Scouting has a special connection with the outdoors and one organization that works diligently to preserve our nation’s outdoor heritage is the National Park Service. Since 1916, it has been tasked with preserving, maintaining and making available the many wonders our nation provides. The system includes 417 areas covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These areas include national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House.
The diversity of these sites is huge and to make them just a little more accessible, the Park Service is celebrating National Park Week from April 17-25, 2021. On the first day, access to every site will be free of charge. This gives you a great opportunity to experience these areas without the financial cost. Subsequent days all have a theme such as “Military Monday,” “Wayback Wednesday” or “Bark Ranger Day” for those with 4 legged friends. You can find details at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/national-park-week.htm
Our local area has a large number of parks and sites that you can visit. The easiest way to find a park is to go to the National Park Service webpage and use the “Find a Park” dropdown menu. Most parks in Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C. make for an easy day visit. Note that each site has implemented specific COVID-19 safety precautions that are unique to each site. Each park’s site will detail these restrictions. Here are a just a few parks within driving distance to consider.
Great Falls – Great Falls National Park is part of the Potomac River where, prior to passing through Washington D.C., the river falls over a series of jagged rocks and then passes through Mather Gorge. Explore the site of the canal championed by George Washington to make river passage to the interior of the country possible.
Manassas Battlefield – Site of the 1st major battle of the Civil War, locals came to watch the fight, expecting it to be a small affair. Afterwards, it was clear that this war would be a long and bloody struggle. The closest park to us, it is located right off the Manassas exit on I66.
Prince William Forest – The forest in our back yard. While not as big as Shenandoah National Park, it is more accessible and boasts 37 miles of hiking trails. Try your hand at the orienteering course set up by the park or learn about the secret training conducted here by the Office of Strategic Services (predecessor to the CIA) during WWII.
photo courtesy of the National Park Service
George Washington Birthplace – Most have visited Mount Vernon but the house where George Washington was born is also available to the public. Here you can learn about President Washington’s earliest years.
photo courtesy of the National Park Service
Antietam Battlefield – on Sep 17, 1862 this battlefield became the scene of the deadliest day in American history. Over 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing during that one day. This hallowed ground is one of the nation’s best preserved Civil War battlefields.
Catoctin Mountain – established during the Great Depression near Thurmond MD, Catoctin Mountain is home to 25 miles of hiking trails and is a great place to explore some nature. Although not accessible to the public, it’s also home to the Presidential Retreat Camp David.
Fort McHenry – you’ve all heard of the Star Spangled Banner but at Ft McHenry you can see firsthand where British forces were defeated during the Battle for Baltimore in the War of 1812 and provided the inspiration for our national anthem.
photo courtesy of the National Park Service
Assateague Island – designated a national seashore, you can explore the ever-changing shoreline, take a hike and even see the wild horses that call the beach home.
photo courtesy of the National Park Service
There are just a few of the sites maintained by the National Park Service in our area. Between Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C., there are a total of 96 parks and sites to visit and a large number of these make for an easy day visit. If you don’t have plans for 17-25 April, consider taking the family to one of these locations and see what it has to offer.