It’s no secret D.C.’s got a lot of parks, and that Washingtonians are proud as hell of them. The Trust for Public Lands counts 697 parks in the District, probably part of the reason we’re consistently ranked the nation’s best big-city park system (three years and counting). But with so many options, how can you know which park best suits your birthday picnic, bird watching, tree climbing, or quiet reading? Don’t worry. We’re on it.
Who’s Crazy Enough To Do This?!
We’ve hired environmental reporter Jacob Fenston to explore all 697 parks in D.C. and catalog them for us. WAMU laid off the talented reporter last month, which — lucky for us and you — frees him up to bike, walk, Metro, and even kayak to the four corners of our city diamond, with his trusty Hey DC mug in tow.
And he’ll report back! Which park is the hardest to get to? Which has the creepiest Civil War history? And which space has the coolest programming?
Here at City Cast DC, we’ve already delved into our fair share of park coverage. On our podcast, we interviewed the community member who spearheaded the creation of Crispus Attucks Park, and learned about the history behind one of D.C.’s largest parks. But we’re eager to learn more, and to have you follow along.
Follow Along:
We’ll be tracking Jacob’s progress on this page and our social media accounts — updating them as he checks parks off his loooooong list. And keep checking back here for articles he’s going to write along the way. Plus! If you’ve got park questions, we’re determined to get you answers. Email us to join in the fun.
Park Counter: 239/697
Follow along on the map! Plus, as you can see, Jacob's searching for D.C.'s boundary stones along the way too. There are 40 total, but 26 on the D.C. side of the Potomac. So far, he's visited 13.
