Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center

Great Falls C&O Canal Under Construction

Towpath Detour: Construction of the Watered Structures Locks 5-22 Project is underway. A small detour near the Great Falls Tavern is expected sometime in January 2018. Visitors will still be able to access points upsteam and downstream of the Tavern, including all trails and overlooks.

We expect construction to last until Spring 2019. 

 

Knowledgeable staff and volunteers are ready behind the desk to answer your questions and orient you to the park.

NPS photo

Visit: The Park is open 365 days a year

Visitor Center Hours:
9:00 am - 4:30 pm.
Wednesday through Sunday
(Closed Mondays and Tuesdays)

11710 MacArthur Blvd.,
Potomac, MD 20854
[phone]

Join: Check out our calendar for special events year round!

Explore: With a map of the Great Falls area and hiking information for the Billy Goat Trail

Ride: A mule-drawn canal boat in 2019

Learn: About the history of the Great Falls Tavern

A canal and a river, the agents of men and nature, entwined their destinies to create the many-faceted story of Great Falls Park, Maryland.

The Great Falls of the Potomac is perhaps the finest scenic phenomenon in this metropolitan area encompassing the Nation's Capital; while the adjacent Chesapeake and Ohio Canal with its historic Great Falls Tavern is a gem of the Nation's colorful past. Here, the natural and the historical are wedded indivisibly to form one total environment of awesome beauty and compelling interest luring thousands of people each year for a variety of recreation pursuits.
- Saul Schiffman, Chief of Interpretation, 1969

 

Directions:

From Interstate 495:

Maryland: Take exit 41 (Carderock /Great Falls, MD), follow Clara Barton Parkway to the end. At the stop sign, turn left onto MacArthur Blvd. Follow MacArthur approximately 3.5 miles into the park. MacArthur Blvd. ends at the park.

Virginia: Cross into Maryland over the American Legion Bridge (beltway inner loop) and take exit 41 (Clara Barton Parkway) Westbound, left at fork. Follow Clara Barton to the end. At the stop sign, turn left onto MacArthur Blvd. Follow MacArthur Blvd approximately 3.5 miles into the park. MacArthur Blvd. ends at the park.

From Washington DC:

Take M Street to fork. You can follow either MacArthur Blvd, the right fork or take Canal Road, the fork to the left.

MacArthur Blvd.: Follow MacArthur until it ends at the entrance to the Great Falls section of the park, approximately 8 miles.

Canal Road: Follow to Chain Bridge. At stop light continue straight ahead. Canal Road changes into Clara Barton Parkway. Follow Clara Barton Parkway to the end. At the stop sign, turn left onto MacArthur Blvd., and follow it for approximately 3.5 miles until it ends at the park.

From Frederick, Maryland:

Follow Interstate 270 south toward Washington, DC. Take exit 5 (Falls Road). Exit right toward Potomac on Falls Road. Follow Falls Road 6 miles until it intersects with MacArthur Blvd.. At stop sign turn right into the park.

Visitor Centers

| Brunswick | Cumberland | Georgetown | Ferry Hill |Great Falls Tavern | Hancock | Williamsport |