The Klingle Valley Trail is a trail in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C.
82-474: In 1990, erosion led to the closure of a 0.75-mile section of the road between Cortland Place and Porter Street. This touched off a decades-long dispute between people who wanted the road repaired and those who wanted to keep the portion in Rock Creek Park free of automobile traffic. In 2017, that portion of Klingle Road became Klingle Valley Trail, reserved for hikers and bicyclists. The valley forms
164-451: A 10-minute walk , provides multiple benefits. A park is an area of open space provided for recreational use, usually owned and maintained by a local government. Grass is typically kept short to discourage insect pests and to allow for the enjoyment of picnics and sporting activities. Trees are chosen for their beauty and to provide shade , with an increasing emphasis on reducing an urban heat island effect. Some early parks include
246-439: A city park , municipal park (North America), public park , public open space , or municipal gardens ( UK ), is a park or botanical garden in cities , densely populated suburbia and other incorporated places that offers green space and places for recreation to residents and visitors. Urban parks are generally landscaped by design, instead of lands left in their natural state. The design, operation and maintenance
328-456: A 10–3 vote. After two decades of dispute, the road was replaced with a trail for hikers and bicyclists. A 2011 Environmental Assessment resulted in a finding of "No Significant Impact". This assessment said the "preferred option" was a 10-foot-wide permeable-surface multi-use trail, full-stream channel and bank stabilization for Klingle Creek, a multi-use trail connecting this trail to the existing Rock Creek trail, and pole or bollard lighting of
410-416: A Bicycle Trail Study of the park that analyzed nine alternatives for completing the trail system, including construction of a new bike trail and alteration of the existing road network. After a period of public comment, NPS proposed expanding the weekend closure; constructing an additional 3.5 mi (5.6 km) of trail, designating Beach Drive north of Bingham a bicycle route and studying the suitability of
492-638: A feasibility study by the Berger Group, an engineering consultancy. Published in August 1999, the study ruled out no options, and so did not end the dispute. In 2003, Mayor Anthony Williams expressed opposition to the demands that the road be rebuilt, but was overruled by the Council of the District , which in 2003 passed a line item in the District budget bill requiring that Klingle Road "be re-opened to
574-480: A future trail on this section. Sections of park roads have been subject to weekly closures to motor vehicles since the 1960s, though the times and locations changed. After the 1963 closure experiment, another was attempted in 1967 on Beach between Joyce and Broad Branch on Sunday mornings, but the response was not positive and it was discontinued. In 1970, NPS tried again, closing 2 mi (3.2 km) of Beach, and part of Morrow, every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but
656-551: A golf course ; equestrian trails; sport venues, including a tennis stadium which hosts major professional events; a nature center and planetarium; the Carter Barron Amphitheatre , an outdoor concert venue; and picnic and playground facilities. Rock Creek Park also maintains cultural exhibits, including the Peirce Mill. Rock Creek is a popular venue for jogging, cycling, and inline skating , especially on
738-404: A public roadway in 1839, but only later was named Klingle. The road is named for Joshua Pierce Klingle, the nephew of Pierce Mill owner Joshua Pierce and was originally known as Klingle's Road. Klingle, who was adopted by Pierce when his parents died, inherited Pierce's land upon his death and in 1891 sold a large portion of it to the federal government for the creation of Rock Creek Park. In 1885,
820-475: A section between Klingle Road and Bluff Bridge and a section on the west side of the creek south of Broad Branch Road. They will also build a new trail along Piney Ridge Road from Beach Drive to Arkansas Avenue . Though the 2005 D.C. bicycle plan only identified a need for "an improved bicycle connection" between Broad Branch and the Maryland Line, the 2013 MoveDC Multi-modal transportation plan includes
902-608: A trail in that section. After years of additional study, public hearings and trial closures, NPS announced in February 1983 a plan to expand weekend closures and close Beach between Joyce and Broad Branch to automobile traffic. At first only one lane of Beach would be closed during rush hour, but after Metro 's Red Line opened in Montgomery County in 1985, the section would be permanently closed. Six months later, under pressure from The American Automobile Association and
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#1732787522376984-553: 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
1066-466: Is also an administrative unit of the National Park Service responsible for administration of 99 properties in the District of Columbia north and west of the National Mall and Memorial Parks . The properties include various parks, parkways, buildings, circles, triangles, memorials, and statues and include: Although D.C.'s primary geographic metonyms for racial and class divisions are
