George Washington Memorial Parkway
George Washington Memorial Parkway is a National Parkway in Virginia. Within Virginia it covers roughly 25 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along George Washington Memorial Parkway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
This National Park Service parkway runs along the Virginia bank of the Potomac River, linking George Washington's Mount Vernon estate with Old Town Alexandria, the monuments of Washington, D.C., and Great Falls upstream. It offers landscaped river views, access to the Mount Vernon Trail, and a green commuter corridor protected as parkland. The falls at the northern end churn through a rocky gorge just outside the capital.
- Potomac River views
- Mount Vernon
- Old Town Alexandria
- Great Falls
- Washington, D.C. skyline
Designated for its natural and historic qualities
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Places to stop along George Washington Memorial Parkway
Marine Corps War Memorial
The towering bronze of Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima, on a hill with views across the Potomac to Washington.
WebsiteTheodore Roosevelt Island
A wooded island memorial in the Potomac reached by footbridge, with trails, marshes, and a statue of the conservation president.
WebsiteLady Bird Johnson Park
A riverside park of daffodils and dogwoods facing the Lincoln Memorial and Memorial Bridge.
Gravelly Point
A riverbank park at the end of Reagan National Airport's runway, where jets roar in low overhead.
Fort Hunt Park
A picnic park on land once part of Washington's estate, home in World War II to a secret interrogation center for German prisoners.
WebsiteMount Vernon
George Washington's riverside plantation home at the parkway's southern end, with gardens, his tomb, and exhibits on the people enslaved there.
Website
Where to Stay along George Washington Memorial Parkway
6 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of George Washington Memorial Parkway.
Campsite and lodging links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.
Photos of George Washington Memorial Parkway
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What is a National Parkway?
National Parkways are scenic roads managed by the National Park Service and protected as parkland along their length. They're built for an unhurried recreational drive, not for getting anywhere fast.