Planned for wheelchair riders
The stop for the museums on Constitution Avenue. The National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture both recommend it if you are not using the Mall exit at Smithsonian station.
Written for riders heading to the step-free museum entrances on Constitution Avenue.
Station D01
Why museum visitors use this stop
12th Street between Constitution & Pennsylvania
Short trips outside to the Constitution Avenue entrances. This is a different route from the Mall exit at Smithsonian station.
Disability & mobility
The National Museum of Natural History points Constitution Avenue visitors here. The National Museum of African American History and Culture lists Federal Triangle along with the Mall exit at Smithsonian station. Follow their advice, and check the elevators before you ride the Blue, Orange, or Silver Line.
West
Both museum entrances are step-free; the Madison Drive entrance has the vehicle drop-off. From Federal Triangle you arrive on the Constitution Avenue side, without crossing the Mall lawn first.
Accessibility page for National Museum of African American History and Culture
Best for NMAAHC from Constitution Avenue
East
The museum’s own accessibility page calls Federal Triangle the closest Metro station to its Constitution Avenue entrance. The Mall exit at Smithsonian station means a different route outside.
Accessibility page for National Museum of Natural History
Best for the Natural History entrance on Constitution Avenue
When a museum names the Metro station it prefers, that is its accessibility advice. A station that is just “nearby” is not the same thing.
If the Federal Triangle elevators are out, the Mall exit at Smithsonian station or Archives station (Green and Yellow Lines) may still get you to your building. Compare the trip outside before you switch. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) elevator-outage shuttle: 202-962-1825 · TTY 202-638-3780.
On the ground
Three steps along Constitution Avenue: the street, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of American History.
01
You are already on the north side of the National Mall. The trip outside is sidewalk and curb cuts. Weather and crowds still matter, but you skip the long lawn crossing from Jefferson Drive.
02
Borrow a wheelchair near the Madison Drive entrance if you need one. The museum’s gallery route for visitors who tire easily matters as much as the Metro elevator that got you here.
03
It’s on the same stretch of Constitution Avenue and Madison Drive. The building is wide, so decide which street entrance you need before you leave Federal Triangle.
Why this stop feels different
Federal Triangle is not the scenic stop on the Mall. It is the practical choice museums suggest when the Mall exit is on the wrong side for your visit.
The Mall exit at Smithsonian station is the one on postcards. Federal Triangle serves the accessible entrances on the north side, the ones named in visitor advice from the National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
So don’t assume “Smithsonian” is the only Metro stop for the museums. Pick the station that matches the entrance the museum wants you to use.
On the street
Federal Triangle station
12th St NW between Constitution & Pennsylvania
Washington, District of Columbia
12th Street NW · Constitution Avenue museum row
Blue · Orange · Silver
Nearby: National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Museum of Natural History, National Museum of American History. When elevators are out: the Mall exit at Smithsonian station or Archives may still work. Compare the minutes outside, not just the line colors.
Open Federal Triangle on the live mapLive elevator status at Federal TriangleAfter the elevator
Sorted shortest first. Times are hand-set for a chair or stroller pace on the Constitution Avenue sidewalks — not live routing.
At the venue
We copied these by hand from each venue’s own pages. They may be out of date or wrong, so confirm on the venue’s page before you go.
Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture
Accessibility page for National Museum of African American History and Culture
Last look
Four things to check before you go.
Check which of the three elevators are working before you count on Federal Triangle for Constitution Avenue.
For the National Museum of African American History and Culture, choose Madison Drive or Constitution Avenue. For the National Museum of Natural History, use Constitution Avenue. Decide before you leave Federal Triangle.
It’s not a worse station, just a different route outside. Use it when you want to come across the Mall lawn.
Elevators inside, loaner wheelchairs, and routes for visitors who tire easily are on each museum’s page. Metro elevator status is on our map.
About this guide. We put these guides together by hand. Travel times are our own estimates, and venue details are copied from their websites, so either can be wrong or out of date. Check the venue’s page before you go. For elevators, trust the live map and the transit agency.