1148-490: Is also home to Rock Creek Riders, a therapeutic riding program for adults and children with special needs in the D.C. area. Past participants in the program include brain-injured veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and people with autism , cerebral palsy , or attention deficit disorder . The program is volunteer-run and relies on donations and contributions for funding. Previously, Rock Creek Riders has worked with
1230-534: Is co-located with a section of the Western Ridge Trail south past Peirce Mill to a trail bridge over the creek, where the two separate. After a short distance on the east side of the creek, it crosses back to the west side on Bluff Bridge. Dating back to 1934, it is the oldest part of the trail in the park, and the same age as the Devil's Chair and Saddle Club Bridges farther south. The trail remains on
1312-467: Is still standing. It was built in the 1820s by Isaac Peirce, along with a house, barn, and other buildings. It was later owned by a son, Joshua Peirce, and a nephew Peirce Shoemaker. It became part of Rock Creek Park in 1892. The mill was listed on the National Register in 1969 as Peirce Mill. It was repaired and re-opened October 15, 2011. The Peirce Carriage Barn, adjacent to the mill,
1394-662: Is the National Park Service point of contact. The barn was part of the Peirce estate built in 1810 and used as a tack room and carriage barn. The barn is now a mini-museum containing information on the milling process, the Peirce family estate and other mills along the Rock Creek Valley. A set of hiker/biker trails in the park serve both commuters and recreational users. The mainline trail extends for about 1.6 km (0.99 mi) from Broad Branch Road to
1476-570: Is the oldest natural urban park in the National Park System. Park construction began in 1897. In 1913, Congress authorized creation of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway and extended the park along a narrow corridor from the zoo to the mouth of Rock Creek at the Potomac River . The parkway remains a major traffic thoroughfare, especially along the portion south of the zoo. The park's golf course, designed by William Flynn ,
1558-575: Is usually done by government agencies, typically on the local level, but may occasionally be contracted out to a park conservancy , "friends of" group, or private sector company. Depending on size, budget, and land features, which varies considerably among individual parks, common features include playgrounds , gardens , hiking, running, fitness trails or paths, bridle paths , sports fields and courts, public restrooms, boat ramps, performance venues, or BBQ and picnic facilities. Park advocates claim that having parks near urban residents, including within
1640-562: The La Alameda de Hércules , in Seville , a promenaded public mall, urban garden and park built in 1574, within the historic center of Seville. The Városliget ( City Park ) in the City of Pest , what is today Budapest, Hungary , was a city property when afforestation started in the middle of the 18th century, from the 1790s with the clear aim to create a public park. Between 1799 and 1805 it
1722-623: The Village of Yorkville Park in Toronto , which won an award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Parks are sometimes made out of oddly shaped areas of land, much like the vacant lots that often become city neighborhood parks. Linked parks may form a greenbelt . There is a form of an urban park in the UK (officially called a "recreation ground", but commonly called a "rec" by
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#17327875223761804-519: The Bluff Bridge, which was built in 1934. The section of bridle path used between P and Q streets was built in conjunction with the Pentagon , as that project needed dirt and the park service needed dirt removed. These first sections of trail were 4 to 8 feet wide with rough pavement, steep slopes, poor visibility and sharp curves. By 1977, the trail was extended to Broad Branch Road, crossing
1886-545: The D.C. area. That same year, the "Fort Park System, A Re-evaluation Study of Fort Drive, Washington, D.C." report suggested running the Circle Fort Trail through the park. Planning for trails led to action. In January 1967, NPS announced weekend road closures in April over a 5-mile loop in the center of the park, made up of Beach, Ross, Ridge and Joyce and they announced a plan to build a trail from Military Road to
1968-423: The District boundary and through Pinehurst Parkway Park (most of which were never constructed). In 1968, they built a second trail along Beach from Joyce to Bingham. By 1969, the two existing northern trails were connected with a trail along Bingham from Oregon to Beach. Later that year, NPS built the final section of the loop along Military between Oregon and Beach. By 1972, NPS had paved all of these trails except
2050-509: The District boundary. That trail, the first hiker-biker trail in the park, was built in the summer of 1967. The crushed bluestone trail was constructed from the Nature Center, past Wise Road to a turnaround loop just southwest of Beach Drive and the D.C. boundary. Over the next few months, NPS announced plans to add additional unpaved trails along Military Road from Oregon to Beach, along Wise to Fenwick Branch, beside Fenwick Branch to
