Please join the club on our February field trip to photograph the National Arboretum on Saturday 29 March 2025. In addition to the many beautiful trees, spring is a great time to photograph flowers.

The outside grounds of the U.S. National Arboretum (USNA) are open daily to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission and parking are free, but parking can fill up quickly. You don’t have to park at entrance, you can drive around the arboretum.

There will be a Native Plant Sale from 8am-1pm. As well as a Symposium on Native Plants.

The National Arboretum, one of D.C.’s best-kept secrets, is home to 9 miles of winding parkland roads covering more than 450 acres. Get outdoors and enjoy a spring day at the Arboretum during what is usually the peak blooming time for azaleas, dogwoods, and seasonal wildflowers.

Directions

The National Arboretum is located in the northeast section of Washington, DC, approximately ten minutes from the Capitol Building. The primary entrance is at 3501 New York Avenue, NE.

From the Maryland suburbs: Take the Capital Beltway (I-495/I-95) to exit 22B towards Washington. Follow the Baltimore Washington Parkway approximately 7 miles to New York Avenue. Get in the far-left lane. Just after passing the Days Inn (on your right) and just as you approach the Fairfield Inn & Suites (on your left), bear left into a small turn lane and make a U-turn onto New York Avenue heading east. Move into the far-right lane, and 400 feet after the U-turn, bear right to enter the access road running parallel to New York Avenue, then follow it for 1300 feet (1/4 mile) to the Arboretum gate on your right.