Things To Do In D.C. When You’re Here For The Women’s March

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Great Outdoors

Need to get away from the press of humanity for a while to prepare for or recover from the crowd at the women’s march? You’re only steps away from nature and untamed wilderness.

Rock Creek Park is 1,754-acres of woods and trails that runs right through the middle of the city. You can actually get lost in here! Bring GPS and a snack.

Roosevelt Island sits in the middle of the Potomac River.

"Although Theodore Roosevelt Island looks like it developed naturally over thousands of years, it is actually a designed landscape. Architects at the Olmsted Brothers Firm and workers from Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps cleared, graded, and replanted it to look “real.” Each of the island’s trails passes through—and is named after—one of the habitats they created."

Warning, though: restrooms on the island are closed during the winter. But the longest of its three trials is only 1.5 miles. Take a walk through the wetlands, woods and uplands of this fitting memorial to America’s first conservationist president.

The C&O Canal runs along the wild Potomac River for 184.5 miles. You can walk or bike 16.7 miles up the canal’s towpath, all the way from Georgetown in D.C. to Great Falls Tavern in Maryland. It’s really cool to see this piece of history running right through the city. And the rocky, wooded slopes along both the Maryland and Virginia sides of the river make for stunning views.

If you like nature in its more cultivated form, you’ll love the U.S. Botanic Garden. It’s will be closed January 18-21, but if you’re around before or after, their seven different gardens and galleries are a gorgeous escape. You can even check ahead to see what’s in bloom in the Conservatory.