2132-940: 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. Rock Creek Park was established by an act of Congress signed into law by President Benjamin Harrison on September 27, 1890, following active advocacy by Charles C. Glover and other civic leaders and in
2214-598: The Fort Circle Trail system. Between 1979 and 1981, the unpaved trail and turnaround loop north of Wise was abandoned. Farther south, a trail along the creek was extended into the park in 1972. A trail along the Potomac built prior to 1967 was extended along the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway in 1971 and then into the park in 1972. It was built on a bridle path that dated back to the early 20th century up to
2296-540: The Klingle Road right-of-way was deeded to the city for use as a public highway. Five years later, when Congress authorized the creation of Rock Creek Park, Klingle formed the rough southern border of the new park. Along with Peirce Mill and Military Roads, it was the only roads that spanned the park north of the National Zoological Park. In 1913, the city generated a plan to straighten and widen
2378-493: The Park Service proposed extending the weekend closures of Beach Drive to weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The proposal was one of several, but was the "preferred alternative." The plan had popular support, but no political support. Mayor Anthony Williams who had supported closure as a candidate, opposed it as mayor, citing the need to evacuate in a post-9/11 world. In May 2004, NPS proposed instead to only close
2460-602: The UK, with around 2.6 billion visits to parks each year. Many parks are of cultural and historical interest, with 300 registered by Historic England as of national importance. Most public parks have been provided and run by local authorities over the past hundred and seventy years, but these authorities have no statutory duty to fund or maintain these public parks. In 2016 the Heritage Lottery Fund 's State of UK Public Parks reported that "92 per cent of park managers report their maintenance budgets have reduced in
2542-743: The United States Mounted Police, National Park Service, Wounded Warrior Project, and the Caisson Platoon Equine Assisted Programs to provide these therapeutic riding services. Peirce Mill is a water-powered grist mill in Rock Creek Park. There were at least eight mills along Rock Creek within what is now Washington, D.C., and many more farther upstream in Montgomery County, Maryland . Of those eight, only Peirce Mill
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2624-522: The United States and the world, though cow grazing did not end until the 1830s. Around the country, the predecessors to urban parks in the United States were generally rural cemeteries . The cemeteries were intended as civic institutions designed for public use. Before the widespread development of public parks, the rural cemetery provided a place for the general public to enjoy outdoor recreation amidst art and sculpture previously available only for
2706-842: The United States are Central Park in New York, Lincoln Park in Chicago, Mission Bay Park in San Diego. In the early 1900s, according to Cranz, U.S. cities built neighborhood parks with swimming pools, playgrounds and civic buildings, with the intention of Americanizing the immigrant residents. In the 1950s, when money became available after World War II , new parks continued to focus on both outdoor and indoor recreation with services, such as sports leagues using their ball fields and gymnasia. These smaller parks were built in residential neighborhoods, and tried to serve all residents with programs for seniors, adults, teens and children. Green space
2788-472: The automobile road. But Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh succeeded in replacing this appropriation with a provision calling for the road to "remain closed to motorized vehicular traffic" and the right-of-way employed instead for a non-motorized-use trail. Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham attempted to restore funding for the automobile road, but his amendment was rejected by the District Council by
2870-681: The boundary between the Woodley Park neighborhood to the south and the Cleveland Park neighborhood to the north. A small stream, usually called Klingle Creek (but sometimes the Klingle Tributary), flows through it, and empties into Rock Creek . Much of the valley is administered by the National Park Service as a part of Rock Creek Park. The mouth of the valley joins the mouth of another narrow valley occupied by Porter Street. Formerly Klingle Ford Road, Klingle Road became
2952-490: The city's quadrants ( i.e. , Northwest , Southwest , Northeast , and Southeast ), Rock Creek Park also separates prominent neighborhoods such as Georgetown , Cathedral Heights and Spring Valley from the rest of the city; hence, the designations WOTP (West of the Park) and EOTP (East of the Park) also serve this role. Congressional authorizations: Urban park An urban park or metropolitan park , also known as
