Great Falls of the Potomac River

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

interactive map link

I guess I am in search of waterfalls, because I decided to go off and see the Great ones. One may go to see them from the Virginia side by visiting Great Falls Park or the Maryland side by visiting Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Both are National Park Service units and with the government shutdown, all pay areas were closed. This meant the whole of Great Falls Park was closed, but only the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center was closed on the canal side. When they are open, these pay areas have a $20 entrance fee. The parking area I chose beside Macarthur Boulevard is both official and free. I chose to visit the Maryland side because the trail system has more obvious looping excursions, but it looks like there's plenty of good hiking on the Virginia side too. I hoped that with so many people inside the Beltway shirking their work, traveling the Beltway to just outside the Beltway wouldn't be so bad. I have nothing to compare it to, but there was a couple mile section that took nearly an hour and I was quite happy to see my empty and forlorn exit to an empty 4 lane highway of a street which shortly delivered me to a quickly filling parking lot.

Information at this entry point for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail.

My plan was to hike the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail out to the Billy Goat Trail and then try it out while I was nice and fresh. Then on to the waterfall and back via some circuitous route along the higher trails. There's a bridge over the canal to the old tow path that serves as the trail. It was pretty chilly and expected to remain cool as I passed the sandwich board sign warning of high heat and humidity. In summer, I'm sure warning people away from hiking from 10AM to 4PM makes a lot of sense, but this was a fine fall day.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal with the tow path on the left, from the bridge. Upstream view.

Colors reflecting from the water downstream.

I headed upstream. The canal water sits like long, fat pools just off the edge of the tow path. Somewhere through thick vegetation, I could almost spot the Potomac River.

Would you believe mallards live here?

A painted turtle rests on a log.

First real look at piece of the Potomac River, but only a small channel.

Meanwhile, the canal expands into a lake of sorts called Widewater.

My plans were dashed when I came upon the Billy Goat Trail. A great big "trail exit only" sign adorned the junction because this is a one way trail. The information actually is in OpenStreetMap, but I'd been looking at renderers that don't think details like that are important.

Signs at the exit for the Billy Goat Trail.

So on the tow path I stayed. It is gravel and flat and interspersed with short climbs and bridges. All manner of people were strolling, biking, running along it. I expect it is ADA accessible, but no one came by with a rollator or wheelchair to prove it.

Bridging a bulge in Widewater with a dammed outflow at the end.

A curve shows off the vertical edge near the tow path.

Eventually I came to the first lock, long and skinny with huge wooden gates on each end and a dammed passage for the canal water beside it. The trail climbs up just before it. This one happens to be where there is another bridge.

Approaching lock 15 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The climbing tow path bridge is on the left and a dam on the right. Canal boats would go through the opening in the middle.

A little of Virginia visible over a dam keeping the water in the canal.

The inner lock space. The doors above are closed and the ones below are open.

It'll be a while before this lower door closes again.

Once in a while, there would be the sound of water rushing toward the river only to be caught in the canal.

In flows some of that water.

Approaching lock 16.

Lock 16 includes an old lock keeper's house.

And just upstream of the lock is an old stop gate that is a bridge with building.

The last flowers of the pickerelweed.

Another smaller channel of the Potomac River. With a two groups of fishermen, if you can spot them.

The rest of the channel as it makes its way to the main piece of Potomac River.

Coming up on lock 17.

The open gates look like they've been rebuilt.

The closed gates above look rebuilt too.

Lock 18 still to come.

Before getting to lock 18, there's the spur trail to the waterfall viewpoint. Bridges lead a great crowd across the islands in the Potomac River. Ignored signs detail the fragile habitat nearby. They do actually allow leashed dogs on many of the trails in the park, but not on these that go out to the islands.

The rush of water through the first channel crossed.

Some curious old walls exist in that first channel upstream of the bridge.

One dry channel.

A trickle of water comes through the second channel, at least as the map shows.

But it feeds pools below in that second channel.

There was a great crowd at the viewing platform for Great Falls and it takes a moment of waiting or some maneuvering to get a look out at the main path of the Potomac River and its various drops.

Great blue heron at Great Falls.

The bulk of Great Falls, but by no means all of the area waterfalls.

Closer on one of those larger falls.

The smaller falls can have some interesting structure too.

One local resident with a year pass stopped to mention that I should really see it in the spring melt when it is far more impressive. He also noted that this the superior view compared to the Virginia side. I spotted a couple details I suspect are better from the other side, but I suspect it's try and there's certainly more interest when coming across the bridges.

Trying to take in everything of the lower flow version of Great Falls.

Just one more detail fall, this one the one at the far right.

Looking across to two overlooks in Great Falls Park. From time to time, there were people over there, so the park wasn't quite as completely closed as stated.

