Billy Goat Trail (Section A / C)

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Billy Goat Trail (Section A / C)

Photo: User:Cyde · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

🥾 Hike · Potomac

3 hours · $ · No reservation needed

age fit
0–1 yr
★ 1.0
1–3 yrs
★ 1.0
3–5 yrs
★ 2.0
5–10 yrs
★ 5.0
  • 🚗
    About 20 min drive
    From Rockville · Parking: Section A starts from the Great Falls Tavern lot ($20/car); Section C starts from the Carderock lot, free
  • 🎒
    Carrier recommended
    Terrain isn't stroller-friendly; a carrier is easier
  • 🌳
    Some shade
    Good on cool days · Great on sunny days · Fine on cold days
  • ⏱️
    Typical visit: 3 hours
    Best seasons: Spring · Fall · Winter

DC's most famous hike: Section A is 1.7 miles of scrambling hand-over-foot across the rocks of Mather Gorge, with a 50-foot rock-wall climb in the middle; climbers 6 and up will call it the highlight of their lives. Section C is 1.6 miles and far gentler, a good first try for ages 4 and up.

💡 Tips
Section A is not for babies or toddlers, and you cannot climb the rock wall with a kid on your back; one bottle of water per person, grippy shoes, and finish before 10am in summer. Be at the lot before 9am on weekends. No swimming at the river; the current is extremely dangerous.

What this place offers

✓rock scramble
✓river views
✓big kids
✓no carrier
✓water bottle
✓closed-toe shoes

Featured in these guides

This weekend's weather in Potomac

Forecast at the destination itself (coast and hills often differ from home)

🌦️
Sat 10/17
Drizzle · 47–59°F · 47% rain
☀️
Sun 10/18
Sunny · 44–63°F · 3% rain

Location

Potomac, Maryland

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