Northamerica >>> Usa >>> Virginia >>> Waterfalls >>> Nationalparks >>>

Great falls park, VA

Great falls park, VA

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure for details.

One of the main reason to visit Great Falls Park, VA is just to see the dramatic waterfalls on the Potomac river.

Great falls overlook

Great Falls Park is located in McLean, Virginia, which is around 15 miles from Washington D.C and only around 60 miles away from Baltimore or Frederick, MD. The park is a disconnected but integral part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. It makes a perfect day or half day trip itinerary to explore this park.

Great falls overlook

Major attractions:

  • Great Falls of the Potomac
  • Hike along Mather Gorge’s dramatic clifftops.
  • One of the nation’s first canals -Patowmack Canal

Great falls gorge

At Great Falls of the Potomac River, rushing water is forced over steps of jagged rock. In less than a mile, the banks of the Potomac river narrows from over 1000 feet wide to around 100 feet as the river passes through the Mather Gorge.

Great falls overlook

There are three overlooks to look at the waterfall and all of them are located within a five to ten minute walk from the visitor center and parking lots.

Great falls overlook

Great Falls Park also has fifteen miles of hiking trails, five of which are multi-use for horseback riding, hiking, and biking. Trail maps are available at the visitor center and entrance station.

Great falls sign

  • Entrance: Paid
  • Park hours: 7 a.m until dark
  • Visitor center hours: 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily

Hiking guides

We always look at the weather and latest trip reports from below sites to plan our hikes. We do read other personal blogs to read about view points, photographic locations on a trail etc.

Travel Tips
Top Activities

About Us

Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world. We love travel and exploring new places and culture. We started this blog to share our travel journeys, experiences and planning information and of course some pictures of the destinations. We hope to provide some insight about the destinations visited by us and to inspire other people to travel more. We have full time jobs but we make sure we use every opportunity to get out and explore the wonderful creation around us.

Know More

Related reads

You might also be interested in:

Half day in Brussels
Half day in Brussels

Brussels(capital of Belgium) is a fascinating place with stunning architecture and fascinating history. It is just two hours away from Amsterdam or Paris, via high speed trains and is a good stopover city or a weekend city to explore.

read more
Ballard Golden Gardens Park
Ballard Golden Gardens Park

Golden Gardens is one of Seattle’s most popular parks and one of the Northwest’s most beautiful beaches. The 87-acre park in Ballard is situated on Puget Sound, overlooking the Olympic mountains.

read more
Things to do in Interlaken, Switzerland, Europe
Things to do in Interlaken, Switzerland, Europe

Interlaken is surrounded by some of the highest mountains in the Alps including Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. It is nestled between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz in the Bernese Highlands and is located in central Switzerland.

read more
Must see museums in Seattle
Must see museums in Seattle

Apart from the amazing panoramic views, seafood and world famous Starbucks coffee,Seattle is also home to fantastic collection of museums and few might fit your interest. Below are our top picks from the area.

read more
Exploring Yosemite
Exploring Yosemite

Yosemite National Park is the 3rd national park in USA with amazing granite cliffs, waterfalls, giant sequoia groves, glaciers, mountains and lakes. **Yosemite National Park ** is located in Sierra Nevada, California, a mountain range that stretches over 400 miles.

read more
The Grand Place(La Grand-Place), Brussels
The Grand Place(La Grand-Place), Brussels

The Grand Place(La Grand-Place) or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels. It is a cobbled rectangular market square, surrounded by opulent guildhalls and two larger edifices, the city’s Town Hall, and the King’s House or Breadhouse building containing the Brussels City Museum.

read more
A day at Niagara falls
A day at Niagara falls

Niagara falls is one of the most famous waterfall in the world and one of the top attractions in United States of America. Niagara falls is the collective name for three waterfalls(the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls) that straddle the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. This is one of the most visited tourist attraction in the world with more than 15 million visitors each year. These falls are the southern end of the Niagara gorge. Horseshoe falls is located on the Canadian side while the others are located in New York. All falls can be seen from either side of the country.

read more