Great Falls National Park (McLean, VA)

Great Falls National Park is an 800-acre park located about fifteen miles from Washington, D.C. There is an admission fee for this park. Great Falls offers some stunning views of natural waterfalls generated from the forceful waters of the Potomac River falling over the rocks.  Our whole family found them beautiful.

There is a visitor center with displays and educational exhibits. The center sells maps and books of the park. The staff reported that they used to have live animal exhibits but no longer have these on site.

The park contains numerous trails designated for hiking, horseback riding or cycling. We took the children on one of the hiking trails that bordered the water and they enjoyed it.  While there we also saw numerous kayakers in the water. The park’s brochure also notes locations for rock climbing though we did not witness anyone engaged in this activity during our visit.

There are outlooks provided for visitors of the park to view the falls. Though they provide for safe viewing and some beautiful pictures, when we were there is was a bit crowded on some of the outlooks. In my opinion, the location of the outlooks and surrounding buildings created a different type of experience than you would have had you discovered the falls in a more naturalistic setting without the construction surrounding them. However, the falls were still very beautiful to watch and we will definitely be going back for another visit.