Great Falls (Potomac River)

The Great Falls of the Potomac River are located at the fall line of the Potomac River, upstream from Washington, D.C. Great Falls Park, operated by the National Park Service, is located on the southern banks in Virginia, while Chesapeake and Ohio Canal parkland is located along the northern banks of the river in Maryland.

The Billy Goat Trail on Bear Island, accessible from Maryland, offers scenic views of the Great Falls, as do vantage points on Olmsted Island (also accessible from Maryland) and overlook points on the Virginia side. The Great Falls area is popular for outdoor activities such as kayaking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and hiking.

History

Roughly 35,000 years ago, The Potomac River began carving out the Great Falls of the Potomac. The river cascades over a series of falls, falling a total of in elevation over a distance of less than , making the Great Falls the steepest fall line rapids of any river in the eastern United States.

See also

• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Notes

References

External links

• Satellite imagery of Great Falls on

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