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A Forager’s Year

Where you may pick

The picking rules for each park system and land manager around DC.

National Park Service (all units)

Federal; every NPS unit in DC, MD and VA

The default rule bans possessing, removing, digging or disturbing plants or any part of them in NPS areas (36 CFR 2.1(a)). The exception is 2.1(c): a superintendent may designate specific fruits, berries, nuts or unoccupied seashells that can be gathered by hand for personal use or consumption. That designation needs a written determination that gathering will not harm wildlife, the plant’s reproductive potential or other park resources, and it is published in the park’s Superintendent’s Compendium. The superintendent can also set size and quantity limits, restrict where gathering is allowed, and require that items be eaten inside the park. Under 2.1(c)(3), the following are prohibited: gathering anything not designated, going over the limits, gathering outside designated areas, unauthorized removal from the park, and any sale or commercial use.

Allowed and limits
Nothing may be gathered unless the park’s compendium designates it. Greens, roots, flowers, leaves and whole plants are never covered by 2.1(c), which applies only to fruits, berries, nuts and seashells.
Citation
36 CFR 2.1(a)(1); 36 CFR 2.1(c)(1)-(3)
Note
eCFR (ecfr.gov) blocked the automated fetch, so the CFR text was read through Cornell LII. Each park’s current compendium controls; check it every year (36 CFR 1.7(b) requires annual review).

Rock Creek Park (NPS)

Washington, DC: Rock Creek Park plus about 99 reservations in NW/NE DC, including Glover Archbold Park, Dumbarton Oaks Park, Montrose Park, Meridian Hill/16th Street parks, Klingle Valley, Soapstone Valley, Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, Georgetown Waterfront Park, Palisades Park, the Civil War Defenses of Washington forts it administers (e.g., Fort Reno, Fort Stevens, Fort Totten area), and assorted circles and small reservations

Gathering is completely prohibited. The compendium says no fruits, nuts, berries, seeds, mushrooms or cut greenery may be gathered or collected, for personal or business use or consumption, anywhere in Rock Creek Park.

Allowed and limits
None. Zero items designated; nothing may be gathered.
Citation
Rock Creek Park Superintendent’s Compendium (approved Aug. 28, 2026), section on 36 CFR 2.1
Note
Current compendium, approved August 28, 2026. It covers the many small NPS parcels across NW DC as well as the main park. In DC, much land that looks like 'city park' is NPS land under this compendium.

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (NPS)

DC (Georgetown) to Cumberland, MD, including the towpath through Montgomery County (Great Falls Tavern area on the MD side)

Edible fruits, nuts, berries and mushrooms may be gathered by hand for personal use or consumption. Commercial use is prohibited, and picking must not disturb the rest of the plant. Possession is limited to the daily per-person amounts below.

Allowed and limits
Daily limit per person. Walnuts: 1 bushel. Hickory nuts: 1 bushel. Acorns (oak): 1 bushel. Apples: 1 bushel. Cherries, blackberries, raspberries, dewberries, strawberries, huckleberries, elderberries and pawpaws: 1/2 gallon each. Wineberries: no limit. (Mushrooms are also listed at 1/2 gallon, but they are outside this calendar’s scope.)
Citation
C&O Canal NHP Superintendent’s Compendium, effective Sept. 11, 2026, Section 2.1(c)(1)
Note
Signed Sept. 10, 2026, effective Sept. 11, 2026. This is the most generous designation among the DC-area NPS units. Wineberry, an invasive, has no limit. Great Falls, Maryland side (Great Falls Tavern, Billy Goat Trail, Olmsted Island, Gold Mine Tract) is part of C&O Canal NHP, so these allowances apply there, but the compendium restricts you to walkways and overlooks on Olmsted Island, the Billy Goat A trail on Bear Island, and designated trails in the Gold Mine Tract, so in practice only what’s reachable from the trail. READING OF THE LIST: section 2.1(c)(1) opens 'Edible fruits, nuts, berries, and mushrooms may be gathered by hand for personal use or consumption', and the table that follows is introduced as possession limits. It can be read as allowing all edible fruits, nuts and berries (with limits only for the listed ones) or, following 36 CFR 2.1(c)(1)’s requirement to designate 'certain' fruits, as allowing only the listed ones. This guide marks unlisted fruits and nuts 'ambiguous: confirm with the park'.

