The Best Places to Photograph Foliage in DC

It’s fall y’all in the District of Columbia and I get asked all the time, ‘where is the best place to take autumn pictures?’ Even with a pandemic, they say outside is the best place to be. Most of these places are less crowded and you can stay “on the move” with minimal walking. Besides Spring’s cherry blossoms, Fall in DC is my favorite season.

Here’s my roundup:

U.S. Arboretum

Established in 1927 by an Act of Congress, the Arboretum sits on 446 acres with 9.5 mils of winding roadway. It is located in Northeast Washington, DC, with entrances on New York Avenue and R Street. Autumn is beautiful here, and my favorite shot is with the changing of colors at the Corinthian Columns (that once supported the U.S. Capitol portico).

Rock Creek Park

I love walking through Rock Creek Park during the autumn and winter months. The trees are amazing and the paths weave up and down alongside the road. Rock Creek Park spans 1,800 acres. My favorite spot is Boulder Bridge. I love the paths that wind in the woods too!

U.S. Capitol

You can grab some really nice framed photos all around the U.S. Capitol. Trees line the pathway to the Capitol and catching the dome surrounded by autumn colors is easy!

Georgetown

Georgetown any time of year is always fun to walk through, especially on the residential side streets. When autumn arrives, though, capturing rowhouses surrounded by autumn leaves is breathtaking. And during October, people go all out in decorating for Halloween.

The National Mall

So many choices on the National Mall. You can use the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson, around the Tidal Basin, or any of the surrounding parks to capture the colorful fall foliage.

Fall in (and around) DC🍂

Autumn in Washington DC is an Instagrammer’s dream, especially when we’ve had so much rain throughout the year. There are lots of places to visit to catch prime foliage. Here are some of my favorites:

Boulder Bridge (located in Rock Creek Park)

Boulder Bridge, Washington, DC

Boulder Bridge, Rock Creek Park

Boulder Bridge is one of the oldest bridges in Rock Creek Park—so many others from the park's early years have been washed out in floods and replaced with newer ones. This one, however, was clearly made to last. Built in 1902, it adheres to Romantic ideas that were in vogue with the Park Service at that time, that park fixtures should look "rustic" and take us back to a time and place far away. The bridge indeed does an outstanding job of both standing out architecturally and simultaneously blending in well with its surroundings. Technically, it is a Melan reinforced concrete bridge with a boulder facing; it spans 80 feet and rises 12 feet. The use of the large boulders on the bridge is quite unique

Supposedly the extra large boulders resulted from a misunderstanding by the contractor. The contract called for "man-sized" stone, which meant stone that could be easily handled by a stone mason. Instead, the contractor went and found life-sized boulders. When Beach arrived at the site and discovered the work underway with the large boulders, he liked the way they looked.

U.S. Arboretum (located off New York Avenue, NW)

Just a few miles, the Arboretum grounds are open every day of the year except December 25 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It encompasses 446 acres with 9.5 miles of winding roadways and can be beautiful on any day, yet my favorite time will always be Autumn.

U.S. National Arboretum

Georgetown, DC

Georgetown was made for autumn photography! I spend a lot of time just walking the streets, visiting coffee shops, and then getting out there and walking some more. Walking down O Street and surrounding residential streets full of grand and beautiful townhouses is a must if you are visiting DC. Click through the pictures below.

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Old Town, Alexandria, VA

You can take a walk around Old Town, Alexandria, VA and run into many homes decorated for the Autumn season, including Halloween.