Theodore Roosevelt Island is a hidden gem among the National Park Service sites in Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. Located in the Potomac River between Virginia and the District of Columbia, the wooded island is home to the only monument of President Theodore Roosevelt in the nation’s capital, as well as 2.5 miles of trails meandering through swamp and marshland.
What To Do on Theodore Roosevelt Island?
At the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt Island, you will immediately start walking over a long pedestrian bridge.
Once you get on the island, you can choose from three different trails, including:
- Woods Trail The trail with Roosevelt’s memorial plaza is the easiest walk and the shortest at 1/4 mile long. As soon as you get on the island this trail is immediately in front of you.
- Upland Trail Cutting through the middle of the island, this 3/4 mile trail loops around the former site of the Mason mansion. There is a spur from Memorial Plaza that leads to Upland Trail.
- Swamp Trail The longest trail on the island at 1.5 miles. A long wooden boardwalk meanders through swampy woods that are rich with cattails, irises, and other water-loving plants. Part of this trail is pea gravel and rocky walkways that can get very muddy in the rain.
Helpful Tip: Be sure to take a picture of the trails at the information plaque when you get on the island. There are no trail markers on the trails.
Memorial Plaza is a very short walk away, and honestly it is the star of the show! You could visit this island just to go see the statue and then leave.
A large statue of President Theodore Roosevelt is in the center of the plaza, flanked by four 20-foot-high stone plaques in the background that are inscribed with his quotations.
There are two bridges with benches that overlook reflecting ponds.
What You Need to Know Before Visiting
- Pets are allowed on a leash.
- Bicycles are not allowed on the trails. There is bicycle parking at the footbridge.
- Capital Bikeshare is located in the parking lot.
- Water fountains are available on the island.
- There are bathrooms on the island.
- Plenty of parking is available at the trail head.
- There is decent cell phone service on the island.
- The trails are not paved and can become muddy with rain. The trails are rocky in some parts.
- While you could use a stroller on the trails, it would not be easy.
- Consider using bug spray when walking through the swampy land.
- This destination is easily accessible from the Mount Vernon Trail.
History of Theodore Roosevelt Island
Native Americans first used this land in the Potomac River as a seasonal fishing village and a place for plants, animals and waterfowl. It was known as “Analostan Island” and was used for the Nacotchtank tribe.
King Charles I granted the land to Lord Baltimore, who then called it “My Lord’s Island.”
Captain Randolph Brand, a sea captain, named the Island “Barbadoes” after his childhood home.
The Mason family owned the island between 1717 and 1833. In the early years, a ferry business was established on the island. Then in the 1790s, John Mason, who was the son of George Mason IV, who authored the Virginia Bill of Rights, built a brick mansion summer home on the island and created beautiful gardens where he hosted Washington D.C.’s wealthy elite.
Yet the fancy partying soon ended as the Mason family had financial problems and soon sold the island.
During the Civil War, the Union Army trained on the island and used it as a secluded mustering-point for the 1st U.S. Colored Troops, African Americans who volunteered to fight for the Federal Government.
When the soldiers left the island to fight on battlefields, their deserted barracks would become a place of refuge for ex-slaves liberated from the South with the help of a Quaker Friends group. Known as Freedman’s Village, it housed “contraband” men, women and children in the last year of the Civil War.
In 1931, the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association (TRMA) bought the island, as well as the smaller island nearby, known as Little Island. The combined land purchase was 88.5 acres.
The TRMA soon gifted the land to the Federal Government to be maintained “as a natural park for the recreation and enjoyment of the public.”
The Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm, which included Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. and Henry V. Hubbard, was hired to create the woodland sanctuary for animals and a native forest. The firm worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps to create the woods and trails.
Congress designated funds for the memorial in 1960, and architectural designs were approved in 1961.
Architect Eric Gugler designed the memorial, with the statue being created by sculptor Paul Manship.
In October 1967, on Roosevelt’s birthday, President Lyndon B. Johnson dedicated the monument.
How to Get to Theodore Roosevelt Island
If you are driving, you will drive on George Washington Memorial Parkway and park in the parking lot.
The trail is easily accessible off of the Mount Vernon Trail, one of the best walking and biking trails in Virginia.
The closest metro station is Rosslyn.
Want more details on parking, trail conditions and what to see on the island? Watch our YouTube video with a tour of the island and hiking trails:
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