The Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) provides canoe and pontoon tours of the "Kingfisher Canoe Trail," a scenic five-mile stretch of the Anacostia River as a part of our education programs.
Pontoon Tours
Generous support from the Summit Fund of Washington , Daimler-Chrysler and the United States EPA has allowed us to purchase two pontoon boats. We are now able to take children as well as the elderly and physically challenged on tours of the river on our 12 passenger boat. We also have a 30 passenger boat with the capacity to carry an entire class or larger group of adults.
Our educational River Habitat program educates 3rd-5th graders about the river and its wildlife. The program culminates in a pontoon boat tour of the Anacostia River and may include stops at Kingman Island and Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.
Canoe Tours
The Watershed Explorers program educates middle and high school students about watershed health and issues. The program culminates in a 5-mile canoe tour of the Anacostia River between The Bladensburg Waterfront Park and the Anacostia Waterfront Park. The trip provides students with an intimate experience with the river, and aims to connect them with their local natural environment.
On this day, students will be sharing space with great blue herons, ospreys, egrets, beavers, turtles, fish, aquatic plants, many varieties of trees, and perhaps even a bald eagle. Projects will include water quality monitoring, a marsh exploration, tree and emergent plant identification, discussion on watershed geology, pollution prevention, applied map reading, journal writing and study of past and present land and water uses.
AWS encourages experienced paddlers to join us on these fun and educational tours as volunteers. If you are interested in joining a tour as a volunteer, please call 301-699-6204 or email us.
Boat Rentals and Pontoon Tours at Bladensburg Waterfront Park
The Department of Parks and Recreation at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park offers free pontoon boat tours of the river on Saturdays. They also rent canoes, kayaks and paddleboats on the weekends.
Visit the Bladensburg Waterfront Park website for more information.
