WASHINGTON — Peak bloom of the cherry blossoms — the surest sign of spring in D.C. — is underway at the Tidal Basin, but the typically four-to seven-day event that draws hundreds of thousands of people could be compacted by the rough weather expected on Saturday.
“It’s not going to get any better than it is right now,” says Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the National Park Service.
“Depending on the temperature and the weather, if it cooperates we can prolong this a little bit. But, it’s not going to get any better than this. We do have some potential threats coming in over the weekend, so if you can get out on Friday before some of that wind comes in that’s your best bet.”
It’s advice lots of people are expected to take.
“Expect crowds,” says Litterst.
“The later in the day you get the more people you’re going to have with you going around looking at the trees. Early morning is the thing, that’ll help you avoid the crowds.”
Arriving for sunrise also offers other advantages, too.
“As hard as it is to get up in the morning, to come down if you’ve got the opportunity to get down there for sunrise during peak bloom, that’s just a really, really magical time to be there. And there are hundreds of people down there with cameras ready to go to capture that.”
With traffic along Ohio Drive going one way during the cherry blossom festival, and parking sure to be at a premium as the day goes on, walking from any of the nearby Metro stations or taking the Circulator Bus to the Tidal Basin is the recommended way to visit.
“Just a lot easier to do it that way than to try to drive,” says Litterst. “You’re going to be able to walk faster than you’ll be able to drive at certain points of the day.”
