Reduced hours for Rock Creek trail near zoo sparks pushback

A popular Rock Creek Park trail near the National Zoo reopened this month, but there’s a catch: it closes earlier than before.

Driving the news : The half-mile path — part of the Rock Creek Park trail for cyclists and pedestrians — reopened after four years of construction that included building a new bridge.

The trail opens at 7am, but closes at 5pm because it is now managed by the National Zoo, which closes around the same time.

• That forces bicyclists to detour through a “dangerously narrow sidewalk” in the Beach Drive Tunnel during evening rush hour, the Washington Area Bicyclists Association says.

What they’re saying: Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton said yesterday she plans to meet with zoo and National Park Service officials to “explore options to extend the trail hours.”

• “The zoo explained that the trail hours are tied to the zoo’s hours of operations to maintain accreditation with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, since the trail runs through the zoo’s secondary animal containment perimeter,” Norton said in a statement.
• The National Park Service did not return Axios' email seeking comment.

Go deeper: Check out DCist's trail map.