Sunday Morning Bird Walk at Dyke Marsh
2026-02-22 08:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Dyke Marsh, Alexandria, VA, 22307, United States
(VA) (Friends of Dyke Marsh) Join FODM for a bird walk every Sunday at 8 a.m. The Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve is a freshwater, tidal marsh on the Virginia side of the Potomac River in Fairfax County. It is a unit of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, U.S. National Park Service.

Winter Walk at Meadowlark
2026-02-24 10:00 - 11:00 | Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens, Vienna, VA, 22182, United States
(VA) (NOVA Parks) Enjoy free garden admission and a guided walk around Meadowlark Botanical Gardens’ 95 acres on Tuesdays. Each 75-minute walk will be over uneven, hilly terrain, have a positive focus, and include a silent, meditative portion and a few interesting facts from our docent along the way. Ages 18 +
This is a drop-in program.

Explore Rachel Carson Conservation Park
2026-02-27 09:00 - 11:00 | Rachel Carson Conservation Park, 22201 Zion Road, Olney, MD, 20833, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) New to the area or just want to get out for a hike? Explore different parks in Montgomery County with an experienced naturalist. Length of hike and trail difficulty varies from site to site. Today we’ll explore Rachel Carson Conservation Park, one of the county’s premier conservation areas, walking through meadows, forest and along the Hawlings River. The length of this moderate hike depends on the pace and size of the group.

Bird Walk at Kingman
2026-02-28 08:00 - 10:00 | Kingman Island, United States
(DC) (DC Bird Alliance) Join DC Bird Alliance for a winter bird walk through Kingman and Heritage Islands!

Winter Birdwalk at Eleanor C. Lawrence
2026-02-28 10:00 - 11:30 | Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, 5040 Walney Rd, Chantilly, VA, 20151, United States
(VA) (Fairfax County Parks) Take a hike through the woods with a naturalist to listen and look for the park’s winter avian residents and migrants. Find out what birds do to survive the winter weather. Feel free to bring your own guides, binoculars and spotting scopes. Site will have a limited number of supplies for participants to borrow for the duration of the program. Ages 4 to Adult.

The Amazing World of Vernal Pools (Virtual)
2026-03-01 14:00 - 15:00
(Capital Nature) (DC) Join Capital Nature and vernal pool champions Mike Hayslett and Steven David Johnson for this special presentation on the temporary freshwater wetlands that emerge after snowmelt. Often overlooked as habitats because of their small size, they are essential spawning grounds for spotted salamanders, wood frogs, fairy shrimp, and many other creatures! Mike will discuss the ecology and conservation needs of these unique ecosystems. Steven will share his spectacular photographs of vernal pool life.

Blossoms in America's Backyard
2026-03-21 13:30 - 15:00 | Peirce Mill, 2401 Tilden St NW, Washington DC, 20008, United States
(DC) (Rock Creek Conservancy) This time of year in Washington, DC is all about the Cherry Blossoms, but before the cherry trees on the Tidal Basin were a thing, the roots of DC’s cherry blossom history got planted in the Rock Creek Valley. Come for a short ranger talk about the history of cherry trees in Washington away from the bustle of the Tidal Basin and then enjoy a walk up to 2 miles through some of our trails to see what’s blooming this spring in Rock Creek Park.

Spring Walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island (Wait List)
2026-04-09 08:30 - 11:30 | Theodore Roosevelt Island, Washington DC, United States
(DC) (Smithsonian Associates) Enjoy a morning walk on a natural oasis in the Potomac River with Melanie Choukas-Bradley, the author of Finding Solace at Theodore Roosevelt Island. The nearly 2-mile path follows Theodore Roosevelt Island’s shore and moves deep into the swamp and tidal inlet along the boardwalk where willows, bald cypresses, and cattails frame views of Washington, D.C.
Choukas-Bradley shares an overview of the landscape’s fascinating mix of trees, wildflowers, birds, and other wildlife and highlights the island’s history and the legacy of the naturalist and conservationist president it memorializes. The morning also includes pauses for moments of guided forest bathing to quietly soak up the beauty of this wild island near the capital city.

An Immersion in Nature: Japanese Forest Bathing in Rock Creek Park
2026-06-04 08:30 - 10:30, 2026-06-05 08:30 - 10:30
(DC) (Smithsonian Associates) Experience forest bathing as Melanie Choukas-Bradley, a certified nature and forest-therapy guide and author of Wild Walking—A Guide to Forest Bathing Through the Seasons and A Year in Rock Creek Park, leads a 2-hour walk along a scenic stretch of Rock Creek in the nation’s oldest urban national park. Move slowly to soak up the beauty of the flowing creek and the lush June greens of the bountiful trees. Focus on the sights, sounds, and woodsy fragrances of Rock Creek Park, letting go of cares while slowly exploring the surroundings through all senses. This restorative celebration of the beauty of late spring in the wooded heart of the nation’s capital is the perfect way to learn why forest bathing is becoming popular all over the world.
Participants receive a signed copy of Wild Walking—A Guide to Forest Bathing Through the Seasons.
