Great Falls: Virginia vs Maryland

Did you know there is a spectacular set of falls a short 30-minute drive from Washington, D.C.? 

Great Falls is a string of rapids and waterfalls on the Potomac River about 14 miles from Washington, D.C. Here the Potomac River flows over a series of 20’ falls, falling a total of 76’ in elevation over less than 1 mile. As the river approaches Great Falls and Mather Gorge it narrows significantly. Heavy rain and snow upstream can cause white water floods which have the ability to completely drown the river rocks and threaten buildings on each river bank. You can get wonderful views of Great Falls from overlooks and trails at Great Falls Park in Virginia or Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Park in Maryland. Both sides have unique features and similarities. 

Great Falls Park Virginia

Great Falls Park in McLean, Virginia is part of the National Park Service. Only the river bank and the land belong to the state of Virginia. The park is open every day, except on Christmas day. It opens daily at 7:00 am and closes at dark. There is a $15 entrance fee for vehicles that enter the park. National Park Passes and Every Kid in a Park Passes are accepted. This park has 3 large parking lots that do fill up on weekends.

Visitor Center

The Great Falls Visitor Center is open daily from 10: 00 am to 4:00 pm. There is a short 10-minute video on the history of the park. The video is shown throughout the day. At the visitor center desk, you will find helpful park rangers that can provide trail maps and answer questions. You can also get your National Park Passport stamps here. The center also has a small exhibit area telling the story of the Patowmack Canal and other park features. 

On the lower level of the visitor center, there are restrooms and a concession stand that is open seasonally. 

Great Falls Overlooks

This side of Great Falls has 3 overlooks a short walk from the visitor center. The first overlook requires a bit of rock scrambling. It is not stroller or wheelchair-friendly. The other 2 overlooks are much easier to access. The views are spectacular! 

Near the third overlook, you can view a pillar marking the high watermarks. The most recent being 1996. It is so hard to imagine the park being flooded by that much water. 

Trails

Great Falls Park has 15 miles of trails throughout the park with varying degrees of difficulty. During our spring visit, we hiked part of the Patowmack Canal Trail and part of the River Trail. At the time, sections of both trails were closed for construction. You can get a map with trail closures in the visitor center. 

Patowmack Canal Trail

The Patowmack Canal Trail begins at the upper parking lot and follows the Patowmack Canal. The trail is 2.5 miles long and pretty flat. It is very easy to only hike portions of this trail. 

River Trail

The River Trail begins at the picnic area and meanders along the river to Cow Hoof Rock. This trail requires some scrambling over rocks, especially south of the Canal Cut. Otherwise, it was a pretty easy hike with some amazing views. Our kids really enjoyed this trail, even though we only hiked half of it. When open the entire River Trail is 3.0 miles long. 

Picnic Area

The Virginia side of Great Falls has a wonderful, large picnic area.  It is located near the visitor center and adjacent to the falls overlooks. You will find lots of picnic tables, some even with grills. There are no shelters. The picnic area is very spread out so you don’t feel like you are on top of your neighbor. 

Great Falls Maryland

Great Falls Maryland, is part of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park. The Potomac River and the falls are solely in the state of Maryland. The state boundary follows the river bank. The park is open daily except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. There is only a fee to enter the park at Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center. All other areas of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP are free. The vehicle entrance fee is $15 and is valid for the date of purchase plus 6 days. If you are 16 years old or older and are entering by foot or bicycle the fee is $7. Both entrance fees include Great Falls on the Maryland side and Virginia side. National Park Passes and Every Kid in a Park Passes are accepted. The park has one large parking lot that fills quickly on weekends.

Visitor Center

The Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center in Potomac, Maryland is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. Winter hours are Thursday through Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The visitor center was originally a lock tender’s house and later expanded. Today it houses a small room with exhibits on canal and area history. You can also get your National Park Passport stamps here. 

A short distance away from the visitor center you can find restrooms and a concession stand.

Canal Boat Rides

Right outside of the visitor center you can find Canal Boat Rides. Journey back in time to the 1800s and ride a boat pulled by mules. As of July 2019, the canal boat rides are closed. There is no reopening date. You can check the National Park website for updates. We wished this had been operating during our visit, it looks like something the kids would really enjoy.

Great Falls Overlooks

Great Falls Maryland has an overlook and an observation deck. The overlook is accessed by a series of bridges and boardwalks over Olmsted Island. In the end, you are met with breathtaking views of the Falls and Mather Gorge. This trail is handicap accessible and about 0.25 miles long. 

The Washington Aqueduct Observation Deck is located almost directly across from the Visitor Center. There are a couple of steps to climb to reach the deck, then it is totally flat.

Trails

This side of the Falls has approximately 14 miles of hiking trails of various difficulty levels. You can pick up a guide to all the hiking trails in the visitor center. Park rangers can also help you pick the appropriate trail to match your abilities.

Billy Goat Trail

The most popular trail is the Billy Goat Trail. It is comprised of 3 separate sections. Section A is extremely strenuous and 1.7 miles long. This trail is not recommended for small children. Section B is a moderate 1.4-mile hike and contains some rock scrambles. Section C is an easy 1.6-mile hike. Most of this part is wooded and is located downstream from Sections A and B. We did not hike any portion of the Billy Goat Trail. Instead, we chose the River Trail. 

River Trail

The River Trail is an easy 1-mile walk along the river’s edge. The trail is very shaded and muddy in spots. If the river level is high, the trail might be closed due to flooding. You can make this trail into a 2-mile loop by taking the tow path back to the visitor center. That is what we did. Our kids enjoyed the trail portion a lot more than the towpath. The towpath follows the canal from the start in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. It is a wide shell path and is frequented by bicycles. 

Gold Mine Spur & Lock 19 Spur Trails

The second trail we hiked was a portion of the Gold Mine Spur and Lock 19 Spur. These 2 combined made a moderate 1-mile loop. The trail guide said it would be an easy trail, but we found the beginning and end to be steep. That along with rock scrambling made it a little more difficult. The kids loved scrambling over the rocks. This was definitely not a trail for strollers or wheelchairs. 

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Picnic Area

Great Falls Maryland has a medium-sized shaded picnic area near the concession stand. There are picnic tables, but no shelters. This is a trash-free park, so you must carry out all of your trash. This was the first time we have encountered a trash-free park and found it a little odd. It must be working though, the park was very clean. 

Conclusion

After visiting both sides of Great Falls on back-to-back weekends we can easily say that we liked Great Falls Park in Virginia the best. There was more parking, a bigger picnic area, and a much nicer Visitor Center. Being Spring, both parks were fairly crowded. We encountered many people on all the trails. There weren’t so many people that it hindered our enjoyment though.

Great Falls is definitely worth a visit, regardless of which side you visit.

More to do in the Washington, D.C. area:

• Historic Triangle with Kids
• Theodore Roosevelt Island with Kids
• Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center with Kids
• Our Year in Washington, D.C.
• What You Need to Know About the International Spy Museum
• What You Need to Know About the Smithsonian National Zoo with Kids
• 4 Days in Washington, D.C. with Kids

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own. I was not compensated for this post.