WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump's express wish to take over the East Potomac Golf Links has thrust a municipal D.C. golf course into the national spotlight. But locals rely on that area for much more than golfing — and worry the district could lose an invaluable recreational oasis.
The southern tip of East Potomac Park, known as Hains Point, is beloved by cyclists, runners, picnickers and birders for its waterfront views, cherry trees and Ohio Drive, the scenic three-mile loop around its perimeter. Runners use the wide, flat road to train; it's even a fixture of several major race courses, including the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday.
"It's such an important part of the fabric of this region, even though it's not very well known [beyond it]," said Elizabeth Kiker, the executive director of the Washington Area Bicyclists Association. She herself took her now-husband on a bike ride on their second date 20 years ago.
Locals describe Hains Point as a rare public resource in D.C. It's easily accessible from the National Mall yet removed from the crowds, full of people but free of traffic. Congress created it in 1897, "to be forever held and used as a park for the recreation and pleasure of the people."
And yet, under the president's proposed golf course redesign, Hains Point as people know and love it may cease to exist.
Trump said on Truth Social last weekend that renovations would keep the entire park closed for 15 months starting in November. But it's not clear what would be left when it reopens: The rendering he posted shows an 18-hole course spanning the entire peninsula — including the current playground and picnic area on its southern tip — with no road visible around the perimeter.
The White House referred NPR to the Department of the Interior, which did not respond to NPR's questions about whether those features would be removed as part of the redesign. The proposed renovations have so far been the subject of mixed messages from the administration: Trump said last weekend that work would begin in mid-November, then "immediately." But government lawyers said in court Monday that they were not aware of a final plan.
Even so, the government abruptly downed hundreds of trees on the course with little warning earlier this month, which critics worry was a pretext for beginning renovations. (The government says it was following up on recommendations from a 2019 landscaping report.) Judge Ana Reyes held a hearing on Monday to learn more about the tree-clearing and decide whether to block further work on the golf course.
But it's not just the golf course that's at stake, as a group called Hains Point Runners told Reyes in the courtroom and a written brief. In its 35-page brief, the group says federal law requires the National Park Service to identify and consider the "longstanding recreational uses of the Hains Point corridor" and ways to avoid harming those uses, before embarking on any work that would change it.
"From the perspective of the running community, that did not occur here," lawyers wrote.
Ashley Hawkins of Prince George's County, Md., runs at Hains Point every day, even in the snow. She especially loves the river view and people watching: the families with fishing poles, binocular-wielding birders, people taking a leisurely drive.
"Running is so tied to my mental health," Hawkins said on a recent sunny morning, stretching before she hit the road. "And no place in this area has given me the peace that Hains Point has."
Hawkins has been following the headlines about her beloved running route. While she says she's still in denial about its potential closure, she sees the prospect as part of a pattern of Trump "bypassing" courts to advance his construction projects.
"But to me, this feels the most egregious, because he's taking away public space and trying to make it private," she says. "It feels like one of the more king-like things that he's done so far."
Trump's proposal would combine the park's three historic — and historically affordable — courses into one 18-hole "championship-style" course, which has already raised concerns about who will be able to play on it. Trump has said on Truth Social the golf course will "be open to the Public" while also able to host "world class tournaments" such as the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. He's called the current course "dilapidated, and of no further use or effect," dubbing part of it "Trash Island."
What's at stake
Each spring, when D.C.'s iconic cherry blossoms bloom, Hains Point is a fan-favorite viewing spot for both locals and tourists. The annual Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-mile run takes roughly 20,000 participants around the peninsula for that very reason.
But race organizers are looking into backup options for next year given the rumored renovations, event director Rob Wolfe told NPR.
In an email to prospective runners earlier this year, the organization said both the proposed golf course renovations and Trump's planned arch on nearby Arlington Memorial Bridge could significantly alter the course. It urged people to share their concerns with lawmakers and the National Park Service.
Wolfe said the best race experience includes as many cherry blossoms as possible — ideally the ones that frame the park. But, he says, the park's future is "more important than our Sunday in April or Marine Corps Marathon's Sunday in October."
"It's really important that people understand that if this roadway goes away, hundreds, thousands of people on a daily basis would lose out," he said.
