Great Falls in Virginia
Destination Guide United States

Great Falls, Virginia

Great Falls is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Although primarily a bedroom community for Washington, D.C. , one major attraction is Great Falls Park which overlooks the Great Falls of the Potomac River, for which the community and the park are named. George Washington was involved with building a canal around the falls on the southwest, or Virginia, side, called the Patowmack Canal, which did not become commercially viable.

Located at 38.9981, -77.2883 (Lat. / Lng.), about 0 miles away.
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Census-designated places in Virginia, Populated places on the Potomac River, Populated places in Fairfax County, Virginia, Unincorporated communities in Virginia, Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area

Patowmack Canal

Officially known as the "Great Falls Skirting Canal," the Patowmack Canal is an inoperative canal located in Virginia, United States, that was designed to bypass rapids in the Potomac River upstream of the present Washington, D.C. area. The canal remains are managed by the National Park Service as it is within Great Falls Park, an integral part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Located at 38.9894, -77.2486 (Lat. / Lng.), about 2 miles away.
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Archaeological sites in Virginia, Canals in Virginia, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Potomac River Watershed, Buildings and structures in Fairfax County, Virginia, Transportation in Fairfax County, Virginia

Great Falls (Potomac River)

The Great Falls of the Potomac River are located at the fall line of the Potomac River, 14 miles upstream from Washington, D.C. Great Falls Park, operated by the National Park Service, is located on the southern banks in Virginia, while Chesapeake and Ohio Canal parkland is located along the northern banks of the river in Maryland. The Potomac and the falls themselves are within Maryland.

Located at 38.9975, -77.2525 (Lat. / Lng.), about 2 miles away.
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Geography of Fairfax County, Virginia, Visitor attractions in Montgomery County, Maryland, Potomac River, Waterfalls of Virginia, Waterfalls of Maryland, Geography of Montgomery County, Maryland, Visitor attractions in Fairfax County, Virginia

Olmsted Island

Olmsted Island is a small island in the middle of the Potomac River in Maryland, USA, near Great Falls which is a part of C & O Canal National Historical Park, located across the river from Great Falls Park. It is a part of Potomac, Maryland. Named for Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. , the landscape architect and preservationist whose famous father designed New York's Central Park, the small island is a bedrock terrace forest that supports rare, threatened and endangered plant species.

Located at 38.9983, -77.25 (Lat. / Lng.), about 2 miles away.
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Islands of the Potomac River, Islands of Maryland, Geography of Montgomery County, Maryland, Potomac, Maryland

Mather Gorge

Mather Gorge is a river gorge south and just downriver of Great Falls on the border of Maryland and Virginia. The Maryland side of the gorge is Bear Island, part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, and the Virginia side is part of Great Falls Park. Both parks are National Park Service sites. The gorge is named after Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service.

Located at 38.9881, -77.2464 (Lat. / Lng.), about 2 miles away.
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Canyons and gorges of Maryland, Canyons and gorges of Virginia, Geography of Fairfax County, Virginia, Geography of Montgomery County, Maryland

Billy Goat Trail

The Billy Goat Trail (also written as Billygoat Trail) is a 4.7-mile hiking trail that follows a path between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River within the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park near Great Falls in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Located at 38.9938, -77.2458 (Lat. / Lng.), about 2 miles away.
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Protected areas of Montgomery County, Maryland, Hiking trails in Maryland, United States National Park Service areas in Maryland

Watts Branch (Potomac River)

Watts Branch is a tributary stream of the Potomac River in Montgomery County, Maryland. The headwaters of the stream originate in the city of Rockville, and the branch flows southwest for 11.2 miles, under the C&O Canal near Swain's Lock, to the Potomac River, which drains to the Chesapeake Bay. The watershed area is about 22 square miles .

Located at 39.0398, -77.26 (Lat. / Lng.), about 3 miles away.
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Geography of Montgomery County, Maryland, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Streams of Maryland, Tributaries of the Potomac River

Lake Fairfax Park

Lake Fairfax Park is a park in Reston, Fairfax County, Virginia, USA owned and maintained by the Fairfax County Park Authority. Contained within the park is the 18-acre Lake Fairfax. The park also offers a waterpark, carousel, picnic areas, campgrounds, trails, playground and more. The park has also played host to music festivals, including Lollapalooza and The HFStival.

Located at 38.9644, -77.3181 (Lat. / Lng.), about 3 miles away.
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Parks in Fairfax County, Virginia, Water parks in Virginia