ROCK CREEK PARK PICNIC AREA MAP
There are twenty-nine official picnic areas at Rock Creek Park, plus some tables at the Rock Creek Nature Center. Eight of these can be reserved, while the rest are available on a first come, first served basis.
The first come, first served picnic areas typically have one or two tables and no functioning grills and are meant for individuals, families, or small groups of no more than 25 people. Unfortunately, the National Park Service shows no signs of giving a damn about these, and most aren’t worth the time of day. I first visited in 2015 and things were in bad shape: old wooden picnic tables and busted-up stone grills. In 2019, I called Rock Creek Park to get updated information and was told new grills and tables were coming. Certainly I had to get back to the park and get new photos. I did just that in August 2021. What did I find? No new grills, that’s for sure (the reservable picnic areas did get new grills). Same old wooden picnic tables, and far less than were available in 2015. And stone grills that looked even worse. You can bring your own gas or charcoal grill, which unless you are able to check out a site ahead of time, is your best bet.
If you plan on hosting a group picnic at Rock Creek Park, there are eight picnic areas that can—must—be reserved in advance for a fee between May 1st and November 31st. These are much larger and much better maintained facilities that can hold up to 75 people. Six of the eight are situated along Rock Creek. Reservations are for a half day, from either 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM or from 3 PM to 7 PM, though you can pay for both time slots if you want to hold an all-day event. The current fee is $65 per time slot. If your group is coming by bus, you must reserve either Picnic Area #1 or #24, as these are the only picnic areas that can accommodate buses. Reservations can be made online at www.recreation.gov or by calling (877) 444-6777.
Parking at the first come, first served picnic areas is done—with a few exceptions—at roadside pullouts that hold anywhere from three to a dozen vehicles. The reservable picnic areas all have their own parking lot. For complete picnic area rules, see the National Park Service’s official Rules and Regulations web page for Rock Creek Park.
Typical roadside pullout parking
If you want to see exactly what these picnic areas look like, use the Street View feature in Google Maps. Every picnic area is along a main road, and with Street View you can view the property just like you were driving down the road.
For details and a few photos of each picnic area, see the follow web pages:
RESERVED PICNIC AREAS
FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED PICNIC AREAS
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on January 12, 2022
