2024 Guide to DC Cherry Blossoms
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We’re in full swing towards Spring in the Washington, DC metro area, which means it’s DC Cherry Blossom season! Every year thousands of visitors and locals alike flock to the DMV to see the beautiful pink and white blooms at the Tidal Basin and the National Mall. However, some of my favorite spots to see these fickle trees are away from the crowds. Here is my guide for where and when to see DC’s cherry blossoms this year.
Before jumping into my favorite locations though, let’s cover some key DC cherry blossom event information you’ll need to plan your visit this season.
Peak Bloom (Estimated March 23-26)
The National Park Service monitors and announces peak bloom every year. You can keep track on their website, as well as by monitoring #peakbloom hashtag on Instagram and Twitter.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival
This year’s festival will be taking place from March 20th to April 14th. To learn more about the festival’s event visit the National Cherry Blossom Festival site!
Covid-19 Regulations
This year’s festival is in-person! Currently DC does not have any mask or vaccine requirements, but keep an eye on the up-to-date situation on the DC’s city website.
A Note About DC Cherry Blossom Peak Bloom
Peak bloom predictions are made by the National Park Service each year for the Yoshino cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin. However, there are many different types of DC cherry blossoms around the city that have slightly different bloom times. Here are just a few of the big ones:
- Yoshino: These are the most common trees around the Tidal Basin. The majority have white flowers, though some have mutated to be pink. Peak bloom may be 3/23-3/26 this year.
- Willow: Willow cherry blossoms are light pink in color and swing beautifully in the wind. They peak about 1 week before the Yoshinos.
- Okame: These trees have smaller, bright pink flowers. They peak about 1-2 weeks before the Yoshinos.
- Kwanzan: These trees are also known as the double bloom cherry blossoms for their fuller flowers (which look like two blossoms per bud). They are bright pink and peak about 1-2 weeks after the Yoshinos.
A Note About DC Cherry Blossom Color
Why do the DC cherry blossoms look pink when they’re actually white?
Well, let’s start with some definitions. When most people think of “the” cherry blossoms, they mean the Tidal Basin trees. These trees are mostly Yoshino cherry trees (as noted above), which have pinkish buds, but white blossoms once they bloom. There are also a few hybrid trees that have pink blossoms.
However, there are dozens of types of cherry blossom trees around DC. Okame (early blooms) and Kwanzan (later blooms) cherry trees both have bright pink blossoms. There are also lots of other types of flowering trees that can bloom in similar time-frames and be mistaken as cherry blossoms, like plum blossoms (white and pink), apple blossoms (white), magnolias (white and pink), and dogwood trees (white and pink).
But back to our original question: why do the Tidal Basin Yoshino trees look pink in photos when they have white blooms? Well, because their buds and bloom bases are light pink. When you edit a photo, the saturation pulls this pink out, even though when you go in person you’re going to see white flowers. That’s why the fifth phase of their bloom process is called puffy white!
Where and When to View DC Cherry Blossoms
Okay, on to the locations! Different locations have different trees and therefore different peak bloom times. I’ve included a timeline below with each of the locations, 2024 estimated peak blooms are listed next to each location title throughout the post, and there’s a Google Map of locations at the end of the list! Casey Trees has a comprehensive DC cherry blossom map with all of the different cherry blossom trees around the city that you should check out!
The Tidal Basin (Peak 3/23-3/26)
While the biggest tourist spot, if you’ve never been to the Tidal Basin to see the DC cherry blossoms, it’s worth braving the crowds for a look. The trees are truly beautiful around the water, plus there are a lot of great photo spots on and within walking distance of the Tidal Basin, such as the Japanese Lantern, the JFK Memorial, and the MLK Memorial.
Sea of Blush put together the below map of photo spots on and near the Tidal Basin as well as areas to park if you’re driving. However, I highly recommend taking the metro to the Smithsonian Station via the orange/blue/silver lines. Once in the National Mall area, you can take the DC Circulator around to different spots if you aren’t up for all the walking.
Hains Point Loop (Peak 3/23-3/26 & 4/5-4/8)
Hains Point Loop is a biking and walking path that wraps around East Potomac Park near the Tidal Basin. White Yoshino trees line the bike path around the park, creating a beautiful tree-covered street to shoot on. There are also clusters of pink Kwanzan trees in the park that bloom about two weeks later. Despite the park being a well-known location close to the Tidal Basin, it’s incredibly quiet and a great place to take photos. It’s also right along the Potomac River and makes for a lovely walk and picnic spot.
