Trail Day: Teddy Roosevelt Island

We were so glad to have our friend Maybelline and her two little boys join us on our next Trail Day at Teddy Roosevelt Island. TR Island is in the middle of the Potomac, between Virginia and DC. It has a few little trail loops, and a big area in the middle with a seriously gigantic statue of Teddy. It is like communist-proportions big. Maybelline remarked to me that in her home country, Panama, Teddy isn't exactly revered. Guess they weren't big fans of his unscrupulous acquisition of the canal. :/ He was revered enough by someone around here to put a ridiculously large statue of him in the middle of the Potomac. Like his face on this statue is almost as big as his face on Mt. Rushmore. Maybe not quite, but it might as well be. OK, Wikipedia says the statue is 17 feet high. Maybe the pedestal makes it seem bigger.

What I remember from some plaques we saw on previous visits to the island was that the island (now part of the National Park Service) once belonged to George Mason, and his son's family actually lived there. Wikipedia also points out that Indians lived there first, like the rest of the area. 

To access the island from 66, you have to drive into DC, flip a U-turn and take 66 west back to George Washington Parkway. Head north and the first exit on your right will be to the parking lot, where you can park and cross the river on a footbridge to the island. Follow the signs/maps posted to see the statue or to explore the paths.

George Washington Parkway has so much great stuff. I want to start in the south end sometime and just drive north and see what there is to see. I guess I could look at a map first.

We didn't do a ton of hiking on this Trail Day; walked on a trail for about 15 minutes, then mostly threw rocks into the Potomac and ran around so much in the sweaty heat that by the end of an hour Ida's hair looked like she had dipped it in the river. It was a lovely chance just to stroll around and chat with my friend as our kids blew off steam.