Trail #9 Mini-Oasis
The Trail 9 Mini-Oasis is located near the intersection of Broad Branch Rd NW and Beach Drive NW. The site is popular for hikers, dog walkers, and cyclists, particularly along Beach Drive NW, which offers five miles of closed roadway.
Fun Fact
Trail #9 is the official name of the trail that marks the boundary of this site.
Size: 16.78 acres
Status: Restoration in progress; approximately 50% free from invasive plants.
Primary issue: Invasive plants and lack of understory
Site Description
The Trail 9 Mini-Oasis has been stewarded by Conservancy staff and volunteers since 2016. The site features a hilled, forest area of Rock Creek Park made up of secondary growth mature trees. The site also drains directly into Rock Creek and features a stormwater channel that accommodates stormwater during large rain events. The site has had extensive work completed by the Rock Creek Conservation Corps, Summer Fellows, and volunteers, allowing the oasis boundary to expand from the original 3.45 to 16.78 acres in size.
Upcoming Work
Invasive Plant Removal: Volunteers and staff will continue to manage many invasive species, including winged burning bush, wineberry, round-leaf bittersweet, and porcelain berry.
Planting Natives: This site will benefit from more additional shrub and tree plantings to supplement the forest understory and reforest emerging light gaps. Native plants will help to support biodiversity by providing habitat for local wildlife and will control stormwater runoff before entering Rock Creek.
Join us at an upcoming event to learn more about this mini-oasis and support its restoration. As events are scheduled, they will be added to the calendar below. If none are available at this time, we encourage you to view our full calendar here for more volunteer opportunities.
Restoration History
National Park Service (NPS) Invasive Plant Management Team: The NPS Invasive Plant Management Team (IPMT) annually deploys a crew licensed to use chemical control methods to manage invasive shrubs (e.g., burning bush, privet, linden viburnum, etc.) growing on steep hillsides that are inaccessible by volunteers.
DOEE Restoring Targeted Natural Areas Grant: Through a District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) grant, the Conservancy received funding for invasive plant management by Conservancy staff, building on progress achieved by the Rock Creek Conservation Corps. This successful grant has supported the removal of thousands of square feet of invasive vegetation and brought park visitors to Trail 9 to participate in non-service activities like birding and forest bathing.
2023 Restoration Planting: In the fall of 2023, trees were planted along the forest edge at Trail 9 to replace canopy loss, including the following: American bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia), winterberry (Ilex verticillata), and American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana).
Rock Creek Conservation Corps: This site has been home to extensive invasive plant removal work completed by the Rock Creek Conservation Corps in the summers of 2016, 2018, and 2021. What was once a hillside taken over by invasive winged burning bush is now a protected understory. In total, Conservation Corps members removed over 1,500 mature shrubs, all of which were removed and chipped per NPS regulations.
2016 Shrub Planting: To support the restoration of Trail #9, Rock Creek Conservancy planted over 25 native shrubs within the understory of the site. These shrubs included: spicebush (Lindera benzoin), arrowhead viburnum (Viburnum dentatum), and witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana).
