George Washington Memorial Parkway
The George Washington Memorial Parkway is one of five parkways in the National Park system. Parkways are designed to have limited access, to avoid development, and to have no roadside advertising, providing travelers with a scenic alternative to the regular roads and highways. While the George Washington Memorial Parkway is certainly more scenic than the surrounding roads, today it is far from a pleasure drive, especially during the week when you are as liable to get stuck in rush hour traffic as you are on any major road in Washington, D. C. The Parkway has strayed far from its intended purposes since its conception in the early 1920s because of the massive expansion in population and development of the Washington area.
While the George Washington Memorial Parkway is not the Blue Ridge Parkway, the typical traveler’s idea of what a parkway should be, it does connect with many of the historic sites and parks along the west bank of the Potomac River. The Parkway runs mainly through the state of Virginia, with a short side trip into Washington, D. C. across Lady Bird Johnson Park (formerly called Columbia Island). It begins at I-495 to the north and runs south all the way to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. The original plans were to have it cross over a bridge into Maryland near Great Falls and then run south along the Potomac all the way to Fort Washington Park, but that never happened.
In 1932, the first section of the Parkway was completed, a stretch that ran from Arlington Memorial Bridge to Mount Vernon. The northern section was constructed in the 1950s and 1960s. The final segment connected to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on Lady Bird Johnson Park and was completed in 1974. Overall, the Parkway is 25 miles long.
George Washington Memorial Parkway
There are four types of access points along the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The most troublesome during weekday rush hours are the entrances and exits onto major highways. Many of these have been added over the years, for some of these highways and interstates did not exist when the Parkway was constructed.
A second type of exit ramp takes travelers to attractions along the parkway such as the LBJ Memorial Grove, Turkey Run Park, and Arlington Cemetery.
George Washington Memorial Parkway
There are also pullouts with small parking lots. These usually provide access to the Mount Vernon Trail, picnic tables, and restrooms. Some are at fishing spots along the Potomac.
Parking along the George Washington Memorial Parkway
Mount Vernon Trail
Fishing along the George Washington Memorial Parkway
Picnic area along the George Washington Memorial Parkway
A fourth type of pullout is simply that, a pullout. There is no long term parking available. Most offer a scenic view, though many such views are now blocked by trees.
Scenic pullout along the George Washington Memorial Parkway
View of Fort Washington from the George Washington Memorial Parkway
There is no visitor center for the George Washington Memorial Parkway, so if you are looking for information or want to get your National Park Passport book stamped, visit Arlington House, Glen Echo Park, or Great Falls Park.
The following is a list of National Park Service managed parks, historic sites, and other points of interest along the George Washington Memorial Parkway, listed from south to north. You can click the links to get more information. If I did not personally visit an attraction, the link takes you to the National Park Service’s website.
LBJ Memorial Grove on the Potomac
Women in Military Service For America Memorial
Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial
Other units of the National Park system under the management of the George Washington Memorial Parkway include Great Falls Park, Glen Echo Park, and Clara Barton National Historic Site.
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Last updated on January 13, 2022
