| Rock Creek Park | |
|---|---|
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
 The entrance to Rock Creek Park at its Maryland border entrance in 2010 | |
   | |
| Location | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Nearest city | Washington, D.C. |
| Area | Over 2,000 acres (3 sq mi; 8 km2)[1] |
| Established | September 27, 1890 |
| Visitors | 2,026,156 (in 2022)[2] |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Rock Creek Park |
Rock Creek Park Historic District | |
| Location | From Klingle Road in Washington, D.C. to Montgomery County, Maryland border |
| Coordinates | 38°57′27″N 77°2′42″W / 38.95750°N 77.04500°W |
| Area | 1,754 acres (2.7 sq mi; 7.1 km2)[1] |
| Built | 1820s (Peirce Mill) 1897–1912 (Park facilities)[4] |
| Architect | Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., John Charles Olmsted |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Early Republic, and NPS Rustic |
| NRHP reference No. | 91001524[3] |
| Added to NRHP | October 23, 1991 |
Rock Creek Park is a large urban park that bisects the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Created by Act of Congress in 1890, the park comprises 1,754 acres (2.74 mi2, 7.10 km2), generally along Rock Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River.
More than two million people visit the park each year, many to use recreation facilities such as its golf course; hiking, biking, and equestrian trails; tennis center; nature center; playgrounds, and picnic facilities.
The park is administered by the National Park Service, whose Rock Creek Park administrative unit administers dozens of other federally owned properties in the District of Columbia, including Meridian Hill Park, the Old Stone House in Georgetown, and some of the Fort Circle Parks, a series of batteries and forts built to defend the nation's capital during the American Civil War.
The Rock Creek Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 23, 1991.[5]
- ^ a b Rock Creek Park, District of Columbia. "Frequently Asked Questions Archived October 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine." National Park Service Archived November 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, U. S. Dept. of the Interior. Last updated 2014-08-15. Accessed 2014-08-23.
- ^ "Annual Park Ranking Report for Recreation Visits in: 2022". nps.gov. National Park Service. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Construction of initial roads, bridle paths and foot paths took place during 1897–1912. Mackintosh, Barry (1985). "Under Military Rule". Rock Creek Park: An Administrative History (Report). Washington, DC: National Park Service (NPS). Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
- ^ Record display[permanent dead link], National Register of Historic Places