Two hundred years ago, George Washington described Mount Vernon by saying, "No estate in the United America is more pleasantly situated than this." Today, the breathtaking view of the Maryland fields and hillsides across the Potomac River look much as they did in Washington's time. The view from Mount Vernon will continue to be protected thanks to the Accokeek Foundation's efforts to develop a public-private partnership to create Piscataway Park. Piscataway Park, part of the National Park Service, was established in 1961 as a pilot project in the use of easements to protect parklands from obtrusive urban expansion. Today, Piscataway Park covers approximately 5,000 acres and stretches for six miles from Piscataway Creek to Marshall Hall on the Potomac River.

A place of great natural beauty, Piscataway Park is home to bald eagles, beaver, deer, fox, osprey, and many other species. To complement the surroundings, the park has, in addition to a public fishing pier and two boardwalks over fresh water tidal wetlands, a variety of nature trails, meadows, and woodland areas, each with unique features.