Park Types: Other Designations
While the National Park Service has specific titles and definitions for the vast majority of their types of designations, there is one category that is way more loose in definition. Parks that have a hard time fitting into any category are designated under the “Other Designations” category. There are in fact eleven parks under the National Park Service’s jurisdiction that fall into this category. All of these parks are located in the Washington D.C./Maryland/Virginia area. Most of these parks are outdoor parks that lack the natural beauty that you would associate with classical national parks. Some of these parks even precede the creation of the National Park Service such as Rock Creek Park and the White House. Others were created for purposes that generally don’t fall under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service such as Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (which is a cultural center) and Catoctin Mountain Park (which serves as a natural barrier to shield the presidential retreat, Camp David). So while there is a lot of connective tissue between these parks you can see just enough differences to set them up in such a weird category for designation.
Out of the eleven parks that fall under this category, my three favorite parks are located in Washington DC. The White House and President’s Park is one of the few that doesn’t have an outdoor area as its main setting. In fact, the main portion of this park is hard to get access to as you need an invite from your local congressional representative to get a tour of the White House and if you want to get anywhere near the famous West Wing you need to know someone that actually works at the White House. However, the White House visitor center, which functions as the main access point to this park for the public, is one of the unsung gems of our nation’s capital. Here you can experience a constantly updating museum that has some of the best artifacts still around from presidents ranging from George Washington to Donald Trump. It’s also centrally located being right across the block from the actual White House and the World War I Memorial in different directions.
Just a few blocks down from the White House is Constitution Gardens, which is another gem of the Other Designations series of parks. Thanks to some well placed trees, Constitution Gardens is one of the lesser visited parks of the National Mall even though it’s located right next to the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This gives the park a laid back feeling that you can’t get in most parks in the area. It’s also one of the best spots to go birding in Washington D.C. as I’ve seen herons and cormorants in the park’s pond. With a fancy memorial to the signers of the declaration at the center of the park, this park does a great job of mixing history and nature.
My favorite park under the Other Designations park type is an odd one. The National Mall and Memorial Parks is considered its own park unit despite covering all of the National Park Service property in the central Washington D.C. area. That means many of the memorials and monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial are considered their own park unit as well as part of the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit. It’s a weird classification, but it makes it a lot easier to pick your favorite Washington D.C. park as you can essentially pick all of them under this one banner. The National Mall and Memorial Parks does not include any of the National Park Service property across the Anacostia River. Do visit there as the National Capital Parks - East unit has some hidden gems.
