Theodore Roosevelt Island

Finally, a blog post related to D.C.! It only took me eight months of living in the D.M.V. (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia) area to start! I mean, I feel like it’s sufficient for me to blame CoVid for the lack of posts, right?!

In any case, since most of our recent activities around the city revolves outdoor locations, one of the spots that I’ve gotten to explore is Theodore Roosevelt Island National Monument. It’s a 91-acre plot of land that was designated as a park in 1932 to commemorate President Roosevelt and his leadership in land conservation.

When Roosevelt became president in 1901, he established 5 national parks, 150 national forests, and 18 national monuments, to name a few of his nature-related accomplishments.

The park itself is situated on the Potomac River, sandwiched between Arlington National Cemetery and the National Mall. The D.C. bike trail does run through the island, which allows even more of an easy access.

During weekday mornings, like this particular Monday morning at 8am, the island was nearly deserted and parking was a breeze. I felt like I had the place all to myself. When it comes to the weekend, the same can’t be said.

What I love about this park is that, aside from the area where the Roosevelt Monument is situated, the majority of the park feels like the wilderness. It’s not manicured, and you’ll find branches and broken logs here and there. For a short period, there is a raised walkway through the marshes, while the rest of the island has a stoned pathway.

There is an overall circular path that leads around the island, but it branches out (to dead ends) here and there. They usually lead to a view of the Potomac River, but in one case, I was led to a couple of tipis! I don’t know how long it’s been there or who made it, but it was a surprise, for sure!

This little island has quickly become one of my favorite areas in the city to get a 2-mile walk while being surrounded by nature.

Have you been to Theodore Roosevelt Island?