Last updated: March 13, 2024
Place
Information Panel: Explore A Trail Network
Photo: NPS / Claire Hassler
Quick Facts
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
You are standing on part of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. Discover the Potomac River up close here at Great Falls Park with sweeping views of the river and its largest falls. Dynamic river forces have exposed ancient metamorphic bedrock and created unique and rare plant communities. Archeology suggests that indigenous people used the area as fishing and seasonal hunting grounds. Early Americans saw the falls as an obstacle to trade and settlement. In 1785 they built the Potowmack Canal to make the river navigable for trade and settlement in lands to the West. Here, and along the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, you can explore the wonders of the Potomac- the Nation's River.
Welcome to Great Falls Park. We hope that you enjoy your time exploring the Potomac River Gorge, but please remember to keep your own safety in mind. If you aren't adapted with long sturdy legs and wide spreading toes like we Herons, it will be easy for you to slip off the rocks at the river's edge of get carried away by the swift currents or whirlpools. Enjoy your visit and please come again!
"If someone is pulled in, they can expect to go under. If you can imagine going through a washing machine, that's what it will feel like. Your pants will probably be sucked off, your shoes will pop off. It will probably try to suck your shirt off, and the river will probably try to pull you right to the bottom."
The Potomac River can be deadly due to very long currents, unpredictable hydraulics and undertows. Swimming and wading is strictly prohibited, and rock hopping is strongly discouraged near the river's edge.
Since 2001, there have been 24 fatal drowning incidents, and 112 near miss situations in this area of the Potomac River.
Have a Safe Experience
Welcome to Great Falls Park. We hope that you enjoy your time exploring the Potomac River Gorge, but please remember to keep your own safety in mind. If you aren't adapted with long sturdy legs and wide spreading toes like we Herons, it will be easy for you to slip off the rocks at the river's edge of get carried away by the swift currents or whirlpools. Enjoy your visit and please come again!"If someone is pulled in, they can expect to go under. If you can imagine going through a washing machine, that's what it will feel like. Your pants will probably be sucked off, your shoes will pop off. It will probably try to suck your shirt off, and the river will probably try to pull you right to the bottom."
The Potomac River can be deadly due to very long currents, unpredictable hydraulics and undertows. Swimming and wading is strictly prohibited, and rock hopping is strongly discouraged near the river's edge.
Since 2001, there have been 24 fatal drowning incidents, and 112 near miss situations in this area of the Potomac River.