Luke Cancilla, a runner and physical therapist who works primarily with endurance runners and cyclists, said Hains Point is a particularly safe environment because there are fewer obstacles such as traffic, stoplights and sidewalks. He often recommends it for people who are starting out or returning after an injury.
"It's open to all of us, which makes it so unique," he said. "You don't have to have an experience level … or be intimated to go out there."
Summer Delehanty, an avid birder, found out about Hains Point when she moved to the area for work about a year ago. She said it's played a huge role in building her D.C. community.
"I've only been here a year, but I still have so many fond memories of going there," she said. "I was there January 1st looking for the snowy owl … I've been there on super hot days, I've picnicked there."
Delehanty has spotted all kinds of birds at that park, including rarities such as the fork-tailed flycatcher. She said Hains Point is a uniquely great birdwatching spot in the district because of its position right along the Potomac River: People have a 360-degree view of the migrating birds that fly overhead or take shelter in the trees.
"There's nothing else in D.C. like it," she said, adding that she's not sure where regular birders would go instead. They could perhaps get similar views from the Virginia side of the river, she said, but those wouldn't count as D.C. bird sightings.
The Trump administration cut down 430 of the park's trees earlier this month, with less than a day's notice. That means fewer places for tired birds to rest, Delehanty says, and potentially fewer birds stopping by altogether. And, if the park is closed to humans, there won't be anyone there to track the species that do, which she said is important for conservation purposes.
María-Elena Montero, president of the D.C. Bird Alliance, says the potential closure of Hains Point would mean a "devastating loss of habitat" for birds and humans alike.
"It belongs to the people," she said. "And to lose that aspect of being able to experience such a gorgeous space right in the middle of the city, right in the shadow of an airport and monuments … is a big loss for everybody."
How people are mobilizing
Last October, the Trump administration started dumping debris from another controversial construction project — the demolition of the White House East Wing — on the grounds of the golf course. In February, the D.C. Preservation League and two local golfers sued the government in an effort to stop what they describe as an unlawful takeover of a public course.
Fear and confusion grew this summer, when Trump was photographed touring East Potomac with a group including golf course architect Tom Fazio and staffers holding rolled-up renderings. Trump later announced that Fazio would design a new championship-level course, with work set to begin on September 1.
When Delehanty saw that news, she realized "this involves me directly," she said. She decided to put her design skills and sizable social media following to use, designing "Hands off Hains" T-shirts to raise awareness and money for the D.C. Preservation League. She says she's sold around 200 so far, raising about $1,500.
"In the grand scheme of things, against an administration, is that going to do anything in court? Not really," she said. "But for me, it's about [the fact] these are 200 people that care so deeply about this they're willing to … wear a shirt, show up to these events and say 'This is not something I'm happy about.'"
The push to protect the park is grassroots – and growing.
There's Save East Po, a nonprofit started by a resident named Alex Rosen who works as a consultant and described himself to NPR as "just a guy who really likes a park and doesn't want to see its fundamental characters change significantly, especially without any public input."
The D.C. Bird Alliance is leading a series of daily "Hold the Point!" bird walks next week. And the Washington Area Bicyclists Association has held several installments of a combined bike-ride rally called "Hains Point Hoopla."
The most recent Hoopla, held earlier this month, featured speakers including David Hearn, the former Olympian falsely accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool — and an avid cyclist.
Critics see a throughline in Trump's D.C. construction projects.
"It goes to this overall theme of potentially taking away from the local communities, making things a little bit more challenging and having us modify things in order for something that no one really asked for in the first place," said Cancilla, the running coach.
He's one of many who would like to see more input from the community about the changes to East Potomac. Critics of Trump's plan say there are steps the government can take to improve the park — such as adding benches and fixing the crumbling seawall — without risking access to public resources.
Amidst the court battle and confusion, locals are at least heartened to see their beloved park getting more national attention. At a time when its future feels out of their hands, they're encouraging people to speak up and show up.
That's no problem for Hawkins, who says she plans to keep running at Hains Point every day "until they physically tell me that I can't come anymore." Where would she go then?
"I'm not ready to answer that question," she said. "I feel really tied to this place."
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