George Washington Memorial Parkway (NPS), including Theodore Roosevelt Island, Great Falls Park (VA), Turkey Run, Dyke Marsh, Glen Echo, Clara Barton Parkway and Columbia Island/LBJ Grove

Virginia shoreline from Mount Vernon to Great Falls, plus parcels in DC and MD

Nothing is designated for gathering in the GW Memorial Parkway compendium (approved Dec 4, 2025), so the federal default ban applies across all its sites. Great Falls Park (VA) has no compendium of its own; it is administered by GWMP, and its Laws & Policies page states plainly that collecting anything, including plants, is prohibited.

Allowed and limits
None.
Citation
36 CFR 2.1(a); GWMP Superintendent’s Compendium (approved Dec. 4, 2025) has no 2.1(c) designation
Note
Upgraded from medium after a direct check (2026-10-03). Great Falls VA rules differ from Great Falls MD (C&O Canal), which does allow listed items.

National Capital Parks-East (NPS)

Anacostia Park, Kenilworth Park, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Fort Dupont, Fort Davis, Fort Chaplin, Fort Stanton, Fort Mahan, Fort Greble, Fort Ricketts, Shepherd Parkway, Oxon Run Parkway, Capitol Hill parks, Frederick Douglass NHS (DC); Oxon Cove Park/Oxon Hill Farm, Fort Foote, Fort Washington, Greenbelt Park, Piscataway Park, Harmony Hall, BW Parkway, Suitland Parkway (MD)

Seven listed items may be gathered for personal use or consumption, in amounts under one quart, and only at seven listed areas. Mushrooms may not be gathered. Apples may not be collected at Oxon Hill Farm. Gathering other plant products for personal use is prohibited.

Allowed and limits
Items: blueberries, blackberries, grapes, pawpaws, raspberries, walnuts, and apples (except at Oxon Hill Farm). Limit: less than one quart per person. Allowed only at: Anacostia Park; Fort Circle Parks (Civil War Defenses of Washington); Fort Foote; Fort Washington Park; Greenbelt Park; Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm; Piscataway Park. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Kenilworth Park, the Capitol Hill parks and the other sites are not on the list.
Citation
National Capital Parks-East 2026 Superintendent’s Compendium (approved Dec. 31, 2025), 36 CFR 2.1(a)(4), (c)(1), (c)(2)(ii)
Note
The compendium does not define 'Fort Circle Parks', and it does not say per day; the limit is simply 'less than one quart'. NACE administers the forts east of the Anacostia (Fort Dupont, Davis, Chaplin, Stanton, Mahan, Greble, Ricketts). Civil War Defenses sites run by Rock Creek Park (NW DC) fall under Rock Creek’s total ban. Separate rule: walking on Civil War earthworks is prohibited.

National Mall and Memorial Parks (NPS)

National Mall, Tidal Basin, East and West Potomac Parks (Hains Point), Constitution Gardens and the memorials, DC

The current compendium designates no fruits, nuts or berries under 36 CFR 2.1(c), so the default ban in 36 CFR 2.1(a) applies and no plant parts may be gathered. That includes the cherry trees.

Allowed and limits
None designated.
Citation
36 CFR 2.1(a); NAMA Superintendent’s Compendium (approved Sept. 11, 2026) has no 2.1(c) designation
Note
The page shows 'Approved September 11, 2026'; it supersedes the June 8, 2026 version. The full page text was searched and has no fruit/nut/berry designation. As with GWMP, 'prohibited' is inferred from the CFR default. Confirmed 2026-10-03 against the compendium approved Sept 11, 2026: no gathering section; only a tribal-gathering permit provision. Default federal ban applies.

Prince William Forest Park (NPS)

Triangle/Dumfries, Prince William County, VA

Visitors may gather the listed fruits, nuts and berries by hand for personal use or consumption. Picking must not disturb the rest of the plant, and commercial gathering is prohibited. All other plant species, such as conifer cones, lichens and fiddlehead ferns, are closed to harvesting.

