Great Falls Park

Watch the Potomac River crash over a series of cascades from three overlooks, then hike the cliffs above Mather Gorge.

9200 Old Dominion Dr · McLean, VA

About Great Falls Park

At Great Falls Park the Potomac River drops 76 feet over a series of rocky cascades on the Virginia side of the river. Three falls overlooks sit a five to ten minute walk from the visitor center, and about 15 miles of trails follow the cliffs of Mather Gorge. You can also trace the ruins of the Patowmack Canal, a bypass canal backed by George Washington that began operating in 1785.

#waterfall
#national park
#hiking
#rock climbing
#potomac river

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Great Falls Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sightseeing
Great Falls Tavern
No admission fee
Historic canal lockhouse and hotel now serving as a national park visitor center.
0.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Theater & Events
Date Night
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
No admission fee
Catch a summer concert at the open-air Filene Center or a children's show in the woods at the only national park for the performing arts.
Transit: reachable by public transit
4.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Theater & Events
Museums
Date Night
Glenstone
No admission fee
See postwar and contemporary art in quiet pavilions and outdoor sculptures set across meadows, woods and a water garden.
Transit: reachable by public transit
4.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sports & Outdoors
Cabin John Creek Stream Valley Park
Check prices
An 8.8-mile natural-surface trail through a creek valley near busy highways, used for hiking and biking.
Transit: reachable by public transit
4.6 mi awayMore like this
Sports & Outdoors
Dierssen Waterfowl Sanctuary
Check prices
A 40-acre marshy woodland wildlife sanctuary on the Potomac, reached only by boat or the C&O Canal Towpath.
5.0 mi awayMore like this
Sports & Outdoors
Serpentine Barrens Conservation Park
Check prices
A two-unit Montgomery County park protecting rare serpentine rock barrens and their unusual plant community.
5.0 mi awayMore like this