Tidal Basin Parking Options

If driving remains your best option, here are a few ideas on where to park when going to the cherry blossoms.

Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
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Filed Under: Visitor Information
Topics: logistics

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The cherry blossoms reached peak bloom on March 17, 2024. That's the second-earliest on record.

RELATED:
Latest Updates on the 2024 Bloom
Peak Bloom Forecasts in Detail

UPDATE: As of 2022, the National Park Service has moved the Welcome Area to West Basin Drive, which runs next to the FDR Memorial and MLK Memorial.

If this is your first visit to DC’s cherry blossoms, especially if you’re visiting on a nice weekend around peak bloom, be prepared for crowds. Big crowds.

Locals are used to big events–they’re something of a DC specialty–but this is one of those times of the year that many locals wouldn’t be caught dead driving anywhere near the Tidal Basin. Even weekday morning commutes can become noticeably more clogged with cherry blossom traffic.

While the Tidal Basin is a large, spread-out area that can accommodate a huge number of people comfortably at any given time, you can count on traffic snarls and competition for parking spaces getting there, especially on weekends around the peak bloom. So I generally recommend against driving; there are often better ways to get to the cherry blossoms.

Heavy traffic heading into the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms

But if driving remains your best option for getting to the cherry blossoms, here are a few ideas on where to park.

Using a GPS? If you’re using your own GPS, here are some things you can enter that should get you there in various search modes:

  • Street address: 701 E Basin Dr SW, Washington, DC 20242 (that’s the Jefferson Memorial’s address)
  • Landmarks: Jefferson Memorial
  • GPS Coordinates (decimal): 38.881389, -77.036944

I’m using the Jefferson Memorial as the specific point here because if you’re driving there during the festival traffic restrictions you’ll need to go by the Jefferson Memorial to access the parking areas.

Cherry Blossom Parking Restrictions

Tidal Basin and East Potomac Park Parking Restriction Signs

First, though, a word of warning: I strongly recommend paying careful attention to the signs. Most areas have some time restrictions, and temporary overrides are common at this busy time of year. The city’s legion of parking inspectors swarm the area and rack up some serious numbers. 155,636 parking tickets were issued during the 26 days of the 2013 National Cherry Blossom Festival (although not all of those were around the Tidal Basin). That’s about 6,000 a day. (DC parking fines generate about $92 million a year.)

Disabled Parking

Disabled parking sign near the Tidal Basin

There are two areas immediately adjacent to the Tidal Basin that are designated as disabled parking zones. One is by the FDR Memorial; the other is by the Jefferson Memorial. They have room for a dozen or so cars between them. I’ve marked them in orange in the map below.

UPDATE: As of 2022, the National Park Service has moved the Welcome Area to West Basin Drive, which runs next to the FDR Memorial and MLK Memorial. That means that you can’t reach the permanent disabled parking spots next to the FDR Memorial. But they’ve designated a short stretch of Ohio Drive right at the West Basin Drive entrance as temporary disabled parking.

On-Street Parking

Cherry Blossom Parking Sign

NB: The National Park Service can change the availability of these parking areas without notice (and sometimes does). So there’s no guarantee that particular stretches of road (Ohio Dr SW, for example) will be available when you go.

There used to be much more free parking near the cherry blossoms. But in the fall of 2017, much of it was switched over to metered parking. These areas are now metered:

  • Ohio Drive SW, the entire stretch from Lincoln Memorial to Jefferson Memorial
  • Main Ave parking lot, near the paddle boats (closed during the Cherry Blossom Festival)
  • West Basin Drive next to the FDR Memorial and MLK Memorial (closed during Cherry Blossom Festival)
  • Lots A, B, and C (under the 14th Street Bridge) (NB: For 2023, only Lot A is available. The other two are part of the construction project on the metro line above).

You can pay with the ParkMobile app or use one of the machines near the spots.

For free parking, you’ll now need to go a bit further away. The spots around East Potomac Park near the golf course and Hains Point are still unmetered.

Maine Ave SW Lot. As of the fall of 2017, this is now a metered lot with a 3-hour limit. This is, in effect, the Tidal Basin’s main parking lot.

Ohio Drive SW. As of the fall of 2017, this is now a metered area with a 3-hour limit. The metered section stretches from the Lincoln Memorial to the Jefferson Memorial.

During the height of the cherry blossom bloom there are special one-way traffic patterns put in place mean.

