Photo by Jason Vines

The D.C. government has been hard at work clearing us out, but they are hardly the only ones. The National Park Service, which is responsible for large swaths of District land, is also in the midst of a massive effort.

“Crews are working to clear and treat nearly 300 miles of roads, 155 bridges, and to shovel more than 100 miles of sidewalks,” says NPS spokeswoman Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles. The National Park Service for the National Capital Region is responsible for the maintenance of 700 parks—both in the District proper and in the suburbs—that range from small neighborhood parks in Anacostia to the huge national forest in Prince William. Then, of course, there’s the National Mall and monuments.

The steps to the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, along with all National Park facilities (including restrooms), are closed.

And although the rest of Mall is accessible to residents eager to pull a Tian Tian in the snow around the Washington Monument, Anzelmo-Sarles warns about safety risks.

“Conditions are changing,” she points out. “Sidewalks that are cleared are likely to have ice on them. In fact, they will have ice on them. We want people to enjoy their national parks as we recover from the storm. But be cautious as crews are continuing to shovel and remove snow, and as ice persists on walkways.”

As of now, they haven’t discovered any damage to the historic structures, and they are working to keep it that way.

“There are some challenges when we are caring for roads and bridges and sidewalks in national parks, particularly memorial plazas,” says Anzelmo-Sarles. “There are certain differences in the types of equipment and treatment to ensure that we are protecting these places and preserving them.”

The National Park Service is also responsible for maintaining many of the District’s major roads, including the GW Memorial Parkway, Rock Creek Parkway, and Suitland Parkway, which are “all in pretty good shape,” according to Anzelmo-Sarles. But the following are still closed:

George Washington Memorial Parkway: Northbound from Route 123 to I-495 will be closed from 8 p.m. Monday night until 4 a.m. Tuesday morning.

West Potomac Park & Ohio Drive- Remains closed today to facilitate snow removal operations. If you decided to visit the National Mall today, please don’t drive and remember that all National Park facilities (visitor centers, restrooms, etc) are closed, and all services are suspended.

Beach Drive: Is closed between Broad Branch and the Maryland state line.

NPS plans to announce tomorrow’s operating schedule later this evening.