Visitors to the National Mall & Memorial Parks (NMMP) are seeing more, learning more, and having more fun thanks to ranger-led bike tours. Since Washington, D.C., is a recognized bicycle-friendly community, it’s only natural for NPS rangers to show off their park on two wheels.
These free tours of the National Mall and downtown Washington are earning enthusiastic reviews from ardent cyclists and infrequent riders alike. Since 2004, rangers at NMMP have given regularly scheduled tours exploring topics such as “On This Date In History,” “Unexplored Tales Of The City,” “Off The Beaten Path,” “History of the Mall,” and “People of D.C.” Monthly family tours are also conducted that are aimed at mixed ages and abilities. Tours range from basic, sweeping tours of the National Mall area to highly detailed thematic topics that link together distant resources that could not otherwise be covered in a single tour.
The bike tour program has expanded in tandem with the separate bike patrol program at NMMP in which rangers make visitor contacts and patrol their expansive park by bike. Thirty-one of the park’s 60 rangers routinely patrol by bike and 16 lead bike tours regularly.
Safety is a central benefit of all bike activity at NMMP. The League of American Bicyclists (LAB), a nationally recognized bicycle safety and education organization, has provided training through their League Certified Instructor course. Two rangers at NMMP are League Certified Instructors and have instructed and certified every ranger who wants to participate in either bike program. LAB courses stress the importance of safely traversing an urban environment while handling crowds of up to 35 participants. Rangers who lead bike tours are trained and certified through LAB by the 12-hour “Road 2” module on top of the 9-hour “Road 1” training taken by all bike rangers at the park. All rangers must also take and pass Red Cross basic first aid and CPR/AED training for the professional rescuer.
Tours for the 2007 season are given at 1:00 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday though November 25th. All tours originate at the Jefferson Memorial and last about three hours. Participants must provide their own bikes and helmets. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/mall or please contact ranger Jason Martz, the bike program coordinator, at Jason_martz@nps.gov or 202-438-4391.