Allowed and limits
Fruits and berries: 1 pint of each species per person per day. Unshelled nuts: 1 quart of each species per person per day. Listed species: blueberries (Vaccinium), wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), blackberries/raspberries/wineberries (Rubus), grapes (Vitis), elderberries (Sambucus), gooseberries and currants (Ribes), huckleberries (Gaylussacia), cherries and plums (Prunus), serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis), persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), black walnut (Juglans nigra), hickory nuts (Carya), American hazelnut (Corylus americana), apples/pears (Malus/Pyrus), pawpaw (Asimina triloba). (Mushrooms are also allowed, 1 quart aggregate per day, but are out of scope.)
Citation
Prince William Forest Park Superintendent’s Compendium (approved May 29, 2026), 36 CFR 2.1 'Plant Collection'
Note
Approved May 29, 2026. The compendium has scientific-name typos (e.g., 'Vaccinrum', 'Hubus', 'Vifis'). ELDERBERRY CAVEAT: it lists elderberries as 'Sambucus pubens', which is red elderberry, a species the Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora does not record in Prince William County, and red elderberry should not be eaten (Oregon State: possibly higher toxin levels). The common black elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), which is recorded there, is not named. This is likely a clerical slip, but read literally black elderberry is not designated, so confirm with the park before picking it.

Catoctin Mountain Park (NPS)

Thurmont, Frederick County, MD

The listed berries may be hand-gathered for personal consumption anywhere in the park. Ramps (wild leeks) may not be harvested; the park has publicized that this is illegal because taking the whole plant threatens the species there.

Allowed and limits
Blackberries, raspberries, wineberries, dewberries and blueberries: 1/2 gallon per person per day, park-wide. No nuts or other fruits are designated. (Edible mushrooms are also allowed within the same 1/2-gallon limit; out of scope.)
Citation
Catoctin Mountain Park Superintendent’s Compendium (approved May 26, 2026), 36 CFR 2.1(c)(1),(c)(2)
Note
The compendium was approved May 26, 2026. The ramps release is from 2023 and cites fines up to $5,000 and up to six months in jail. Whether the 1/2 gallon is a combined total or per species is ambiguous; the release says no more than 1/2 gallon per person per day overall.

DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and DC public space generally

District of Columbia (non-federal parks, recreation centers and public space)

No DPR or DCMR rule that specifically addresses picking fruit, nuts or berries in DPR parks could be found. What could be verified: DC Code 22-3310 makes it a crime to cut down, remove, break, wound, destroy or injure any vine, bush, shrub or tree you do not own, or its protective boxes and stakes. The penalty is up to 90 days for large trees (55 inches or more in circumference at 4.5 ft) and up to 30 days otherwise, plus fines. Picking fruit without damaging the plant is not expressly addressed, but breaking branches, uprooting or digging plants on public land falls under this statute.

Allowed and limits
No permission or limits found. Treat as not authorized. Never damage, dig up or uproot plants.
Citation
D.C. Code 22-3310
Note
The DPR chapter of the DC regulations (19 DCMR Chapter 7) has sections such as 19-703 'Responsibility for Government Property' and 19-715 'Department of Recreation Buildings and Grounds' (both from 1970). Their text could not be retrieved: dcregs.dc.gov serves them only through form postbacks, and the dcrules.elaws.us mirror returned 503 errors. So it is unconfirmed whether DCMR has an explicit plant-removal rule for DPR land. Many green spaces in DC that people think of as city parks are NPS land; check the National Park Service rules first.

DDOT Urban Forestry Division (street trees)

District of Columbia public right-of-way (tree boxes and street trees)

Anyone, resident or contractor, who plants, prunes or removes a public street tree in the right-of-way must first get permission from DDOT’s Urban Forestry Division. Damaging a tree you don’t own is also a crime under DC Code 22-3310. No DDOT rule found addresses picking fallen or hanging fruit from street trees. DDOT has deliberately planted an edible-landscape grove (apples, pomegranates, peaches, cherries, persimmons, jujubes) at 2220 Irving St SE, Ward 8, that a 2020 news report described as free for community picking.

Allowed and limits
Pruning, cutting or removing a street tree requires a DDOT permit. Picking fruit is not addressed in anything retrieved; do it without breaking limbs or damaging the tree.
Citation
DDOT Public Space Tree Permit page; D.C. Code 22-3310
Note
Picking fruit from street trees seems to be a gray area: no rule found prohibits it, and none explicitly allows it. The Ward 8 edible grove comes from a 2020 news story quoting DDOT’s Earl Eutsler, not from an official DDOT page; confirm it is still maintained before listing it.

