East Potomac Park

East Potomac Park is a section of Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. located south of Independence Avenue and the Tidal Basin.
East Potomac Park is an artificial island in the Potomac River in southwest Washington DC, and site of the Jefferson Memorial. It is the largest island of the District of Columbia. The island was built up from Potomac dredging material from 1880 to 1892.
Park is a 397.9 acre peninsula located between the Washington Channel and the Potomac River on the south side of the Tidal Basin.
The park features many of Washington’s famous cherry trees, has terrific views of the city and is a popular place for biking, running, fishing and picnicking.
The main feature of the park is the golf course. It houses three courses: an 18-hole par 4, a 9-hole Executive and a 9-hole short course.
Walkers, runners and cyclists have plenty here. EPP is an outdoor playground. There are two main recreational components of the park.
The first is:
Paved Walkway – The narrow paved walkway lines up against the seawall. On weekends, it’s a fishermen hot spot.
And second is:
Ohio Drive Loop – Without a doubt the loop is a local favorite for cyclists and runners. It measures 3.2 miles – an almost perfect 5K distance – and cars are few and far between.
Visit East Potomac Park on any sun-drenched weekend and you’re bound to see a whole host of characters – from the speed-racer cyclist riding time-trail laps to the stroller-pushing mom out for a visit to the playground.
Other public facilities at East Potomac Park include a playground, an outdoor pool, tennis courts, picnic facilities, and a recreation center.
This beautiful park has plenty of shade, bathrooms, picnic benches and lots of areas for kids to run around.
East Potomac Tennis Center: This is one of the largest indoor public tennis facilities in the Washington, DC area. There are 24 courts, a practice wall, a pro shop, and locker and shower facilities. Membership is not required. Walk-in, reserved and seasonal contract court time is available.
East Potomac Park Swimming Pool is open during June.

Cherry Blossoms in East Potomac Park

The Park’s shore is lined with many of Washington’s famous cherry trees. It has 1,681 cherry blossom trees, many of which are the Kanzan varietal. Kanzan trees bloom about two weeks later than the Yoshino trees that dominate the Tidal Basin. Assuming the Kanzan blossoms last beyond the two-week window of festival madness. The Park is crowded during the spring blossom viewing. This is because it is one of the best places to experience the Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC. If you are lucky enough to be on a cherry blossom cruise, such as in the DC It All! Tour from OnBoard, you will love seeing the blossoms at East Potomac Park from the water.

– Written by Mukesh Shah, OnBoard Tours staff writer