3034-496: The confines of a serpentine carriageway, put in place the essential elements of his much-imitated design for Birkenhead Park in Birkenhead . The latter commenced in 1843 with the help of public finance and deployed the ideas which Paxton had pioneered at Princes Park on a more expansive scale. Frederick Law Olmsted visited Birkenhead Park in 1850 and praised its qualities. Indeed, Paxton is widely credited as having been one of
3116-484: The course of Rock Creek across the D.C.- Maryland border to connect with Rock Creek Stream Valley Park and Rock Creek Regional Park in Montgomery County . The Maryland parks are operated by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission . The Rock Creek Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 23, 1991. Recreation facilities include
3198-465: The creek at Bluff Bridge and twice on newly constructed "breakaway" bridges. NPS and cyclists have long sought a way to close the gap on the north end of the park. After a 1973 proposal to extend the trail, NPS launched a study and announced a plan to do so in 1983, but quickly retracted it. In 1980, NPS, inspired by road closures in New York's Central Park , prepared an assessment of alternatives for
3280-632: The defendants submitted a motion to have the court dismiss this suit. On August 9, 2012, the U.S. District Court did indeed dismiss the suit "for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction". A permit to begin restoration of the creek bed, retaining walls, and water-permeable trail was granted in October 2014. Preliminary work on the Trail began in July 2015. On June 24, 2017, the Klingle Valley Trail
3362-453: The designed landscape as a setting for the suburban domicile (an idea pioneered by John Nash at Regent's Park in London) and re-fashioned it for the provincial town in a most original way. Nash's remodelling of St James's Park from 1827 and the sequence of processional routes he created to link The Mall with Regent's Park completely transformed the appearance of London's West End . With
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3444-499: The establishment of Princes Park in 1842, Joseph Paxton did something similar for the benefit of a provincial town, albeit one of international stature by virtue of its flourishing mercantile sector. Liverpool had a burgeoning presence in global maritime trade before 1800, and during the Victorian era its wealth rivalled that of London itself. The form and layout of Paxton's ornamental grounds, structured about an informal lake within
3526-779: The form of walking, running, horse riding, mountain biking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing; or sedentary activity such as observing nature, bird watching, painting, photography, or picnicking. Limiting park or open space use to passive recreation over all or a portion of the park's area eliminates or reduces the burden of managing active recreation facilities and developed infrastructure. Many ski resorts combine active recreation facilities (ski lifts, gondolas, terrain parks, downhill runs, and lodges) with passive recreation facilities (cross-country ski trails). Many smaller neighborhood parks are receiving increased attention and valuation as significant community assets and places of refuge in heavily populated urban areas. Neighborhood groups around
3608-448: The governments of D.C. and Montgomery County, the park service decided not to close the section of Beach. Instead, they decided to go ahead with the weekend closures and build a bicycle trail along a horse trail between Joyce and Broad Branch by 1986. But that trail was never built. In 1982, the Park Service built two new bridges for the trail. One was added across Rock Creek when the road bridge between Pennsylvania Avenue and K Street
3690-525: The large amount of open space and natural habitat in the former pleasure grounds, they now serve as important wildlife refuges, and often provide the only opportunity for urban residents to hike or picnic in a semi-wild area. However, city managers or politicians can target these parks as sources of free land for other uses. Partly for this reason, some of these large parks have "friends of X park" advisory boards that help protect and maintain their semi-wild nature. There are around estimated 27,000 public parks in
3772-731: The long, winding Beach Drive, portions of which are closed to vehicles on weekends. A number of the city's outstanding bridges, such as the Lauzun's Legion , Dumbarton , Taft and the Duke Ellington bridges, span the creek and ravine. Among the park's few monuments is a pink granite bench on Beach Drive south of the Peirce Mill , dedicated on November 7, 1936, by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in memory of former French ambassador Jean Jules Jusserand . In 2014, it
3854-567: The need to provide substantial space to congregate, typically involves intensive management, maintenance, and high costs. Passive recreation, also called "low-intensity recreation" is that which emphasizes the open-space aspect of a park and allows for the preservation of natural habitat. It usually involves a low level of development, such as rustic picnic areas, benches, and trails. Passive recreation typically requires little management and can be provided at very low costs. Some open space managers provide nothing other than trails for physical activity in
