, one of the Endicotte Batteries. To the southeast is the maintenance parking lot, building and yard which is surrounded by a chain link fence. A variety of maintenance vehicles are in the yard. A large field with a few large trees cover the area around and behind the maintenance area and the other picnic areas which are to the west and south following the curb of the parking lot.
From the parking lot, the area is up a short hill, about four feet up. There is a sidewalk to the left that will bypass the hill. The tables are placed to the left of several large trees that provide shade to the area. The grills are to the left of the tables with a hot coals disposal box. Continuing to the left is the playgound area. Area B1 is in the upper left corner where the bathroom is located. To the behind and to the right is an open field. In the far background is the maintenance yard with chain link fence around it.
The area just off of the parking lot. The tables are set up in rows between several large trees which provide shade for the areas. The stone grill is a few feet from the curb with a black hot coals box next to it. Additional grills are behind the tables. Along the curb are trash cans to the left and right of the table area, also to the right is a brown bulletin board with a shingled roof. The area around the tables are open fields with Area B4 to the right. A restroom is located on the far side of Area B4. The maintenance yard is in the background surrounded by a chain link fence.
The picnic tables are less than 50 feet from the parking lot. At the curb are several brown metal trash cans that are supported on wooden poles. The tables are placed under several large trees which provide shade. The grills are near the back of the tables. There is a sidewalk to the right of the picnic tables that leads from the parking lot to the restroom. The restroom is oriented with the men's room at the end of the sidewalk and the women's room around to the right of the building. Is a orangey tan brick building with a shingled roof and brown trim and doors. Battery Humphries is located to the far right. There is an open field between the battery and the tree line. Behind the picnic area is the tree line. To the left diagonal is an area is an open field that is behind all the B picnic areas. Area B3 is to the left of the area with a space between.
The tables are north of the parking lot about 50 feet. At the curb are trash cans. The tables are placed among the trees. The pedestal grills area placed on the the left and right sides of the tables. The area is surrounded by trees except for the east side which is the entrance way into the picnic area. An open field is to the right of the picnic area that lead to a basketball court. The court is asphalt. Several picnic tables surround the court for seating. The restroom is an orangey tan brick building with shingled roof and brown trim and doors. The restroom is about 150 feet from the tables to the left. There is a dirt service road that crosses between the two spaces. In the back of the area are the remains of an Endicotte Command Tower and behind that is a park maintenance building.
The area is surrounded on three sides by large trees providing shade. The tables are spaced around the grills in no particular order. The fourth side is the parking lot and small sidewalk. From the 10 car parking lot, there is a slight slope down about 2 feet to the picnic tables. Two trash cans are by the parking lot along the sidewalk.
The area is surrounded on three sides by large trees providing shade. The tables are spaced around the grills in no particular order. The fourth side is the ten car parking lot and sidewalk. From the parking lot, there is a slight downward slope about 2 feet to the picnic tables. Two trash cans are on the top of the hill near the parking lot.
The Post Exchange is a two-story brick building. It’s front door is framed by 4 large columns. Each column has a brick base under two smaller white cylindrical columns. These hold up a white triangular gable. The rest of the building has a black shingled roof. The many windows and doors which line the walls of this building are covered with plywood, some of which is painted red. The Post Exchange is located next to a small parking lot.
The southern magazine is a one-story building, approximately 26 feet by 24 feet, which abuts the wall of the fort. It is constructed of brick and has a grass-covered roof. A single reinforced door on the north side is covered with a brick awning.
Here you will see the remains of Bettery Decatur, a reinforced concrete emplacement completed in 1891. It mounted two 10-inch dissapearing guns. The lower rooms of the battery were for shot, shell, and powder storage with cranes and hoists that moved the heavy ammunition up to the gun platforms.
An information-panel standing in the grass in front of the remains of Battery Decatur, a reinforced concrete emplacement. The information-panel includes text, an illustration of a coast artilleryman from 1906, three images depicting the loading process of the breach-loading disappearing-guns once used at Fort Washington. The panel also includes an illustration pf the disappearing carriage lowering a gun into the parapet after firing. The panel also includes an illustration of a Depression Position Finder.
During the 1840s improvements were made to this wall, defensively the weakest part of the fort. The parapet was raised and an outer work, called the caponiere, was added.
An information-panel stands in the grass in front of a brick wall. The panel includes an outline of Fort Washington, a diagram of the latrine, an illustration of a portion of the fort, and an illustration of soldiers loading and aiming howitzers.
Along the outer wall of the ditch is the counterscarp battery, named for its location on the "counterscarp," or outer wall, of the dry ditch. This structure sheltered troops who could direct musketry toward the river or into the ditch itself.
An interpretive-panel stands in front of a short, brick wall. The panel includes text, an illustration of a united states soldier, a diagram of the outline of Fort Washington, and an illustration of the Counterscarp Battery.
Minefields were an important part of the Endicott System of defense at the turn of the century. Groups of underwater mines anchored in the river downstream from the fort could be fired electronically from here when enemy ships passed nearby. The guns of Batteries White, Many, and Smith protected the minefield from enemy mine-sweepers and destroyers.
