Two sides of the Great Falls
After my little excursion at Zion, I’ve been motivated to continue hiking and headed out for a Saturday walk near the Great Falls of the Potomac River. I started at the C&O Canal National Historical Park on the Maryland side of the river at Great Falls, then moved over to the Virginia side.
Maryland
The plan: to walk out to the Fall Overlook, then hike one of the more popular and strenuous (for the area) trails… the Billy Goat Trail, Section A, and finish with a leisurely stroll along the canal towpath back. Mission complete, and then some.
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal
Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center
Lock 17
Widewater
The canal, one of the first fully man-made waterways, connects the Ohio River Valley and Georgetown, in an attempt to make transportation along the Potomac easier. From my understanding, it wasn’t used for long, as it was made obsolete by railroads. Still, the towpath is now a great place to walk, run, bike or what have you.
Great Falls of the Potomac
A river passage between the Olmsted Islands
Great Blue Heron
Great Falls
Potomac’s Mather Gorge
Mather Gorge
Potomac River
Billy Goat Trail A
Bear Island
Trail’s ‘steep’ climb
I wouldn’t have ranked the trail as extremely difficult, but it’s not for everyone. There’s one steep climb and a very tricky, rocky section. At one point, the trail takes you across a narrow rim of rocks, where you have to hop between them. If you’re ankles are relatively weak, I would imagine you’d have some problems. I didn’t see a flatter option either. Again, I didn’t think twice walking through the area, but I would imagine some might.
This morning’s Flickr set: MD pics
Virginia
This side I just played by ear. I started with a short walk along the River Trail, then hit up the Falls overlooks.
North River Trail
Washington Aqueduct
I started with a short loops along the north tail of the park’s river trail. I walked about a mile up, until I reached the Riverbend Park, then turned around. It was pretty flat, and made a nice shade stroll along the Potomac.
Great Falls of the Potomac
Overlook #1
Overlook #2
Overlook #3
The falls are actually rather impressive. The river drops about 80 feet in under a mile, and then gets pushed into the narrow Mather Gorge just below.
This afternoon’s Flickr set: VA photos
Yeah, so anyway, that was my day at Great Falls. I’d say its a good one. The admission price includes both sides of the park for three days, so I’d say I got my money’s worth.
Across the river
Great Falls of the Potomac
Unlike the Maryland side, the Virginia side of Great Falls has three outlooks over the falls. The view is relatively the same at each; the spots are just located a little further downstream. So, other than distance, not much changes.
Falls Overlook #1
Falls Overlook #2
Falls Overlook #3
Patowmack Canal
Similar to the Maryland side, the Virginia side also holds the remains of a canal. The Potowmack Canal isn’t as well preserved as the C&O, but that might be expected.
The canal, which used the river with a few exceptions at rough spots, such as the falls, was never completed or used. The project was abandoned after the C&O Canal Company bought rights to it and constructed its own canal on the opposite side of the river. The shallow remains of the Great Falls bypass winding along the river are lined with scattered portions of stone walls and locks. It was an interesting bit of history. I had certainly not heard of the canal prior to arriving.
The Virginia side of the park is also filled with hiking trails. There’s a large picnic area with grills and tables. A nice little spot for a family outing. I didn’t walk through much of the area today, though. I only had time for a quick look, but I was still impressed. Both are well maintained and beautiful. It’s definitely worth seeing both sides if you have the time. I certainly plan to come back.
Today’s Flickr set: waterfalls photos
A fall hike along the Potomac
I’ve passed signs for Great Falls many times over the years as I’ve driven around the Capital Beltway, as well as, have noticed the spot on the National Park Service website. Meaning, it’s been in the back of my mind as a potential weekend destination for a while, so today I took the opportunity to check it out.
There’s a $5.00/car entrance fee, but since it’s Veterans’ day, the fee was waived. What luck. The fee covers both sides of the park (Maryland and Virginia) for three consecutive days.
C&O Canal
Great Falls Tavern, near Lock 20
Lock 20
Canal Boat, at Lock 19
Great Blue Heron
Lock 18
Canal & towpath
The Maryland side of the Great Falls of the Potomac is part of the C&O Canal National Park. The 183 1/3 mile canal and towpath, stretching from Georgetown in Washington, DC to Cumberland, MD, run along the river and provide endless opportunities for activities. The towpath is perfect for short walks, long hikes, equestrian trail rides and bike rides. Bring the family, go it alone. It doesn’t really matter, it works. Oh yeah, add the educational/historical piece to it. The canal was supposed to reach Pittsburgh, PA, I think, but it was never completed. Construction was stopped in Cumberland after railroads were laid to cover the route, making the canal an obsolete form of transportation.
The Great Falls portion of the part consists of several locks and a canal boat, which is operational (somewhat). The tavern is under construction at the moment, but it will be the Visitor Center soon.
Secretly, I want to bike the entire C&O Canal towpath. It’s not really a possibility for me right now, but one day I hope to do it. There’s a lot I’d have to work through to get it done, but, again, at some point I’ll figure it out. I think it would be a neat experience and great accomplishment. I’d have to get a good bike first though and get used to riding it. Oh, and learn how to make minor repairs on it. I’d have to collect the camping gear required. Then, of course, there’s the getting in shape for such an activity part of it. Oh well, for now it’s just on my ‘things-to-do-before-I-die’ list.
Great Falls of the Potomac
Potomac River Passage
Great Falls
The falls didn’t seem that impressive today. The water seems to be low. I’ll come back, I’m sure it’s just the day. There’s a park on the other side of the river in Virginia that also has lookouts. Who knows, maybe I’ll make it over there some time soon.
Potomac River
Views from along the River Trail
There are a lot of trails running through the park, of various difficulty levels. Today I didn’t feel like exerting myself too much, so I choose an easy hike. The river trail weaved along the river shore for about a mile, then I looped back on the canal towpath. It was a nice walk. The trail was somewhat over grown, but not too bad. It didn’t seem like it was one of the more popular walks, but I’d recommend it. The river was so peaceful in that direction (above the falls). It was beautiful.
This will definitely be a spot I’ll come back to. I’d like to hike around, maybe explore all of the trails eventually. I wouldn’t mind seeing the place right after (or during) a snow fall.
I also attempted to mess with my camera settings on this trip. I wanted to play around with the running water. Some turned out okay, but I wouldn’t consider it a successful experiment. Oh well.
Today’s Flickr set: hiking pics
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