3936-441: The other low-water breakaway bridge built in the 1970s. The prospect of completing a bike route across the park re-emerged in the 1990s when the park was required to come up with a General Management Plan. In 1991, a loosely knit, cyclist-dominated group called "Auto-Free D.C." renewed the push to ban automobile traffic on Beach Drive. They suggested limited road closures to discourage commuters, but allow access to most locations in
4018-500: The park by car. When NPS failed to take up their suggestion, the group led a series of "rolling road block" protests which aimed to peaceably draw attention to the cause by disrupting rush hour traffic. Nonetheless, the protests led to some confrontations and arrests, and at one point the Military Road Bridge was graffitied with anti-automobile slogans. In 1996, NPS initiated a federally mandated General Management Plan for
4100-595: The park of the skeletal remains of Chandra Levy , a federal intern whose disappearance had attracted national media attention. The main section of the park comprises 1754 acres (2.74 mi , 7.10 km ), along the Rock Creek Valley. Including the other green areas the park administers (Glover Archbold Park, Montrose Park, Dumbarton Oaks Park, Meridian Hill Park , Battery Kemble Park , Palisades Park, Whitehaven Park, etc.), it encompasses more than 2000 acres (3 mi , 8 km ). The parklands follow
4182-404: The park was built was purchased by Richard Vaughan Yates, an iron merchant and philanthropist, in 1841 for £50,000. The creation of Princes Park showed great foresight and introduced a number of highly influential ideas. First and foremost was the provision of open space for the benefit of townspeople and local residents within an area that was being rapidly built up. Secondly it took the concept of
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#17327875223764264-716: The park was governed by the Rock Creek Park Commission, comprising the Chief of Engineers of the Army , the engineer commissioner of the District of Columbia , and three presidential appointees. In 1933, the park, along with other National Capital Parks, was transferred to the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. The park is patrolled by the United States Park Police . Rock Creek Park
4346-537: The park. In June 1997, NPS laid out several management alternatives, one of which would improve and expand the paved multi-use trails and add a new trail along Wise, with the police substation converted to a visitor center and bicycle rental facility. Another alternative suggested that sections of Beach Drive be permanently closed and converted into a wide multi-use trail and that Wise Road, Sherrill Drive, Bingham Drive, Grant Road, and Blagden Avenue be converted to paved trails. Both of these alternatives were less popular than
4428-420: The past three years and 95 per cent expect their funding will continue to reduce". Parks can be divided into active and passive recreation areas. Active recreation is that which has an urban character and requires intensive development. It often involves cooperative or team activity, including playgrounds , ball fields, swimming pools, gymnasiums, and skateparks . Active recreation such as team sports, due to
4510-457: The principal influences on Olmsted and Calvert's design for New York's Central Park of 1857. Another early public park, the Peel Park, Salford , England, opened on 22 August 1846. Boston Common was purchased for public use grazing cows and as a military parade ground and dump in 1634. It first started to get recreational elements in 1728, arguably making it the first municipal park in
4592-438: The public for motor vehicle traffic" in 2007. An environmental impact study was performed in order to apply for federal funding for the construction. Repeated efforts to properly complete this environmental impact study were returned by the federal government to the District for rewriting and changes. In 2008, District Mayor Adrian Fenty attempted to bypass the environmental impact statement by providing full local funding of
4674-638: The purchase of no more than 2,000 acres (810 ha) of land, extending north from Klingle Ford Bridge in the District of Columbia (approximately the northern limit of the National Zoo ), to be "perpetually dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasure ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the United States". The Act also called for regulations to "provide for the preservation from injury or spoliation of all timber, animals, or curiosities within said park, and their retention in their natural condition, as nearly as possible". Rock Creek Park
4756-483: The roadway was barricaded in 1990 after erosion severely damaged a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) section. Because the road had been used by up to 3,200 cars a day, a campaign was launched to repair and reopen the road. But a competing campaign, led by the Sierra Club of DC, advocated for replacing the road with a bicycle, hiking, or bridle path. The repair-and-rebuild faction persuaded the D.C. government to commission
