Washington, D.C., N.W.
WEB SITE: Boating in DC
2023 SEASON: Open daily starting April 15
Online reservations required
“DC’s countryside” is how my 6 year old once described kayaking out of Fletchers. At times, there are no buildings visible from water. Only the hum of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and overhead airliners remind you that you are paddling in a major city of 700,000 people. On the Virginia side, the Potomac River Gorge rises hundreds of feet above the river.
Paddlers experience the northernmost extent of the tidal Potomac. Upriver from the boathouse, the current can sometimes be too strong to get all the way to the boundary at Chain Bridge. Rocks stick out of the water as fall zone transitions from piedmont to tidal lowlands.
Fletchers tends to be one of the first and last to open in a given season. It’s a popular sport-fishing location too with rowboats also available for rent. The park also includes grills and is popular for large picnics.
Getting there
– Capital Crescent Trail; C&O Canal Towpath
– Free
