Described as an “off the radar oasis,” in Secret Washington DC, this is the sole remaining freshwater tidal marsh east of the Anacostia River.
Hike 6 in 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles Washington DC: Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens dates back to the late 19th century, when a government clerk named Walter Shaw planted a dozen lilies from his native Maine in an old farm pond. His bobby soon became a business. New ponds were dug, exotic species were imported and cultivated, and Shaw’s water gardens became both a thriving enterprise and a tourist attraction.
In the 1930s, though, the gardens seemed doomed when the US Army Corps of Engineers embarked on dredging the Anacostia and draining the marsh. But the Department of the Interior stepped in and bought the gardens – for $15,000 – and made them the core of a new National Park Service unit.
Information boards introduce visitors to the ecology of a freshwater tidal marsh. You’ll see such native plants as cattails, sedges, American lotus, and wild rice. Where the boardwalk ends, it’s possible to see herons and egrets fishing, dicks bobbing, or an osprey or bald eagle flapping by. Look for beavers that slip into ponds, mostly at night, to feast on lily roots. Contemplate, or even marvel at, the existence of such a place within the city limits.
Anacostia Riverwalk Trail
Anacostia Riverwalk Trail is the first hike in the book, but also attached to the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens hike in the book because, well, they are attached: The Anacostia Riverwalk Trail is a 20-mile multiuse trail that is under construction along the east and west banks of the Anacostia River, stretching from Prince George’s County in Maryland to Washington DC. It provides a scenic route for pedestrians and bicyclists along the river to the Fish Market, Nationals Park, Historic Anacostia, RFK Stadium, the National Arboretum, and 16 communities between the National Mall at the Tidal Basin and Bladensburg Marina Park in Maryland.
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