4838-425: The scaled back 1983 Plan. In 1985, the hours were increased from 7 a.m. Saturday to 7 p.m. Sunday from early April to Veterans Day on upper Beach Drive and year-round between Joyce and Broad Branch roads. By 1998 the closures had expanded to include not just the three sections of Beach but also the entirety of Bingham and Sherril Drives within the park and last all year long. As originally authorized by Congress,
4920-498: The section from Joyce to Broad Branch, but again found opposition among politicians. So, in November 2005, the Park Service finalized their management plan which included no further road closures, the prospect of lowering speed limits and adding speed bumps, and improvements to the trail south of Broad Branch. However, speed limits were never reduced and no traffic calming was ever implemented. The management plan completion cleared
5002-452: The section from Tilden to Piney Branch Road and expanded the hours to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and in August 1981, they expanded the closure to Saturdays and holidays as an experiment. In July 1982, the weekend automobile ban was extended to the section of Beach from Picnic Grove 10 to Wise, and between West Beach and the D.C. boundary. In August 1983 they made the closures, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, official policy as part of
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#17327875223765084-547: The section north of Wise to the DC Boundary. The section along Military Road was originally intended to serve as part of the Fort Circle Trail, passing by Fort DeRussy , but work on the Fort Circle Trail ended in the 1970s with only three parts, the one in Rock Creek, a section of the C&;O Canal towpath and another from Fort Stanton to Fort Mahon, completed. Over time, the Rock Creek section ceased to be viewed as part of
5166-400: The southern end of the park where the trail continues several miles to Arlington Memorial Bridge and Hains Point. The northern trails consist of a loop along Bingham Road, Oregon Avenue, Beach Road, and Military Road with spurs along Oregon to the Nature Center and Wise Road. In the park, the mainline trail starts at the parking lot just west of the creek and south of Broad Branch. From there, it
5248-659: The status quo. An additional alternative created by the People's Alliance for Rock Creek (PARC), a group consisting of the Washington Area Bicyclists Association, the Sierra Club , Friends of the Earth and 18 other advocacy groups, suggested making Beach Drive auto-free north of Broad Branch as a means of completing the trail envisioned in 1965. In 2003, in an attempt to appease both groups,
5330-470: The street as Klingle Parkway, connecting Beach Drive and Reno Road. Before World War I, the road was used by farmers to bring grain to Peirce Mill . Klingle Road remains listed as an arterial roadway for vehicular traffic on the District of Columbia's Functional Classification Map and is a part of DC's permanent system of highways. Klingle Road remains a right-of-way on the federal-aid system and has not been officially or administratively closed. A section of
5412-569: The trail to facilitate nighttime use. On February 28, 2011, the Federal Highway Administration accepted this finding. But the assessment was challenged in federal court with a November 1, 2011, lawsuit demanding that the District and federal governments "refrain from any further planning, acquisition of right-of-way, financing, contracting, or construction of the Klingle Trail Project". On February 1, 2012,
5494-431: The wake of the creation of the National Zoo the preceding year. It was only the third national park established by the U.S., following Yellowstone in 1872 and Mackinac National Park in 1875. Sequoia was created at the same time, and Yosemite shortly thereafter. In 1933, Rock Creek Park became part of the newly formed National Capital Parks unit of the National Park Service . The Rock Creek Park Act authorized
5576-465: The way for the Park Service and DDOT to rebuild Beach Drive and the trail. Despite planning that started in 2005, work on the project didn't begin until September 22, 2016. The project rebuilt both Beach Drive and the trail. The trail section between Shoreham Drive and Broad Branch was widened to 8–10 ft (2.4–3.0 m), repaved and realigned; the Shoreham Drive crossing, reworked in 2006,
5658-490: The wealthy. In The Politics of Park Design: A History of Urban Parks in America, (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1982), Professor Galen Cranz identifies four phases of park design in the U.S. In the late 19th century, city governments purchased large tracts of land on the outskirts of cities to form "pleasure grounds": semi-open, charmingly landscaped areas whose primary purpose was to allow city residents, especially
5740-493: The west side until just south of Klingle Bridge where it crosses back to the east and leaves the park to enter the Zoo property. The Park Service began to experiment with trails in August 1963 when mile-long Ross Drive was closed to cars from 6 am to noon on Sundays, but planning for a separate trail system didn't begin until 1965, when the federal "Trails for America" report identified a trail along Rock Creek as one of many trails for