A noisy fly by by what looks very much like an Osprey to me.

I headed back so that I might see the rest of the park.

River oats are one of the prairie grasses that grows in the island habitat.

Back to the first channel, which has an upper and lower part with connections.

Still wondering what these walls have to do with things.

The remains of a flood across the islands once.

Eastern gray squirrel, somewhat hidden and therefore safe from humans.

I headed out to the area of the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center on my way to hike the River Trail and then back along a little more of the old tow path.

Lock 18 and a nearby ruin.

A canal boat on display.

The Tavern Visitor Center at lock 20.

On the way to the River Trail, there's an overlook for the intake of the Washington Aqueduct. Built in the late 1850s and 1860s, it is still in use to supply the District of Columbia with water.

Underwater dams grabbing Potomac River water at the intake of the Washington Aqueduct.

The whole of the operation, at least as seen from the overlook.

Then on to the River Trail. At the start, I got dreadful warnings about swift current and other such dangers. It gives a bit of a different view of the Potomac River.

Entry to the River Trail.

It's a much less developed trail beside trees leaning over the river.

With views of a lake-like Potomac River with and island in the middle.

Looking back, there's lots of rocks poking out suggesting it is shallow.

The spotted lanternfly is an invasive species.

Another island upstream.

Where a stream comes in, the trail finishes and returns to the tow path.

A stream winds through the flat of the river flood plain as the River Trail returns.

Back on the old tow path.

I got a much better look at a pileated woodpecker as it scooched up a tree.

Arriving back at the Tavern Visitor Center and lock 20.

Once back at the area of the visitor center, I crossed over the canal and found my way to the start of wandering the upper trails. I had a lot of winding planned since the elevation of these high trails just isn't that much.

Up into the forest along the "Gold Mine Spur", hinting at some of the other history of the area.

The trail seems to follow a ditch. These lesser traveled trails are quite covered in leaves, but I met many people along them.

Now feeling like the trail is following some levee. It is certainly raised above the level of the surroundings.

A varied forest of deciduous leaves. I'd like to see the American tulip trees in bloom.

Some stands are more of a single species.

Once up, I wound across, stopping at locations for an Earthcache. Its subject was mining history. It took me largely around the Gold Mine Loop.

Some remaining buildings of the Maryland Mine.

The road at the top gets a note that there's something historically considered picturesque. Also, someone famous did something on the other side of the river, so we'll put that on too. Because he's that famous.

A shock of yellow.

I found water again! A stream winds through the forest.

Joined up, now there's more water.

A little bit of an old rock building still standing.

I finally arrived at an old road nearly back to the parking lot. However, there was still the matter of the Billy Goat Trail, so I followed it out to the old stop gate.

Berma Road passes along above the canal.

Below, one can sometimes see the canal, the tow path, and even a little of the river.

Looking out through yellow leaves to Widewater.

I passed several monuments marking the route of the Washington Aqueduct. Sometimes it is even visible. Where streams come in, it bridges them.

One of the bridges of the Washington Aqueduct.

Back at lock 16 and the lock house.

And back to the old bridge with a building on it. This is part of a stop gate for flood control.

The canal from the bridge.

The entry to the Billy Goat Trail is not far from the bridge. It carries warnings about not going that way if low on water or tired, but I was feeling neither.

Follow the blue paint blazes across sometimes quite chunky rocks.

The sun is getting low.

A view for enjoying the last snacks in the bag.

Another patch of trail.

Noting the very distinct water lines on the far side rocks.

Some trail is wide and easy through here.

Then I got to "marker 1" where a sign expanded upon the "difficult trail". There would be "sharp drops" and it "requires jumps across open areas" (wait, what?) and there is a bit of "walking along the edges of rocks" (okay, whatever) with "a climb up a 50' traverse" whatever exactly that means. Other signs suggest the "traverse" is "near vertical terrain" and show a picture that isn't quite so vertical as all that, but definitely requires some hands to navigate. There really wasn't enough light left for this sort of trail, so I turned around and followed the three groups I'd encountered going the wrong way on this one way trail back out the entrance.

Back on the tow path, the smoothest trail of them all.

Looking down the length of the canal from a curve.

It was way too late to do the easier half of the Billy Goat Trail (well, of Section A anyway, there's other sections too) when I got to the two way "exit trail" in the middle. I really should have just tried for this second bit. So it goes.

I was looking out from that colorful spot just a few hours ago.

I pulled out the headlamp for the last half mile or so. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail portion of this hike was a bit more interesting than expected. The trail extends for many miles off both ends of the section I hiked.


*photo album*




©2026 Valerie Norton
Written 8 Feb 2026