An interpretive-panel stands in front of a short brick wall. The panel includes text, a diagram of the layout of Fort Washington, a photograph of the building that housed the plotting instrument and controls for the minefield, a photograph of the building that housed the generator that supplied power for the minefield, and an illustration of a warship encountering a floating minefield in water.
Remnants of former gun emplacements are the reminders of the three generations of armaments that occupied this V-shaped Water Battery. Each generation reflects the latest technologies and precision in the manufacture of armaments.
An interpretive-panel stands in the grass in front of a reinforced-concrete emplacement. The panel features text and three images, one of an artillery piece used when the fort was first built, one of an artillery piece used between 1872 and 1898, and one used after 1898.
Fort Washington's solid masonry walls offered good protection against shot from smoothbore cannon of the early 19th century. When rifled artillery was introduced in the late 1850s and used during the Civil War, effectiveness of masonry structures decreased.
An interpretive panel standing in front of a short brick wall. The panel includes a diagram of the layout of Fort Washington, a diagram depicting a smoothbore cannon shooting shot and a rifled artillery weapon shooting a shell, a diagram showing the minor damage to masonry inflicted by a cannonball compared to that of a rifled projectile, and a photograph of damage inflicted in masonry by rifled artillery at Fort Pulaski in Georgia.
A reliable supply of drinking water for the garrison was a priority at Fort Washington. Three wells dug early in the fort's construction proved inadequate. By 1823, four cisterns were installed to store rainwater. Located underground at each end of the barracks and officers' quarters, these cisterns had a total capacity of 19,000 gallons.
An information-panel in front of a brick building. The panel includes a diagram of the layout of Fort Washington, a diagram of where cisterns were located throughout the fort, and an illustration of soldiers collecting water from one of the cisterns.
Construction of the inverted V-shaped outerwork began in 1814. The traces of its shape are visible today. Surrounded by a dry ditch, the Water Battery mounted 24-pounder guns that provided an additional level of firepower to the fort.
An information panel standing in front of a short brick wall. The panel features text, a layout of the fort and the Water Battery, an illustration of soldiers operating a 15-inch Rodman gun, and a diagram of shot ricocheting from the Water Battery to a boat in the water of the Potomac.
Living where the land meets the water gives us everything we need: shelter in the woods, food to eat, and clean water to drink. Our climate promises a good life for the 15 million people and the more than 3,000 types of plants and animals that live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Walking on this trail, you will see some of the plants and Animals that make their home in waterside woodlands.
Two interpretive-panels stand in the grass on the edge of a gravel path. Behind the panels are several trees and the edge of the Potomac River. The panel on the left is lower to the ground and smaller while the panel on the right is higher off the ground and larger. The panel on the left describes events of the War of 1812, featuring an illustration of a burning ship, an illustration of British ships, and text. The panel on the right includes nine photographs of the Chesapeake Bay and wildlife and text.
The NCO Quarters is a one story building approximately 64 feet by 28 feet in diameter, and is made up of red bricks with a black slate shingled roof. The front porch of the structure is lined with brick columns.
The North Powder Magazine is a one story building approximately 26 feet by 24 feet in diameter, and is made up of red bricks and a black slate shingled roof. There is a singular reinforced door that provides entry into the structure's only room.
The Piscataway Creek Perimeter Trail is one of two nature trails that reside at Fort Washington Park. The Piscataway Creek Trail is approximately 1.5 miles, and parallels the Potomac River on the South/Southwest side of the park. The trail's starting point has a wooden boardwalk that ends in a dirt and gravel path, and moves the hiker through the park's forests and wetlands. The trail is lined with 2 footbridges, and a single way-side that educates the hiker on local plant and animal life.
The Swan Creek Perimeter Trail is one of two nature trails that reside at Fort Washington Park. The Swan Creek Trail is approximately 1.5 miles, and parallels the Potomac River on the North/Northwest side of the park. The trail's starting point has an inclined wooden footbridge that ends in a dirt and gravel path, and moves the hiker through the park's forests and wetlands. The trail is lined with 8 footbridges, and 3 way-sides that educate the hiker on local plant and animal life.
Built in the 1820s, this bright yellow building was once the home of Fort Washington's commander. Today, it serves as the Visitor Center for Fort Washington Park. Inside you will find the park bookstore, a small museum, and two restrooms. The Visitor Center is staffed with Rangers ready to answer your questions.
Come for the history, stay for the birds. Fort Washington Park has a diverse array of bird species spread among its distinct ecosystems.
Watch an Artillery Demonstration at Fort Washington Park
Ever wonder how Civil War cannons were fired? Visit the park the first Sunday of every month from May to November to watch the Fort Washington Guard demonstrate and explain the procedures used during the muzzle-loading era of American Artillery.
Bicycle Smallwood State Park to Oxon Cove Park
The on-road bicycling route between Smallwood State Park and Oxon Cove Park makes connections with parks and historic sites.
Tours
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Tour Historic Fort Washington
President George Washington saw the need to protect the newly-founded District of Columbia here and recommended a a fortification at Digges Point in the 1790s. First Fort Warburton stood here from 1809 to 1814, then Fort Washington from 1824 to today. Take a self-guided walking tour and discover what life was like in this fort, how the fort operated, and how it changed over time.
