Columbia Island is located in the Potomac River

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...

 in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, and is part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway

George Washington Memorial Parkway

The George Washington Memorial Parkway, known to local motorists simply as the "G.W. Parkway", is a parkway maintained by the U.S. National Park Service. It is located mostly in Northern Virginia, although a short section northwest of the Arlington Memorial Bridge passes over Columbia Island,...

. Boundary Channel

Boundary Channel

Boundary Channel is a channel off the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The channel extends southward from the Potomac between Columbia Island to the east and the Virginia shore to the west and ends at the Pentagon Lagoon. Boundary Channel is shallow and is crossed by several fixed...

 separates the island from the Virginia shoreline to the southwest. In 1968, the island was renamed Lady Bird Johnson Park in honor of Johnson

Lady Bird Johnson

Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 during the presidency of her husband Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her life, she was an advocate for beautification of the nation's cities and highways and conservation of natural resources and made that...

 and her First Lady's Committee for a More Beautiful Capital planting of hundreds of dogwood trees and thousands of flowers on the island in 1965.

Columbia Island is accessible from downtown Washington via the Arlington Memorial Bridge

Arlington Memorial Bridge

The Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C. crosses the Potomac River, connecting the Lincoln Memorial and Columbia Island. The northeastern end of the bridge marks the western edge of the National Mall...

, from Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...

 via Memorial Drive, and from Northern Virginia

Northern Virginia

Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...

 via the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The island is home to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac

Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac

Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac is located on Columbia Island in Washington, D.C. The memorial honors the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson....

, the Navy – Merchant Marine Memorial, and the Columbia Island Marina. The Mount Vernon Trail

Mount Vernon Trail

The Mount Vernon Trail is a popular running and bike path in Northern Virginia that follows the west bank of the Potomac River from near Theodore Roosevelt Island to Mount Vernon. The northern, urban half is open and has views of Washington, D.C. across the river. The southern below Alexandria is...

 runs along the side of the island facing the rest of the District, leading to Theodore Roosevelt Island

Theodore Roosevelt Island

Theodore Roosevelt Island is a island and a national memorial located in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The island was given to the American people by the Theodore Roosevelt Association in memory of the 26th U.S. president, Theodore Roosevelt....

 in one direction and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located south of downtown Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia. It is the commercial airport nearest to Washington, D.C. For many decades, it was called Washington National Airport, but this airport was renamed in 1998 to...

 on the other. The Pentagon

The Pentagon

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...

is visible from the western side of the island near the marina at the southern tip.