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)

Topic

[arlcxrider]

Just do your best. The yellow dots on the POTA map can be a little non-specific, and some of them are non-bikeable (TR Memorial). President’s Park covers all of Lafayette Square and the Ellipse area.

[arlcxrider]

Scoring is all via Strava, and there’s no limit on daily points. If you hit multiple parks, stop and save your ride. Then include the hashtag #parks on each ride posted to Strava.

[sszibler]

&

[sszibler]

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1/03/2025 “CHEAP”

From a “cheap date” post, the Butterfly Pavilion at the National Museum of America History on the National Mall – Free-flying butterflies! 🦋

[sszibler]

1/6/2024 US-0848 Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site

1318 Vermont Ave. NW

[Heidi Rausch]

hello! regarding no repeats – you can repeat parks others have done correct? just not ones you already have been to?

[arlcxrider]

Must be unique to you.

[sszibler]

US-4567 Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail @Francis Scott Key Park

[Serdar]

Hi @arlcxrider. I have a question about parks. Today, I was at the parking lot near Great Falls on Maryland side. And the yellow dot on the map for this park is on Virginia side. In this case, can I hashtag my ride or not? No offense if I can’t.

[sszibler]

1/12/25 – Parks US-7499 Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial. South of Air and Space Museum, BT 4th & 6th SW and Independence & C St

[arlcxrider]

@serdar Anywhere on the park property is fine. Some of these dots are very arbitrary.

[Serdar]

Great Falls Park, US-7804

A sign at the top of the hill on McArthur Blvd in Potomac, Maryland

 

[arlcxrider]

I think–technically–Great Falls on the Maryland side is a sub-unit of the C&O Canal NHP, but I could be mistaken. The opportunities for pedantry are limitless when it comes to Pointless Prizes.  😐

[sszibler]

1/17/25 Thomas Jefferson National Memorial US-0792

[sszibler]

1/18/25 Folger Park
Definitely a National Park, but not activated by the Hams. Get to work people!
Probably doesn’t count. No signs except National Park sign.

BT 2nd & 3rd & D sts SE

[Author]

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