Montgomery Parks and Prince George’s County Parks (M-NCPPC)

All Commission parks in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, MD (e.g., Wheaton Regional, Sligo Creek, Rock Creek Stream Valley (MD), Cabin John, Black Hill, Watkins Regional, Anacostia tributaries)

No one may remove, injure, destroy or interfere in any way with trees, plants or minerals on park property, and no one may plant or harvest vegetation, unless a Permit or Park Directive authorizes it. No Park Directive authorizing foraging was found. A violation can bring a civil citation of up to $50 (first) or $100 (subsequent), or more where Maryland law allows. In 2015 Montgomery County Park Police ticketed a man $50 at Wheaton Regional Park for picking berries.

Allowed and limits
None; a permit or Park Directive is required.
Citation
M-NCPPC Park Rules and Regulations (effective July 1, 2025), Ch. IV Sec. 19(A)-(B) 'Trees, Plants and Minerals'; penalties section citing Md. Code, Land Use 17-208
Note
One rulebook covers both counties. The Reason article is used only as an enforcement anecdote.

Maryland DNR - Maryland Park Service (state parks)

Maryland state parks (e.g., Patapsco Valley, Seneca Creek, Gunpowder Falls, Patuxent River)

In a state park, no individual may remove, disturb, damage or destroy a plant (or rock, mineral or animal), or cut down, remove or destroy a tree. The Park Service may issue permits to remove listed items. The regulation has no personal-use exception for fruits, nuts or berries.

Allowed and limits
None without a permit. The regulation has no foraging carve-out.
Citation
COMAR 08.07.06.13 (Plants, Rocks, Minerals, and Animals); COMAR 08.07.01.13(B) (state forests)
Note
Read literally, the rule prohibits picking berries in MD state parks. No DNR policy granting a foraging exception was found. Maryland DNR does publish a garlic-mustard pesto recipe encouraging people to eat that invasive, but it doesn’t address park rules. State forests: COMAR 08.07.01.13(B) likewise says no one may remove, disturb, damage or destroy any plant in a State forest except permitted forest products and research samples, so foraging there also needs a permit. Wildlife management areas were not checked.

Virginia DCR - Virginia State Parks

Virginia state parks (e.g., Mason Neck, Leesylvania, Sky Meadows)

No one may remove, cut down, injure, take or gather in any manner any tree, flower, fern, shrub, rock or plant in a state park without a special scientific-collecting permit. The exception: edible fruits, berries, fungi or nuts may be collected for personal or individual use only.

Allowed and limits
Edible fruits, berries and nuts for personal or individual use. The regulation sets no quantity limit and lists no species. Greens, roots, flowers and whole plants are not allowed.
Citation
4VAC5-30-50 (Flowers, plants, minerals, etc.)
Note
Of the jurisdictions checked, this is the most permissive regulation. Individual parks may post closures; personal-use limits are not quantified.

Fairfax County Park Authority

Fairfax County, VA parks (e.g., Huntley Meadows, Riverbend, Burke Lake, Lake Accotink, Green Spring Gardens)

No one may remove from a park any plant or fungus, or any part of one, including cuttings, flowers, seeds, berries, nuts or foliage, without express written permission from the Park Authority. Violations are a Class 4 misdemeanor (fine up to $250), and violators can be barred from park use.

Allowed and limits
None without written permission.
Citation
FCPA Policy Manual, Appendix 6 Park Authority Regulations, Sec. 1.22(C) 'Removal of Plants and Fungi' (revised and adopted Apr. 10, 2019); penalty per Va. Code 15.2-5705 and 18.2-11
Note
The current policy manual (regulations revised April 10, 2019) was read in full. The same wording appears in its 2006 appendix.

Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NOVA Parks)

NOVA Parks regional parks (e.g., Pohick Bay, Bull Run, Potomac Overlook, Upton Hill, W&OD Trail, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens)

The Park Authority Regulations in the FCPA policy manual define 'Park Authority' as either FCPA or NOVA Parks, and 'Park' as property owned, leased or maintained by either. Under that document, the same Sec. 1.22(C) ban on removing any plant or fungus, including berries and nuts, without express written permission applies to NOVA Parks property. Penalty: Class 4 misdemeanor, fine up to $250.

