Great Falls Park

Amid the hubbub and general crush of humanity that is Northern Virginia, a large number of parks provide a nice, peaceful break from urban life. The falls of the Potomac River happen to sit fewer than 20 miles upriver from Washington and are about 8 miles from Falls Church in Great Falls Park (get it, Falls Church? Falls of the Potomac? Our early Americans were nothing if not literal when naming places). I had never visited Great Falls Park, so Mac and I packed a picnic the Monday after Leslie’s wedding and headed over.

Address and Location

You can find Great Falls Park at 9200 Old Dominion Drive in McLean, Virginia.

Cost

Admission for one non-commercial vehicle and its occupants costs $15. Individual admission runs $7 for people aged 15 and up. You also gain admission to the C&O Canal National Historic Park and is good for seven days.

What to do

Great Falls Park offers some nice picnic areas with good views. Just be aware this park is trash-free: there are no trash cans. What you bring in comes out with you. I would recommend parking near the Visitors’ Center and hauling your trash back to the car before you start hiking.

Great Falls Park is pretty large, but not all of it is easily hiked. The Falls have three main lookout points. You can hike across the river and along some other trails, but we decided not to. Early residents dug a canal to circumvent the falls, and you can check that out, as well. You can also view the ruins of Matildaville, a town founded by Henry Lighthorse Lee on the canal. Be sure to grab a map in the Visitors’ Center to pick out the trails you want to hike.

We couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather. It was in the high 70s, sunny with a warm breeze. We went around lunch time. The park was pretty crowded for a Monday, but the picnic area is large enough to handle a lot of people. This is a great place to check out, and I personally would suggest going during the week. Most parks and public spaces tend have large numbers of visitors on the weekends.