Great Falls (Maryland side) and the C&O Canal
Photo: G. Edward Johnson · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
🥾 Hike · Potomac
2 hours · $ · No reservation needed
- 🚗About 20 min driveFrom Rockville · Parking: Great Falls Tavern lot, national park fee $20/car (good for 7 days, shared with the Virginia side); line to get in after 10am on weekends
- 🍼Stroller-friendlyFlat surfaces — bring the stroller
- 🌳Some shadeGreat on sunny days · Good on cool days · Fine on cold days · Wind-OK
- ⏱️Typical visit: 2 hoursBest seasons: Spring · Summer · Fall · Winter
The Potomac drops 76 feet here. From the lot it's a 10-minute flat walk along the canal, then a few wooden bridges out to the Olmsted Island overlook, where the roar and the mist hit you and a 2-year-old will point and yell about the big water the whole time. Mule-drawn boats still run on the old canal now and then.
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Location
Potomac, Maryland
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