Wharf
The Wharf · pier promenade
The main waterfront destination after you come up. Piers, shops, and paving are part of the district. Weather and crowds still matter.
Best for The Wharf and time on the piers
Waterfront
Planned for wheelchair riders
Green Line under Southwest DC. Two elevators connect the platform and the street. Then it’s a short trip outside to The Wharf’s piers, parks, and waterfront paths.
Written for riders who need working elevators for a day at The Wharf.
- Green
Station F04
- Elevators
- 2 · street to platform
- Escalators
- 5 · Not a substitute for elevators
- After the elevator
- Sidewalk to The Wharf
Why this stop exists
Waterfront · toward The Wharf
An accessible Green Line station. Until you reach The Wharf’s paving, the elevator is what matters.
Disability & mobility
Elevators first. Wharf second.
Waterfront is marked wheelchair-accessible, with two elevators. The Wharf is a short trip outside. Whether you can start that trip from the Green Line depends on the elevators.
Park
Waterfront parks · Southwest paths
Same station, a trip outside along the park edge. Paths and slopes are city park ground. This is not a backup if the elevators fail.
Best for park paths
At this stop, “accessible” only holds when the elevators are working. Not every pier path is flat.
If the Waterfront elevators are out, check our live map before you ride the Green Line past L'Enfant Plaza or Navy Yard. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) elevator-outage shuttle: 202-962-1825 · TTY 202-638-3780.
On the ground
What the trip actually feels like
Three steps: the elevator, M Street, the pier.
01
Check the elevators before you board
Two elevators connect the platform and the street. The only other way down is stairs.
02
Come up toward The Wharf
At street level you’re on Southwest sidewalks. It’s a short trip if the elevators brought you here.
03
Then the piers
District paving, crowds, and waterfront weather are not part of the Metro system.
Why this stop feels like this
Named for the water. Served by the Green Line.
- 1991Green Line arrives
- WharfSouthwest waterfront rebuilt
- Access2 elevators
- TodayNo elevator, no pier
Waterfront exists for pier trips. Whether you can make one depends on the elevators.
The stop exists so Green Line riders can reach The Wharf with a short trip from an accessible station, instead of a long route from L'Enfant Plaza.
Before you board, decide where you’re heading (the pier promenade or a park path). If an elevator is out, change plans; don’t treat it as a small delay.
On the street
Where you'll come out
Waterfront station
M Street SW · The Wharf approach
Washington, District of Columbia
Waterfront elevators · to The Wharf
Green
Nearby when the elevators work: The Wharf, piers, Southwest parks. When they don’t: L'Enfant Plaza or Navy Yard mean a different route outside.
Open Waterfront on the live mapLive elevator status at WaterfrontAfter the elevator
Travel time from this station
Sorted shortest first. Times are hand-set for a chair or stroller pace after you clear the elevators — not live routing.
At the venue
What each place offers
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.
The Wharf
- Every building and outdoor area has ramps and elevators. Smooth paver walkways run beside the cobblestone paths.
- Wheelchair-accessible public restrooms at the Jetty Terminal Building on Transit Pier, and on Water Street SW below 800 Maine Avenue, behind CVS.
Source: The Wharf
Last look
Before you go
Four things to check before you go.
Check the map
Two elevators matter here. An outage ends the Metro part of the trip before you reach The Wharf.
Pick where you’re going
The pier promenade or a park path. Decide before you leave the platform.
Compare backups early
L'Enfant Plaza and Navy Yard change the time outside a lot. Check before you ride past.
Check the venues’ pages
Venue and pier access pages are separate from the Metro elevator status 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.