Anacostia River Trail System

Stakeholder Outreach

Over the years, Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has received numerous requests from the public for improved signage on the 40+mile Anacostia River Trail System.  With the 2016 opening of the Kenilworth Trail Section, linking the Bladensburg Waterfront Park with the District of Columbia (DC), and the Little Paint Branch extension to Fairland Regional Park, the trail system is now fully linked. To develop a new and updated sign system, DPR has initiated planning, design, fabrication, and installation projects to provide a comprehensive Wayfinding Sign System for the portion of the paved trails owned and managed by DPR.

The project kicked off in 2020. The first step was to evaluate the sign system used on the Anacostia River Trail in the District and the Paved Trail Sign Manual, which was developed by Montgomery Parks our sister M-NCPPC agency, and applied to the Rock Creek Trail. This step resulted in a decision by the DPR Executive Team to develop a more customized design, consistent with the approaches taken in DC and Montgomery County, but addressing the following key issues identified by DPR staff:

• Overall durability for long-term maintenance cost savings
• Stature and visibility in the built environment and at park trailheads
• Ability to be maintained by the DPR sign shop
• Utilizing the best practices developed by the DPR sign shop (graffiti resistance, insect resistance, medium cost materials, but the high value, use of recycled materials, and durability in severe weather conditions)
• Legibility, being clear enough to be read and understood
• Providing a strong visual brand that is compatible with the DPR park entrance signs but also unique to the Anacostia River Trail System

This sign system will be applied to the following paths, which are components of the Anacostia River Trail System: The Anacostia River Trail (PG section), the Northwest Branch Trail (PG Section), the Northeast Branch Trail, the Sligo Creek Trail (PG Section), the Indian Creek Trail, the Paint Branch, and Little Paint Branch Trails, and the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail. The maintenance, management, policing, and ownership of the Trolley Trail are shared by DPR along with College Park, Hyattsville, and Riverdale Park.

Click Here to view the Stakeholder Engagement Website!

*The Stakeholder Engagement website will be available for review and comment until Friday, June 17th, 2022

In addition to making comments through the website, you are welcome to contact our Trail Development Program Manager directly and arrange an online meeting to discuss details.

The DPR project staff and consultant team of RKK Engineering will review and incorporate the comments we receive into the final design.