Botanical Society of Washington

Field Trip to Chain Bridge Flats, Potomac River, Washington, D.C.

2:00 pm Sunday, June 4, 2006

Trip Leader: Larry Morse

The Chain Bridge Flats area, along the District side of the Potomac River near Chain Bridge, offers flood-scoured bedrock terrace habitat with unusual flora and vegetation, including several Midwestern disjuncts or range-limit populations, such as prairie redroot (Ceanothus herbaceus) at its type locality, big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria), blue wild indigo (Baptisia australis), and rock grape (Vitis rupestris), as well as various Appalachian, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain species, and the type locality for Ward’s willow, Salix wardii (now usually included in the Carolina willow, S. caroliniana). We will give particular attention to some of the shrubby oaks that resprout after floods.

Meet on the Virginia end of Chain Bridge at 2:00 pm; we will then go across the bridge and take the C&O Canal towpath to an access point to the bedrock terrace habitat.

Directions:

From downtown Washington, take Canal Road west of Georgetown past Chain Bridge to a parking area on the left just past the bridge.

From the Beltway or Montgomery County, take the Clara Barton Parkway past the District Line to the parking area on the left just before Chain Bridge.

From Arlington, take Glebe Road or Chain Bridge Road to Chain Bridge, and (if space available) park in the small lot near the Virginia end of the bridge, otherwise cross the bridge, turn right, take Canal Road to Arizona Ave. (the next left), turn around on a side street, return downhill on Arizona Ave., then turn right onto Canal Road, and continue past the bridge to the parking area on the left just past the bridge.

An alternate parking place for those in Virginia is to park on N. Randolph Street. If you get on Randolph, pass the turn for 40th St., go past a few houses and you will see a Bike Route sign on the right. (There is a constriction site just beyond the trail.) You can park nearby and walk down the hill on the paved trail - which connects up with the road (apparently 41st St.) where there is the very limited parking down nearer to the bridge.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.926965,-77.119217&spn=0.008246,0.018428&hl=en (or - http://tinyurl.com/ey89u )

Closer in: http://tinyurl.com/ao9zy

Cautions:
  1. This trip involves very rugged terrain ("the wildest place in D.C."), with rocks, vines, and fallen trees. Physical agility and caution are required; not recommended for small children.
  2. Stay away from the river itself; the water here is deep, fast-flowing, and very dangerous.
  3. Poison ivy is abundant in the area.
  4. Parking is sometimes limited, especially at the Virginia end of the bridge; consider carpooling.

Dinner: We suggest Essy’s Carriage House in Arlington for a group dinner following the field trip, located at 4030 Lee Highway (at Quincy Street), reached from Chain Bridge by taking Glebe Road, then a left onto Lee Highway. Parking is next to the restaurant off Quincy St. Phone (703)-525-7899, see www.essyscarriagehouse.com for menu and further information.