Oxon Run Park is a Leafy Refuge. Locals Are Working to Make it Inviting for Everyone.

Image via Greater Greater Washington.

In the far reaches of Southeast DC, Oxon Run Park sprawls over 128 acres, making it the largest green space under the control of DC’s Department of Parks and Recreation and a refuge for the surrounding plants, animals, and people within an otherwise urban landscape.

An abundance of wildlife lives in this picturesque park, from foxes to deer, fish to frogs, and birds to bats. When I was a kid, there was a plentiful population of cotton-tail rabbits that I would chase, fully lost in child-like joy.

From walks to my grandmother’s house on one side of the park, where all of my family was raised, to my time at Hart Middle School — which is right in the middle of the park — to the present day, Oxon Run Park has been a safe haven for me. My experience with the park is why I decided to become an environmentalist. In the many phases of my life, it has remained a constant, even after I moved farther away from it in 2025.