Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens

Lotus flower blooming in Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

In the 1880's, Walter B. Shaw set out to start a garden on his east-bank Anacostia River property. He began his work unceremoniously - laboriously cleaning out a small ice pond (since reclaimed by nature). However, with help from his talented daughter, Helen Fowler, that ice pond became Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Sweeping her gaze from the ice pond to the stunning aquatic plant landscape, Kathleen Bucco, a Kenilworth park ranger, exclaims, "What's amazing is how he could look at that [the small ice pond], and envision this."

Aquatic Gardens

High-time for the dazzling display of water lilies and lotus flowers, visitors flock to Kenilworth during the warm summer months. Gardening enthusiast or not, Walter B. Shaw's creation is inspiring. For the best experience, especially from a photographic perspective, arrive early (the park opens at 7 AM) to stroll around the ponds as the flowers glow in the morning rays. Also, be sure to join a ranger-led Garden Tour (weekends at 9 AM and 11 AM) to learn about Kenilworth's fascinating history and its present-day challenges (request to hear the "Turtle War" story).

Kenilworth Marsh and the Anacostia River

Kenilworth photographer snapping the Lotus

As beautiful as Kenilworth's cultivated gardens may be, the real action is around its perimeter. The gardens are essentially surrounded on three sides by an Anacostia River wetlands area known as Kenilworth Marsh. This tidal marsh, the last of its kind in the District, is a wildlife haven in an otherwise hostile urban area. With a fascinating history of its own (a dredging plan was narrowly averted in 1938), the marsh is home to beavers, muskrats, turtles, frogs, and the majestic great blue heron. Kenilworth visitors can stroll out on the boardwalk trail for an expansive view of the marsh.

Overshadowed by the gardens and marsh, many visitors miss out on Kenilworth's 0.7 mile-long (one-way) River Trail. As an informed Trail Voice reader, make sure you do not! The River Trail leads to the channel connecting Kenilworth Marsh and the Anacostia River. Venture down to the river's edge for an up-close inspection of the Anacostia seawall, built in the 1920-1940 timeframe. The infamous seawall changed the ecological health of the Anacostia for the worse - and it didn't prove to be much of a flood barrier either. Kenilworth Marsh, however, shows what the Anacostia River can be, and hopefully will be, when nature prevails.

Park & Trail Stats: 8 acres (ponds), 70 acres with wetlands; approximately one mile of natural surface and boardwalk trails
How to Get Here: Map; Metro - Deanwood (Orange line)
Administration: National Park Service - National Capital Parks-East
Twitter: @DCParksEastNPS

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