The 7 Best WMAs Near DC

Mason Neck ( 40 min)

By far the easiest WMA to visit is Mason Neck. In fact, I went there today. A short 40 minute drive from DC, with Bald Eagles practically guaranteed, Mason Neck is the ideal proving ground for the budding amateur ornithologist. Pileated woodpeckers, nuthatches, flickers, Carolina wrens and horned owls are all in abundance, with scarlet tanagers found during the migratory seasons of April and late October. There are two entrances: the Great Marsh Trailhead and the Woodmarsh Trail. If you only have time for a short hike, the nearby Mason Neck State Park offers a wheelchair-accessible eagle observation station less than 100 steps from the parking lot and a winding boardwalk through the nearby marsh and bayside trail.

Blackwater ( 2h 30 min)

Eastern Neck ( 2h 20 min)

Bombay Hook ( 2h 20 min)

Prime Hook ( 2h 30 min)

Presquile ( 2h 10 min)

John Heinz ( 2h 40 min)

Further Afield

I have listed above a few of the great Wildlife Management Areas within a 3 hour drive from Washington, DC. For those who are willing to go further, Chincoteague, The Eastern Shore of Virginia, The Great Dismal Swamp, Back Bay WMA, New Jersey’s Great Swamp and the Ohio River Islands await.