5822-488: The workers, to relax in nature. As time passed and the urban area grew around the parks, land in these parks was used for other purposes, such as zoos, golf courses and museums. These parks continue to draw visitors from around the region and are considered regional parks , because they require a higher level of management than smaller local parks. According to the Trust for Public Land , the three most visited municipal parks in
5904-531: The world are joining together to support local parks that have suffered from urban decay and government neglect. A linear park is a park that has a much greater length than width. A typical example of a linear park is a section of a former railway that has been converted into a park called a rail trail or greenway (i.e. the tracks removed, vegetation allowed to grow back). Some examples of linear parks in North America include New York's High Line and
5986-410: Was a popular, if unmarked and unsanctioned, attraction, and their removal in 2022 drew local and even national attention. By the late 1990s, a popular conception had arisen that the park was unsafe. This persisted despite crime data, provided by D.C. police and park officials, that showed that the park saw fewer crimes than surrounding neighborhoods. The misperception was fed by the 2002 discovery in
6068-446: Was again discontinued due to a lack of use. But, in 1972, NPS tried for a fourth time, again closing Beach between Broad Branch and Joyce from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays and it became a permanent feature. On more than one occasion in the 1970s they experimented with Saturday closures in the summer, once to support a new bicycle concession near Carter Barron, which generated no negative response, but also little use. By 1980, they added
6150-621: Was again improved; the traffic lanes in the Zoo Tunnel were narrowed to widen the trail through it by 3 ft (0.91 m); a new access to Harvard Street was built and 1,000 ft (300 m) of new trail was constructed between the Porter Street Bridge and Bluff Bridge. In conjunction with the project, the trail through the Klingle Road intersection was redesigned to connect to the new Klingle Valley Trail , which
6232-477: Was built on the washed out section of Klingle Road and opened on June 24, 2017. The work on the trail south of Broad Branch was completed on January 8, 2018. Work on Beach Drive between Joyce and Bingham, which improved a short section of trail near the bridge over the creek was completed on September 27, 2019. In 2018, DDOT announced plans to rehabilitate and expand the trail within both Rock Creek Park and outside of it. Within Rock Creek Park, they will rehabilitate
6314-526: Was named "best obscure memorial" by Washington City Paper . Rock Creek Park Horse Center, founded in 1972, is located in the middle of the park near the Nature Center. The barn, run by Guest Services Inc, has 57 stalls, two outdoor rings, one indoor ring, and three bluestone turnout paddocks. The stable provides trail rides, pony rides, and lessons for the public, along with boarding for private horses. The stable primarily teaches English riding, with an emphasis on lower-level jumping and dressage . The barn
6396-530: Was of secondary importance. As urban land prices climbed, new urban parks in the 1960s and after have been mainly pocket parks . One example of a pocket park is Chess Park in Glendale, California. The American Society of Landscape Architects gave this park a General Design Award of Honor in 2006. These small parks provide greenery, a place to sit outdoors, and often a playground for children. All four types of park continue to exist in urban areas. Because of
6478-464: Was opened to the public. 38°55′48.7″N 77°3′40.6″W / 38.930194°N 77.061278°W / 38.930194; -77.061278 Rock Creek Park 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 mi , 7.10 km ), generally along Rock Creek ,
6560-547: Was opened with nine holes in 1923 and expanded three years later to 18. Like the rest of the city's public courses, it was segregated until 1941, when U.S. Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes ordered them all opened to African Americans. In the 1980s, hundreds of stones removed from the United States Capitol during a renovation were stored in the park. The loose pile, two stories high,
6642-400: Was rebuilt, enabling the trail to stop using a narrow section of the road bridge. As well, a high-water bridge was built just south of Peirce Mill, replacing the low-water breakaway bridge that had been washed away by Hurricane David in 1979. By 1990, biking on foot trails or bridle paths was no longer allowed. In 1991, a high-water bridge replaced the trail bridge beneath Porter Road,
6724-547: Was rented out to the Batthyány family to carry out such a project but the city had eventually taken back control and in 1813 announced a design competition to finally finish the park; works started in 1816. An early purpose-built public park, although financed privately, was Princes Park in the Liverpool suburb of Toxteth . This was laid out to the designs of Joseph Paxton from 1842 and opened in 1843. The land on which
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