page_title: Great Falls (Potomac River)
hierarchical_section_title: Great Falls (Potomac River)
caption_attribution_description: English: Great Falls of the Potomac, oil on canvas, by George Beck, 1797
context_page_description: Great Falls is a series of rapids and waterfalls on the Potomac River, 14 miles upstream from Washington, D.C., on the border of Montgomery County, Maryland and Fairfax County, Virginia. 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 legally entirely within Maryland, with the state and county boundaries following the south bank of the river.
  Scenic views are offered on both the Maryland side and the Virginia side. The Billy Goat Trail on Bear Island, accessible from Maryland, offers scenic views of the Great Falls, as do vantage points on Olmsted Island. There are overlook points on the Virginia side.
  The Great Falls area is popular for outdoor activities such as kayaking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and hiking.
  Great Falls and Little Falls are named in contradistinction to one another.
context_section_description: Great Falls is a series of rapids and waterfalls on the Potomac River, 14 miles (23 km) upstream from Washington, D.C., on the border of Montgomery County, Maryland and Fairfax County, Virginia. 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 legally entirely within Maryland, with the state and county boundaries following the south bank of the river.
  Scenic views are offered on both the Maryland side and the Virginia side.  The Billy Goat Trail on Bear Island, accessible from Maryland, offers scenic views of the Great Falls, as do vantage points on Olmsted Island (also accessible from Maryland).  There are overlook points on the Virginia side.
  The Great Falls area is popular for outdoor activities such as kayaking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and hiking.
  Great Falls and Little Falls (about 5 miles downstream) are named in contradistinction to one another.
caption: Great Falls of the Potomac, oil on canvas, by George Beck, 1797
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