Pavilion, tables, and grill at Rock Creek Park’s Picnic Area #6

LOCATION
Picnic Area #6 at Rock Creek Park is located on Beach Drive just north of Military Road. See the Picnic Areas web page for an interactive location map.

PARKING
The picnic area has its own parking lot that can hold 50-60 vehicles. It can be reserved for group picnics, but if your group is coming by bus, you must reserve either Picnic Area #1 or #24, as these are the only picnic areas with parking lots that can accommodate buses.

AMENITIES
Picnic Area #6 is situated on a long field that borders Rock Creek. There is plenty of room for kids to run around and for guests to throw a ball or Frisbee.

Field at Picnic Area #6 in Rock Creek Park

The main picnic area (which can be reserved) is located near the parking lot on the southern end of the field. It has a pavilion with six tables and a large grill with three grilling surfaces. Trash cans and a barrel for hot coals are provided. Another five tables are located across the field near Rock Creek.

Tables by Rock Creek at Picnic Area #6

Large grill at Picnic Area #6 in Rock Creek Park

Farther down the field by an old cabin are five more picnic tables and what is essentially a stone fireplace. These are all right along the creek, but you have a 200-yard walk from the parking lot to get to them. Across the street from the cabin is a restroom facility, which makes no sense. For safety purposes, why is it not on the same side of the road as the picnic area? Try not to get hit by a car, because Beach Drive is fairly busy.

Picnic tables by Millers Cabin at Rock Creek Park’s Picnic Area #6

Stone fireplace at Rock Creek Park’s Picnic Area #6

At the very north end of the Picnic Area #6 field are four more tables and another stone fireplace. However, you can’t get to this area by walking down the field because next to Miller Cabin is a creek that separates the north end from the rest of the field. Instead, you must walk out to the street and around the creek (which passes underneath the road through a culvert), then back onto the field and to the tables.

Tables and fireplace at the north end of Rock Creek Park’s Picnic Area #6

NOTE: Table and grill count may vary due to theft, breakage, or the addition of new tables and grills. If you plan on hosting a group picnic, be sure to stop by and check out the facility in advance to make sure it will fit your needs.

The log cabin on the property belonged to a poet named Joaquin Miller, who was a popular character in Washington. Miller lived in the cabin back in the 1880s. It was originally located on Meridian Hill and moved to this location in 1912 when Meridian Hill Park was being developed. The cabin is not open to the public due to it being unsafe to enter. In fact, it might not even be there by the time you read this article because the National Park Service plans to move it in order to get it out of the floodplain.

Miller Cabin

RESERVATIONS
If you plan on hosting a group picnic at Rock Creek Park, Picnic Area #6 must be reserved in advance from May 1^st through November 31^st. Reservations can be made for a half day from either 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM or from 3 PM to 7 PM, or for a full day by reserving both time slots. The current fee is $65 per time slot. Reservations can be made online up to one year in advance at www.recreation.gov or by calling (877) 444-6777. Other picnic areas that can be reserved are #1, #7, #8, #9, #10, #13, and #24.

All tables are taken on a first come, first served bases the rest of the year. For complete picnic area rules, see the National Park Service’s official Rules and Regulations web page for Rock Creek Park.

Picnic Area #6 can accommodate 75 guests. It is not handicap accessible.

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