Good places to see the Oak - Beech / Heath Forest include

1) along the Theodore Roosevelt Trail just north of Blagden Avenue. Here, above Rock Creek, the trail cuts across a beautiful stand on a steep northwest-facing slope underlain by Laurel Formation and mylonite.

2) above Broad Branch, occupying broad swaths of the steep west-facing slopes through which the White Horse Trail passes, north of Picnic Area 28.

3) an atypical stand on the southernmost part of the Western Ridge Trail on the steep north-facing bluff that overlooks Rock Creek near Klingle Mansion, which also features mylonite. (This Lower Western Ridge Trail portion is rated Difficult and may be dangerous, however.) Non-native trees such as hemlock grow here also, remnants of a historic nursery.

Map tip: To locate these places along trails, go to the interactive map of Rock Creek Park and search for "good places," or search for places names like "blagden ave," "picnic 28" or "lower western ridge trail."