In 2023, they reversed the direction from the usual. To access the stretch of Ohio Drive by West Potomac Park (near the MLK and FDR Memorials), you enter from the Lincoln Memorial end.

You can also enter past the Jefferson Memorial, but you’ll be directed to the left, towards East Potomac Park, the golf course, and Hains Point, so you can reach that stretch from the Jefferson Memorial end.

West Basin Drive. As of 2022, this area now hosts the Welcome Area and is closed to vehicles. The disabled parking spots have been relocated to a temporary area about 100 yards away on Ohio Drive at the entrance to West Basin Drive.

Lots A, B, and C. (NB: For 2023, only Lot A is available. Lots B and C are being used as part of the construction project on the metro line overhead.).

As of the fall of 2017, all three lots are now metered with a 3-hour limit. These are some of the best options for parking for the cherry blossoms. They have quite a few spots, and it’s only a short, flat walk to the Tidal Basin. If you can’t find a spot in one you can try another without running into difficult one-way traffic patterns. They’re located near the foot of the 14th Street Bridge, behind the area where the George Mason Memorial is. To access them when the special festival traffic restrictions are not in force, go past the Jefferson Memorial to the T-intersection next to the George Mason Memorial. Turn left at that intersection and proceed under the bridge. The lots are on your left (the Potomac is on your right). When the festival traffic restrictions are in force, you can’t turn left at that intersection next to the George Mason Memorial (this is a new thing in 2018), and the way to get to these lots is to turn left before the Jefferson Memorial and take the long way around by following the parking signs.

East Potomac Park / Hains Point. This is a long, curved stretch around the edges of the peninsula. There are designated parking areas on the side of the road. It’s closed at night and early mornings. If you end up parking around East Potomac Park/Hains Point a long walk from the Tidal Basin, there’s a Circulator Bus that serves as a de facto parking shuttle ($1 per ride).

Jefferson Memorial. Just past the Jefferson Memorial, but before you get to the George Mason Memorial, are a few disabled parking spots on the right side of the road. (They’re marked in orange on the map.) Just past those is another stretch that’s set aside for media vehicles.

Metered Street Parking

There’s quite a bit of metered street parking around the National Mall and L’Enfant Plaza areas, but pay careful attention to the signs that explain the time restrictions or temporary overrides.

Commercial/Paid Parking Lots

There are several commercial parking garages in the L’Enfant Plaza area. Their hours and rates vary, but none is necessarily what you’d call cheap. You can reserve spots in some of them using apps like SpotHero, Parking Panda, and ParkNow.

The Wharf. It’s an easy walk from The Wharf area (next to the old fish market). There are three paid parking garages there. You can find their real-time spots available and entrance locations here.

L’Enfant Plaza. There are a couple of large parking garages at L’Enfant Plaza, which is a couple of blocks north of The Wharf and easily walkable to the Tidal Basin. You can find information about those lots here and here.

Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington Cemetery has a medium-sized lot. It’s across the river, meaning a walk across Memorial Bridge. You can find the hours and rates here.

Union Station. At the other end of the National Mall, Union Station has a large paid parking garage. It is technically walkable from there to the Tidal Basin, but it’s a long walk (not quite 2 miles). An easier and quicker option is to get the DC Circulator bus from Union Station (National Mall route) directly to the Tidal Basin. The fare is $1 per ride. You can find it’s schedule here. You can also get the Metro from Union Station to the Smithsonian stop.

Common Questions About Cherry Blossom Parking

Where is the best place to park for the cherry blossoms?

The most convenient spots are on-street spots along Ohio Drive SW and in Lots A, B, and C behind the Jefferson Memorial. They’re all now metered with a 3-hour time limit, but they’re not always available (sometimes the NPS restricts access to Ohio Drive SW along West Potomac Park).

The Maine Avenue parking lot (aka the paddle boats lot) is open. It is the closest, being right on the Tidal Basin banks, but it also fills up quickly.

Is there free parking for the cherry blossoms?

Yes, there is some free parking not far from the cherry blossoms, but not as much as there used to be. In the fall of 2017, many of the most convenient areas were converted to metered spots. You can still find free on-street parking further afield around East Potomac Park (near the golf course) and Hains Point. It’s a longer walk from those spots, but during the bloom season you can use the DC Circulator bus as a parking shuttle bus (fare is $1/person/each way).

Are the parking restrictions enforced?

Yes, although how rigidly they’re enforced varies. I recommend assuming that they will be enforced and also taking special note of any temporary overrides during the cherry blossom festival.

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