FAQs

The Tregaron Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, established in 2006, that is the sole owner and steward of a 13-acre historic woodland park in northwest Washington, DC. The Conservancy parklands are open free to the public every day. More than 35,000 Washington residents and visitors annually enjoy the Conservancy, which is supported entirely by private donations.

Tregaron Conservancy stewards 13 acres of woodland, wild gardens, streams, and meadows. It shares the original 20-acre Tregaron estate with the Washington International School, whose buildings and campus occupy about 6 acres. (The school campus is closed to the public.)

Every day, Tregaron is open from dawn to dusk, free of charge.

There is no onsite parking on the Conservancy property, but street parking is available near the Conservancy’s entrances on Klingle Road and Macomb Street, NW. Visit the Planning Your Visit page for a map and detailed information about visiting Tregaron. For questions about accessibility, email info@tregaron.org.

The Conservancy does not have restrooms onsite. The nearest public restroom is at Starbucks on Connecticut Avenue, NW, across the street from the National Zoo entrance. The Conservancy offers portable restrooms at some of our public events, as noted in the events calendar.

The Conservancy is not a dog park, but leashed dogs under owner control are welcome. For the safety and health of other visitors (and their dogs) and to protect our woodlands, dogs are not permitted off leash.

WIS is a supportive partner of the Conservancy. The School sits atop the hill above the Conservancy; both the School campus and the Conservancy landscape are historic landmarks. The School community enjoys the Conservancy’s woodland park area surrounding WIS’s “Tregaron Campus.” WIS houses its middle and upper school here, while its primary school is in Georgetown. WIS provides funding support to the Conservancy, and representatives of the school’s staff and parent community serve on the Conservancy’s board of directors.

In 1911, financier James Parmelee and his wife, Alice Maury Parmelee, benefactors of the National Cathedral, purchased the approximately 20-acre property. They wished to build a country estate with views of the Cathedral, which was under construction at the time. The Parmelees hired Charles Adams Platt, a premier architect of American country houses, to design the estate. Platt engaged Ellen Biddle Shipman, with whom he frequently worked, as the landscape architect. Shipman established the planting plan for the formal four-square garden (now beautifully restored on the WIS campus) and designed Tregaron’s “wild garden” woodland landscape. The Parmelees named the estate The Causeway after the estate’s sweeping, curved stone bridge (which is still on the property near the Klingle entrance). The estate was renamed Tregaron by its second owner, Ambassador Joseph Davies, after an ancestor’s hometown in Wales. Ambassador Davies and his wife, Marjorie Merriweather Post, lived at Tregaron from 1941 to 1955. Following their divorce and her move to Hillwood, also in northwest Washington, Davies remained at Tregaron until his death in 1958.

The full history of the estate and the Conservancy’s parkland can be found here.

The Conservancy as we know it today—an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving, rehabilitating, and maintaining its woodland landscape—was created in 2006 by a dedicated group of neighbors and friends after the land was saved from development. Over the past 20 years, thanks to hard work by our staff and board – and the tremendous support of our partners, volunteers, and community members – Tregaron has become a vibrant green oasis in the middle of Washington for all to enjoy.

Tregaron features walking trails, stone bridges, stairways and footpaths, two streams, a pond, native meadows, and open fields. Tregaron appears “naturalistic” but, in fact, is an intensively designed landscape. It was originally designed a century ago by renowned landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman. The Conservancy is working to improve the landscape in keeping with Shipman’s vision and plans. Tregaron is applauded by garden, design, and history enthusiasts, as well as by everyone who enjoys a green, natural oasis in the middle of DC. People come to enjoy the trails, trees, native plantings, pond area, and open fields. The Conservancy also hosts a variety of programs and events, from tai chi to guided nature walks and landscape tours, most of which are free of charge. Check our calendar for the latest.

Tregaron is also connected to Rock Creek Park via the adjacent Klingle Valley Trail, so walkers can readily explore much of DC over miles of wooded trails.

Thoughtfully designed by the famed 20th century landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman (for whom our Shipman Terrace is named and dedicated), Tregaron features mostly native trees, shrubs, and flowering plants that reflect the variety and design aesthetic of the original “wild gardens.” The replanting and restoration of the original Tregaron landscape plan is an ongoing priority. To date, the Conservancy has planted more than 300 trees, hundreds of shrubs, and thousands of perennial plants, guided by professional designers.

You can learn much more by checking out our website for What’s In Bloom, as well as our Current Projects page.

Tregaron is a green oasis within a busy part of Washington, DC.  Our forest, paths, pond, and streams attract a wide variety of migratory and resident birds.  More than 130 species of birds have been observed at Tregaron—click here to see the full list.

Forest animals, including foxes, deer, rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks, share the property with turtles, fireflies and other insects, and bats. Pond wildlife includes dragonflies, frogs, toads, a few non-venomous snakes, and fish.

The Conservancy welcomes applications for private events, guided tours or classes, and sessions with professional photographers/videographers. A permit is required for any private event or commercial usage of the property, including professional photography/videography sessions, group exercise classes, or guided tours. We offer permits for wedding ceremonies or other group events, with a cap of 50 guests. We do not offer wedding planning services. To apply for a permit, email info@tregaron.org.

Tregaron is located immediately to the west of Rock Creek Park in northwest Washington, DC. Tregaron and much of DC’s northwestern quadrant are in the Appalachian Piedmont region, marked by moderate to steep hills underlain by metamorphic rocks dating back to the Ordovician through Devonian ages. The National Mall and other quadrants of Washington lie in the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain region, consisting of sedimentary deposits laid down during the more recent Tertiary and Quaternary periods. For details, visit our Natural History of Tregaron page.

Yes! All gardening and clean-up work at the Conservancy is supervised by staff and lead volunteers. We have a dedicated group of volunteers who remove invasives, tend to our gardens and trails, and plant trees and other plants at Tregaron every spring and fall. If you are interested in joining our landscape team – or helping out at our community events – please complete the form on our website home page. We also host groups for volunteer service days. If you would like to bring a group from your company, organization or school, email info@tregaron.org.

In addition to visiting our website (and signing up to receive our e-news on the home page) and watching our calendar for events, you can learn more about our projects, programs, and events by following us on Instagram and Facebook.