Pointless Prize – #parks

[arlcxrider]

I’m sponsoring a #parks prize this year.

The rules are pretty simple. Ride a bike to a park, post the ride to Strava with #parks in the title. Each park is one point. No daily limit, but you’ll have to break your ride into multiple Strava rides with #parks in the title to tabulate correctly. Must be a unique park to qualify in the scoring–no repeats.

So what’s a “park”? (Subject of much spirited discussion in past years.) Fortunately, the ham radio community has got this covered. For this pointless prize only parks listed in Parks on the Air (http://www.parksontheair.com) will qualify.

Here’s the list of parks. https://pota.app/#/parklist There are 32 in DC proper, 186 in Maryland, and 244 in Virginia–more than enough to fill out your FS dance card. POTA properties are federal parks and state parks. City, county, local parks authority properties, etc., do not qualify.

There is also a map version. https://pota.app/#/map

Each park has a unique identifier.  Highly recommended, but not required, is to put the park identifier in the ride description. The Washington Monument is US-0794 for example.

POTA is a global phenomenon, so you can participate from anywhere.

Happy hunting! And if you should happen to see a ham radio operator “activating” any of these locations, say “hi!”

73, KI4PW (Paul)

[jlamb]

The Fairfax County Park Authority is highly offended by POTA’s exclusionary definition of parks 🤣

[Kbikeva]

I don’t really understand the search function on that link. I’m trying to look for eligible parks in the area I’m traveling to during BAFS, and it won’t search by US-TX. For that matter, it won’t give me a list of US-VA either. What am I missing here?

Kbikeva

[arlcxrider]

I don’t think you can use the search bar to search by location on the “parklist” page. On the left hand side you can expand the US listing to see each state (and DC.) Or use the map function.

[Kbikeva]

I did expand the listing. For the US it’s 11863 Parks listed. So I looked at the map, which is definitely easier to home in on a target area but there aren’t that many of those 244 spots in Virginia near the immediately bikeable DC area. Still, it’s an interesting idea. I hope those who live near the cluster of yellow in DC will have fun with this!

[arlcxrider]

If you ride out to Mason Neck, you can bag four right there. “Parks” include Wildlife Refuges and so forth. Similarly, a trip to Fort Washington there are three (Harmony Hall, Ft. Washington, and Piscataway.)

[Fiona Grant]

Thx for sponsoring! Clarification on the unique parks rule – can you go to the same one on a different day, or each park only once this season?

[Serdar]

Hi Fiona,

According to the rules, “Must be a unique park to qualify in the scoring–no repeats.”

Happy New Year!

Serdar

[sszibler]

It’s still a tad confusing for my first try. US-0657 President’s Park (White House) might be multiple locations.

The yellow dot is at the Visitor’s Pavilion on the Elipse, but the map labels it as behind the White House, like the rose garden.

Since it sounds like the game is very strict with this list I’m just wondering how much leeway we have. I don’t understand why the yellow dot on a visitor’s center is different than the actual, labeled park. Will it all count if it’s the White House?

[Serdar]

Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac National Memorial
US-0784

[Fiona Grant]

US-0656, good old Rock Creek Park, home to Poggio. Where would we be without it? The Nature Center.

[Indiana]

1/1/25 Washington Monument National Memorial

US-0794

[consularrider]

No Indiana/US parks on the list close enough to ride to from Bloomington, IN in freezing weather.  Guess I’ll have to forgo this for a couple weeks.  🙁

[arlcxrider]

The map shows a big cluster of eligible parks around Lake Monroe, Ind.

[sszibler]

1/1/2025 President’s Park (White House) US-0657

At the Visitor’s Pavilion

[Author]

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