Battery Kemble Park

I visited Battery Kemble Park when searching for Battery Kemble, a Civil War earthen fort that is part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington. Battery Kemble Park and the adjacent Palisades Park form a long, narrow stretch of undeveloped land, most of which is impenetrable forest. The parks are situated between Chain Bridge Road and 49^th Street to the west and east, and MacArthur Boulevard and Nebraska Avenue to the north and south. The only entrance is at the northwest side along Chain Bridge Road. A Battery Kemble sign is at the entrance.

If you come to the park in search of Battery Kemble, park in the small, three-car parking lot you come to as soon as you turn into the park. Walk back out to Chain Bridge Road and proceed north (right) for about 200 yards. Be on the lookout for a clearing with a small mound holding a geodetic survey marker. (If you reach a house on the right side of the road you have gone too far—there are houses on the left side of the road). An arrow on the marker points directly at the fort, though this is merely a coincidence.

Mound with the geodetic survey marker

Geodetic survey marker

A trail forms a semicircle around the fort and comes back out on Chain Bridge Road closer to the parking lot. You may have noticed this trail running along the road during your walk to the survey marker, and you were in fact walking past the fort during this time. The fort is covered in vegetation, and it is hard to see any of the walls, but they do exist. There is one clearing on the south end that takes you into the fort. You must cross the defensive ditch that was dug at the base of the wall and then climb up to the top where you will find a granite marker. However, the interior of the fort is a jungle, so unless you are wearing long pants, a long sleeve shirt, and have applied insect repellent, you probably won’t want to go farther. Poison ivy and ticks are a common problem in the area. There are no other exhibits at the site, so a visit to Battery Kemble is for Civil War fanatics only.

Wall of Battery Kemble

If you bypass the first parking lot and drive all the way to the end of the road, you will find a picnic area. A dozen tables—no grills—are spread out on a field that sits at the base of a large hill. This is the type of picnic area that locals would use to take a break after hiking the short trails, not a place where you would want to hold a birthday party or family reunion.

Parking area and picnic tables at Battery Kemble Park

As mentioned, I came to the park in search of Battery Kemble, though I had no idea where to find it. Research indicated that it was at the top of the hill. Let me tell you, that is one steep hill! In fact, when you get to the top there’s another hill just as large that you can’t even see from the parking lot, that’s how steep it is. This would make for a great sledding hill in the winter, and both sledding and cross-country skiing are allowed. However, the road to the picnic area is closed during the winter due to it being so steep, so you would have to walk in after parking at the top lot or in the street.

Hill at Battery Kemble Park

There are a few nondescript hiking trails in the park. You can hike north to Nebraska Avenue on a trail that starts at the far side of the picnic area. The path from the parking lot is well defined. I started out on this trail in search of Battery Kemble, but only went far enough to 1) know that Battery Kemble was not on the trail, and 2) know that I didn’t want to hike the trail. All I can say is that the terrain is very hilly.

Northbound trail starts at the far end of the picnic area

Northbound trail to Nebraska Avenue

The same trail that heads north also heads south through Palisades Park to MacArthur Boulevard. There is a second trail that runs parallel to it, so you can hike back on this and form a small loop. I did not hike either of these trails and do not know their lengths, but the park itself is less than a mile long.

Trail head on MacArthur Boulevard

Battery Kemble Park and Palisades Park are of zero interest to tourists and are used by the people in the neighborhoods that surround them. Just about everyone I saw was out walking their dogs. The only other reason to visit is if you are a Civil War fanatic and want to see what little remains of Battery Kemble.

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