Wreaths Across America 2022
On Saturday, December 17, members of the general public can take part in this year’s National Wreaths Across America Day, beginning at 8 a.m. Arlington National Cemetery will be one of more than 3,000 participating locations nationwide. Volunteers may place wreaths at the base of a veteran’s headstone or columbarium niche in order to honor their legacy and remember their sacrifice.
WAA will use a ticketing system for this year’s event. Registration is required: https://learn.wreathsacrossamerica.org/arlingtonvolunteer. Arrival times are 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Getting Here: Cemetery Access Points
• We encourage volunteers to use all four of our entrances to access Arlington National Cemetery on December 17. The main Memorial Avenue entrance, Ord & Weitzel Gate, Service Complex Gate and Old Post Chapel Gates will all open to the public at 8 a.m. Old Post Chapel Gate is accessible to Department of Defense ID cardholders only.
• ANC's main entrance is located at the end of Memorial Avenue, just west of Arlington Memorial Bridge and Potomac Park. It is a 5-minute walk from the Arlington Cemetery Metro stop.
• Ord & Weitzel Gate is located on the north side of the cemetery near the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima). It is a 15-minute walk from the Rosslyn Metro stop; walk south on N. Meade St., across Arlington Blvd., and through the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial Park.
Metro
• We encourage volunteers to use Metro transportation. To avoid congestion at the Arlington National Cemetery stop, we recommend exiting via the Rosslyn or Pentagon stations and walking to the cemetery. From these locations, it is a short 15-minute walk to one of the cemetery entrances.
• The best option is to take the Metro stop closest to the gate for which you registered: Pentagon Metro for Service Complex Gate, Arlington Cemetery Metro for the main entrance, and Rosslyn Metro for Ord & Weitzel Gate.
• If exiting at Rosslyn, you must enter the cemetery via the Ord & Weitzel Gate by walking along the North Meade Street sidewalks. If exiting at the Pentagon, you must enter through the cemetery’s Service Complex Gate entrance by walking along North Rotary Road.
• Metro will have shuttles running from the Rosslyn station to the Marine Corps Memorial, and from the Pentagon station to the Service Complex Gate.
• Volunteers traveling to the event by Metro are encouraged to purchase fare ahead of time. The best option, to avoid lines, is SmarTrip mobile pay.
• Please refer to WMATA for metro service information and route planning.
Driving and Parking
• To ensure a safe and secure environment for our visitors and employees, there will be NO vehicular traffic permitted inside the cemetery for the duration of the event on December 17.
• Limited general public parking will be available at the Pentagon North and South parking lots, as well as the Hayes parking lot in Pentagon City (1100 Hayes Street). Wreaths Across America volunteers and signage will be positioned in the parking lots guiding visitors to walk to the nearest cemetery entrances.
• WAA will provide bus transportation from Pentagon North to drop-off locations east of the Service Complex Gate.
• For those parking in the Pentagon South lot, we recommend walking to the cemetery’s Service Complex entrance for screening and entry to the grounds. For those parking in the Pentagon North lot, we recommend walking to the cemetery’s main entrance on Memorial Avenue by using the Route 27 pedestrian walkway.
Ride Share
• For those volunteers who plan to arrive via a ride share (i.e., Uber, Lyft), the drop-off location is 880 Army-Navy Drive. From this point, volunteers will need to walk to the cemetery’s Service Complex Gate entrance.
ADA Accessibility
• The ANC Welcome Center parking garage will be available for handicapped volunteers only from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. After 7 a.m., drivers will be directed to other parking options. No more vehicles will be allowed to park in the parking garage.
• Those with handicapped plates/placards will need to go to the Pentagon North parking lot, where their pass will be verified. They will then be directed to the ANC Welcome Center parking garage .
• If the ANC parking garage is full, ADA-accessible volunteers should park in either the Pentagon North parking Lot or the Pentagon South parking lot. There will be WAA shuttles from Pentagon North Parking Lot to the Service Complex Gate entrance area. If you choose to follow this option, please register for the volunteer entry at the Service Complex.
DoD ID Cardholders
• Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall will be accessible to DoD ID cardholders only. However, parking will be limited to the Tri Services parking lot located across from the Spates Community Center and Henderson Hall. Due to ongoing construction, the sole entry point to the cemetery from Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall will be the Old Post Chapel Gate.
• This year, all other entrances to the cemetery (Memorial Avenue, Ord & Weitzel Gate and Service Complex Gate) will have designated DoD ID cardholder lanes for security screening.
Please check back to this page for future updates, and follow our social media @ArlingtonNatl.