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Great Falls Park, a site that is part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, is an 800 acre park located along the Potomac River 14 miles upriver from Washington D.C. The park is known for two things, its scenic beauty at the head of Potomac River fall line and the historic Patowmack Canal.
Many people consider the Great Falls of the Potomac to be the most spectacular natural landmark in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Here, the Potomac River builds up speed and force as it falls over a series of steep, jagged rocks and flows through the narrow Mather Gorge.
This dramatic scene makes Great Falls Park, located just fifteen miles from the Nation's Capital, a popular site with local residents and tourists from around the world who are visiting the Washington area. Observing the Falls There are ample opportunities to see and explore the falls. Three observation areas provide safe panoramic viewing areas overlooking the falls. Overlook 2 is wheelchair accessible, as is the Patowmack Canal Trail down to Lock 1. The River Trail, beginning just downstream of the falls, follows the river along the cliff top and affords spectacular views of the Mather Gorge. Above the Visitor Center, one can follow the upper Canal Trail and see the head of the falls and the Aqueduct Dam, a six foot man made structure built in the 1850s, which still currently supplies water to the D.C. metropolitan area. |
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