Allowed and limits
None without written permission.
Citation
Park Authority Regulations (FCPA Policy Manual Appendix 6), Definitions and Sec. 1.22(C)
Note
No current rules page published by NOVA Parks itself could be found (novaparks.com/about/park-rules returned 404). The applicability comes from the jointly worded regulations hosted by Fairfax County. Confirm with NOVA Parks that it has adopted these.

Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation

Arlington County, VA parks

The county’s posted park rules, under 'Conservation and Protection', say trees, shrubs and other flora, dead or living, shall not be removed, destroyed or disturbed.

Allowed and limits
None stated; treat as prohibited.
Citation
Arlington County Park Rules & Regulations, 'Conservation and Protection'
Note
The rules page cites no County Code chapter for this rule, and the County Code chapter was not located. Whether picking fruit counts as 'disturbing flora' is not spelled out, but the plain reading excludes foraging.

City of Alexandria Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities

City of Alexandria, VA (city-owned land, parks, rights-of-way)

Alexandria City Code Sec. 6-2-2 makes it unlawful for anyone other than the parks director (or an authorized representative) to plant, trim or prune any tree, shrub, plant or vegetation, or to remove any of them, on streets, rights-of-way, medians, planting strips or other land or public places owned by the city (public school sites excepted), without first getting a permit from the director. Sec. 6-2-9 also bars abusing, destroying or mutilating any tree, shrub or plant in a public place. Violations: a fine of up to $500, up to 6 months in jail, or both (Sec. 6-2-52).

Allowed and limits
None without a permit. The code does not mention picking fruit, nuts or leaves specifically, so whether picking counts as trimming or removing vegetation is unclear; ask the parks department before picking on city land.
Citation
Alexandria City Code Secs. 6-2-2, 6-2-9 and 6-2-52 (Title 6, Chapter 2, Articles A and D), codified through Ord. No. 5616 (Jan. 24, 2026), Supp. No. 156 (Municode)
Note
Current text read on Municode on Oct 5, 2026 (codified through Ord. No. 5616, adopted Jan. 24, 2026). Sec. 6-2-2 derives from former Code 1963 Sec. 39-2 (the 1973 Ord. No. 1831 wording) as amended by Ord. No. 2699 (1982); the substance is unchanged. No Alexandria park rule on foraging specifically was found; a search of the code for 'fruit' finds nothing about parks.

Private land

DC, Maryland, Virginia (general)

General rule: forage on private land only with the owner’s permission. DC: entering or remaining on private property against the will of the owner or person in charge is unlawful entry, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days (DC Code 22-3302). Maryland: entering or crossing private property after being told not to by the owner or agent, or remaining after notice, is a misdemeanor; first offense up to 90 days or $500 (Md. Crim. Law 6-403). Virginia: going on or remaining on land after being forbidden orally, in writing or by posted signs is a Class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code 18.2-119). Separately, picking someone else’s fruit can raise property issues beyond trespass, and DC Code 22-3310 bars damaging a tree or shrub you don’t own.

Allowed and limits
Whatever the owner permits.
Citation
D.C. Code 22-3302; Md. Code, Crim. Law 6-403; Va. Code 18.2-119
Note
This is general information, not legal advice. Overhanging fruit and fruit dropped onto public sidewalks are not addressed by any source retrieved.

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (NPS)

Vienna, Fairfax County, VA

Blackberries, raspberries and chestnuts may be gathered by hand for personal use or consumption anywhere in the park; everything else falls under the NPS default ban (36 CFR 2.1(a)). Foot traffic is restricted to trails and walkways. The park is open from sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset, and on Filene Center performance evenings (May-September) only ticket holders may stay.

Allowed and limits
Blackberries and raspberries: one gallon per person per day. Chestnuts: one gallon per person per day. Nothing else is designated; wineberry and Allegheny chinquapin are not named (treated as ambiguous), and leaves, flowers and roots can never be designated.
Citation
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Compendium of Regulatory Provisions (2026 ver. 6/5/2026), 36 CFR 2.1(c)
Note
Added October 2026. The compendium does not say whether 'raspberries' covers wineberry or whether 'chestnuts' covers Allegheny chinquapin; the dataset labels both ambiguous there (decided October 8, 2026).