National Arboretum (3/1-4/8)
The National Arboretum is home to over 70 different types of cherry trees, so the peak bloom here spans a few weeks, with different trees blooming at different times throughout. The Arboretum is located in the Northeast of DC, an easy drive with multiple parking areas inside the grounds. The best way to find and view the trees is through the self-guided Cherry Blossom tour on the Arboretum’s smartphone app. The tour brings you along a 3.2 mile trail with 27 individual stops to see different varieties of trees, with the note that there is no time where all of the varietals will be in bloom at once.
The Arboretum is also home to a beautiful collection of magnolia trees, which bloom around DC at a similar schedule to the cherry blossoms.
Congressional Cemetery (Peak 3/1-3/8 & 4/5-4/8)
If you want a quiet and empty place to see some DC cherry blossoms, a cemetery is the place to go. The Congressional Cemetery is home to Okame tree-lined pathways (which bloom early compared to the Tidal Basin) and clusters of Kwanzan trees (which bloom a couple weeks after the Tidal Basin), creating beautiful backdrops for bright pink cherry tree photos.
Arlington Cemetery is another beautiful and solemn spot you can walk through to view beautiful DC cherry blossoms around the same time as the Tidal Basin peak (3/23-3/26).
Dumbarton Oaks (Peak 3/23-3/26)
Dumbarton Oaks is a museum with gardens located in Georgetown. The gardens are only open from 3pm – 6pm, but they have gorgeous cherry blossom lined paths and a great collection of other blooming trees.
Montrose Park (Peak 3/23-3/26)
Montrose Park is right next to Dumbarton Oaks and has a beautiful collection of cherry blossom trees of its own. The 16-acre public park stretches along Rock Creek and makes for a beautiful walk and picnic spot among the blossoms. It also has a playground in case you have little ones with you!
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (Peak 3/23-3/26)
The Basilica is gorgeous enough on its own to warrant a visit, but it also has 150 DC cherry blossom trees in full bloom this time of year. Located in the north of the city, the Basilica boasts free parking for visitors and is open until 6pm daily during March.
National Harbor (Peak 3/1-3/8 & 3/23-3/26)
The National Harbor contains quite the collection of Okame cherry blossoms and a sprinkling of Yoshino trees right along the waterfront. Take a walk along the water and then a ride on the giant ferris wheel to look out over a blooming city.
Additional parks and gardens with DC cherry blossoms that share peak bloom with the Tidal Basin: (Peak 3/23-3/26)
- Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens
- Stanton Park
- Oxon Run Park
- Scott Circle
- Washington National Cathedal’s Bishop’s Garden
- Enid A. Haupt Garden at the Smithsonian Castle
- Anacostia Park
- Foxhall Village
All around DC!
Cherry blossom trees can be found on street corners and in yards and parks all around the District. Take a walk in any neighborhood and see what blooms you can find! (P.S. please don’t walk into people’s yards to take photos with their cherry blossom tree without their permission!) Casey Trees has a comprehensive DC cherry blossom map with all of the different cherry blossom trees around the city that you should check out!
Getting around DC
If you want to experience these unique things to do in DC, you’ll first need to know how to get around to them. DC has a pretty good public transportation system, with the Metro webbing across a lot of the city. I highly recommend taking the Metro trains and the Circulator bus around the National Mall as much as possible, as driving and parking in DC can be a stressful and hectic experience.
There is rideshare available in DC through Uber and Lyft for places that are too far to walk from a metro station. If you’re planning on doing a lot of exploring in the outer neighborhoods of DC (outside of the National Mall and Downtown/Chinatown/City Center), you can also rent a car to get around. There is a lot of street parking in DC, especially in more residential areas, and outside of downtown driving is fairly easy (just watch out for the traffic circles!).
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How to get to DC
Washington, DC is incredibly easy to get to, being serviced by two airports and Union Station for Amtrak riders. Reagan National Airport (DCA) is closest to the city, located in Arlington and hosting a yellow/blue-line metro station to bring you into DC. Dulles International Airport (IAD) is located a little further out in Virginia, but also has a metro line station (silver) that can bring you to the city.
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Union Station is located in Northeast DC and is both an Amtrak station and a red-line metro station. It’ll take you 10 minutes or less to get downtown from here.
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Where to Stay in DC
There are a massive number of hotels, vacation rentals, and even hostels in DC, so you can find a place to stay regardless of price range. If you’re going to be doing a lot of exploring around the city, I do recommend staying in a central location near Logan or Dupont circles where you can access a lot of metro lines, but if you go with a vacation rental in a more residential neighborhood, just check how far you’ll be from a metro station! If you’re looking to stay in a cute, historical neighborhood, go with Capitol Hill over Georgetown for easy access to the rest of the city.
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