Information Panel: Confluence

Information Panel: Confluence

Photo: NPS / Claire Hassler

Quick Facts

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

You stand at the meeting of two rivers, three states, and for national park sites. The Shenandoah and Potomac rivers carved this gap in the Blue Ridge, eroding the mountain the thickness of your thumbnail every 100 years. The Blue Ridge, part of the famed Appalachian Mountains, comprise the second oldest mountains in North America, formed nearly 1.2 billion years ago. 

Since the earliest human occupation of this region more than 10,000 years ago, this gap has been a magnet for travelers. It continues as a popular passage today for hikers on the C & O Canal, the Appalachian Trail and the Potomac Heritage trail, and a transportation portal for modern highways and railroads. 

Passage from Maryland to Virginia

Three national trails- the AT, the C&O and the Potomac Heritage trail- all share this passage through the Blue Ridge.

Maryland Heights Overlook: Mennen's Borated Talcum Toilet Powder

The faded letters on the cliff face across the Potomac River advertised talcum powder in the early 1900s.

Potomac River

"Potomac" or "river of swans" is a Native American name for the river. 

Shenandoah River

"Shenandoah" or "daughter of the stars" is a Native American name for this river/