Greenbelt Park is a park in Greenbelt, Maryland, that is managed by the National Park Service as part of National Capital Parks East. The forested park lies approximately 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Washington, D.C., and is situated just within the Capital Beltway (which bounds the park to the northeast). The park land was originally intended to form part of the green belt surrounding the city of Greenbelt. The southern portion was assigned to the National Park Service, thus forming the park, while another section became part of the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC).
| Greenbelt Park | |
|---|---|
 Sign at the main entrance into the park.
 Greenbelt Park, outlined | |
  Location of Greenbelt Park in Maryland  Location in the United States | |
| Location | Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 38°59′0″N 76°53′52″W / 38.98333°N 76.89778°W[1] |
| Area | 1,176 acres (4.76 km2) |
| Elevation | 79 feet (24 m)[1] |
| Established | 1950 [2] |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Greenbelt Park |
Recreational facilities include a 5.3 mile (8.5 km) mile hiking and equestrian trail, several shorter nature trails, numerous campsites, and three picnic areas.
The park received its National Park designation in 1950, and was acquired along with the land that would form the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, which divides the park in a roughly north–south direction. Nearly all of the park's facilities are located within the larger western portion (the eastern portion has one fire road).
References
edit- ^ a b "Greenbelt Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. September 12, 1979. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
- ^ NPS. "National Park System Areas Listed in Chronological Order of Date Authorized Under DOI." 2005-06-27.
External links
edit- Official website
- Birds of Greenbelt Park and the Baltimore–Washington Parkway at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
- Greenbelt Park bird sightings on eBird
- Greenbelt Park at the National Parks Conservation Association
- Greenbelt Park at the National Park Foundation
- NPSpecies for Greenbelt Park — Park Species List from the National Park Service
- Greenbelt Park at Recreation.gov