Northeast - Hains Point Seems to Be Closed For a Few Days

The loop around Hains Point was closed tonight. The Park Police officer said it will probably open back up after the Fourth. Seem they are using that as a fireworks area and need an open and safe spot.

Oddly, it was open Sunday afternoon when I was test riding a bike and tonight I put in a few laps.

Bump for more closures through the end of summer -- it's now only open from 6 AM to 3 PM, as I found out yesterday afternoon when I arrived at the vehicular gates closed plus chain link sections behind them plus the cheap wooden slat-and-wire fencing filling between the road and golf course and the water's edge.

At least I have some afternoons free now & then, and I might be able to get in some road time in the morning before I have to be at work (depending on the day, of course).

I was surprised it was closed Sunday morning when I was there. I remember last year it was closed for the days preceding 4th of July so they could set up for the crowds. I thought it was because of that. It will blow if it's going to be closed EVERY late afternoon for the summer.

Yeah, no kidding. I'm not finding any info online, either. I should be down there tomorrow morning, so if I see anyone of authority I'll ask.

Do they still let people camp out on the point on the 4th so they can watch the fireworks close up? I rode out there one 5th of July morning a few years ago and saw the RV's and tents packing up. Always thought it would be fun to camp out there.

It was open this evening (Wednesday) at about 5:30.

Okay, good. I didn't get to head out there today since we started work earlier than expected.

It was closed this morning at about 0730. That's in line with the sign saying that it's closed Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

Bah..

I'm willing to accept the trade-off of HP being closed on weekends and holidays when Beach Drive is largely car-free on the same days.

Plus: why do you want to ride in circles on the weekend? ;)

Plus: why do you want to ride in circles on the weekend? ;)

'Cuz everybody and their dogs are on the MUPs. :lol:

Any updates? I was thinking about heading over there this evening.

It was open last night, about 7:15-7:30. The gates were swung open at both ends, and the sign stating its hours was still posted right next to the entry gate.

There are other gates now, too, that are set up at the turnoff for the bus parking lot by the playground. They were open, but they can close off the point of the point if needed.

Still no idea what they're doing with all these closures. I found a blog whose author said that he left his bag hooked to a fencepost, which caused a lockdown of the park and the arrival of a bomb squad.

Here's a pic of another time this season when it was closed:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/BarracksSi/Bike/HainsPointClosed.jpg

'Cuz everybody and their dogs are on the MUPs. :lol:

Why stick to the MUPs when there are tons of wonderful roads, many with little traffic, so close to DC and Arlington? It boggles the mind, frankly.

But then again, I like hills and variety. I'll do laps at HP when I want to train intervals or have a nice, quick, post-work spin. But on the weekends, I like to spread my wings a bit and enjoy the roads of the greater DC area.

Just my $0.02 - YMMV. :)

Thanks for the pic! Interesting photo because I think that concrete jersey wall thing is new. Hours are kind of random as well. Isn't Beach Drive 7am - 7pm? Maybe they're bringing the awakening sculpture back piece by piece.

The Awakening is definitely installed down at National Harbor (after all, they bought it), so I don't think it's coming back to the Point anytime soon.

Thanks for the pic! Interesting photo because I think that concrete jersey wall thing is new. Hours are kind of random as well. Isn't Beach Drive 7am - 7pm? Maybe they're bringing the awakening sculpture back piece by piece.

the jersey barrier has always been there because I usually stop and stretch there. the temporary wood picket fence is new to keep the bikes from passing between that and the gate (as you can see the worn trail where the bikes squeeze through). It was probably there because of the staging of the fireworks.

The fireworks were staged along the reflecting pool between the Lincoln and WWII memorials (well, at least a couple hundred shells were staged there; I should've taken my camera along on the morning of the 5th). Last year, too, much of that area was blocked off for a long time after the display/performance as a safety precaution so that they could shoot off any shells that didn't launch on cue earlier. It took some improvisation to find a route from Memorial Bridge to the Washington.

The Awakening is definitely installed down at National Harbor (after all, they bought it), so I don't think it's coming back to the Point anytime soon.

Yeah that was part-joke, part-wishful thinking...I always enjoyed that sculpture. I wonder how many tourists have old guides and end up looking at a bunch of mulch instead of a cool sculpture.

Yeah, no kidding -- at least half of any reason to actually go there is gone. Now it's just another piece of grass that gets used occasionally for soccer despite being dangerously lumpy.

I'm glad that I got pics of it while it was still there. I have yet to go to National Harbor to see its new home, but I have a feeling that I won't like it; the pics I've seen make it look like a small afterthought between some huge buildings.

It was open tonight, from when I got there after 8 and stayed open through when I left after 10.

Plenty of non-cyclists just chilling out, goin' fishin' and whatnot (hope they didn't plan on eating those fish!). Saw one determined-looking spinner, who passed me as I was restarting after throwing away an empty pizza-flavored Combos bag, and was fairly easy to catch & pass a couple hundred yards later; he must've been in easy recovery mode, because I just ain't that fast. ;)