[When planning my trips for next year, I realized I skipped my September visit here. Sorry it’s out of order.] The kayakers have the best views of Great Falls, and they helpfully show the scale. The falls themselves are rated V+, meaning lethal, but there are less dangerous sections of the Potomac nearby. From the C&O NHP right across the river, it’s a 30 minute drive to get over here to the Virginia side of the falls. There are miles of beautiful hiking trails along the river with many deer that are used to people.

The PHT proper is on the Virginia side from above Great Falls down to Prince William Forest with the Mt Vernon Trail in the middle. But the broader PHT also includes the Potomac River itself, the C&O, Laurel Highlands (between Johnstown & Fort Necessity), the Great Allegheny Passage, the Civil War Defenses Trail in DC, the Mt Vernon Trail and the Southern Maryland & Northern Neck PHT Bicycling Trails on both sides of the Potomac. While I plan to visit more of those next year, it occurred to me that I may have already seen the most scenic section above. So, in case I don’t have enough time for a longer paddling & bicycling trip between Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay, consider this my official park visit.