Name: Great Falls Overlook Trailhead
Address: Olmsted Island Trail, Potomac, MD 20854, United States, Potomac

At a glance

#3 of 11 Hiking areas in Potomac

LocalGuideWorld score: 4.71

2.5 km from the center of Potomac

Rating breakdown

5 ★86%
4 ★10%
3 ★2%
2 ★2%
1 ★0%

Olmsted Island Trail, Potomac, MD 20854, United States

npplan.com

Photos of Great Falls Overlook Trailhead (102)

View all

Great Falls Overlook Trailhead, Potomac – photo 1

Great Falls Overlook Trailhead, Potomac – photo 2

Great Falls Overlook Trailhead, Potomac – photo 3

Great Falls Overlook Trailhead, Potomac – photo 4

Great Falls Overlook Trailhead, Potomac – photo 5

Great Falls Overlook Trailhead, Potomac – photo 6

Great Falls Overlook Trailhead, Potomac – photo 7

Great Falls Overlook Trailhead, Potomac – photo 8

Great Falls Overlook Trailhead, Potomac – photo 9

Great Falls Overlook Trailhead, Potomac – photo 10

Great Falls Overlook Trailhead, Potomac – photo 11

Great Falls Overlook Trailhead, Potomac – photo 12

Quick facts

What is the rating of Great Falls Overlook Trailhead?: Great Falls Overlook Trailhead is rated 4.8 out of 5 based on 90 reviews.
How does Great Falls Overlook Trailhead rank in Potomac?: Great Falls Overlook Trailhead is #3 of 11 Hiking areas in Potomac by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
Where is Great Falls Overlook Trailhead located?: Olmsted Island Trail, Potomac, MD 20854, United States — 2.5 km from the center of Potomac.
How can I contact Great Falls Overlook Trailhead?: Website: npplan.com

Reviews (8)

John Liau 2023 Aug 29

Great views and nice trails. The Maryland side is nicer than the Virginia side. There are bridges that span the falls that you can walk over.

Nikhil Dogra 2023 Jul 24

The Billy Goat trail offers some challenges but rewards you with breath taking views when you overcome those.
The trail gets rocky and offers some lagre rocks to climb and manuver through some of those. My personal experience is that they appear more challenging than they actually are. Although One must always respect the trail and be very careful at all time. Goofing around can cause accidents.
Trees offer the shade most of the trail and breeze from the river is pleasent, can be a bit humid, but during my visit it was not uncomfortable at all.
Great experience if you like outdoors but dont want to go overboard

Patrick Shaffer 2023 Jun 21

First time visiting this park, access to the park wasn’t bad, the trail to the overlook was short and easy. The views of the falls was amazing!

Rick 2023 Mar 26

This is better than the Virginia side, especially during the sunset. We weren't planning to stop, but we finished our plans for the day early and decided to swing by. Was awesome to see and one of the high lights from our trip.

Alessandro Pisi 2023 Mar 06

A natural oasis that makes you realize the greatness of this nation (on nature's side of things) , management wise it shows the lack of funds received by NPS. If only we cared more about preserving the historical side of these trails

Amanda McSweeney 2022 Oct 10

This place is absolutely gorgeous! The overlook is accessible via the C&O canal path (best place to park is at the Great Falls Tavern, big parking lot right off the trail). The path in this portion is a bit more dirt/gravel, so not a perfectly smooth surface. I'd suggest coming early in the day (think 8 am or so) if you want to avoid large groups of people.

If you're riding a bicycle on the trail, do everyone a favor and ring a bell/say on your left when you're approaching/passing people. We were almost taken out by someone who didn't announce themselves and decided to squeeze through a small area between us and another person walking the opposite direction. It's your job as a cyclist to make sure that nobody gets hurt and it doesn't take much.

If you're planning on going on the Billy Goat Trail, it's a bit further down the path (you'll see a structure crossing over the trail, it's right before that). I can't emphasize this enough, please make sure you're prepared for this hike before going on it. Don't wear regular tennis shoes if you value your ankles and general well being. This trail is covered in lots of rocks and it is incredibly easy to slip on them if you're not careful. Pets aren't allowed on the trail to protect them and everyone else. Near the end of part of the loop, you come up to a large rock face on the left with the blue blaze going up the rock (picture attached). You're meant to follow the crack along the rock, there are a good amount of hand holds/places for your feet so it shouldn't be an issue if you go slowly and have the right shoes. There is no other way to continue the trail without climbing this ledge, so keep that in mind.

Bon F 2022 May 02

We came to the C&O Canal Towpath (around lock 20) on weekend. The trail to get to Great Falls overlook was pretty well maintained, and the scenery along the way was also beautiful. Since the bikes couldn’t get into this particular trail, it was much more tranquil and enjoyable. Highly recommend!

Tyler Harris 2022 Feb 21

The trail starts out very flat hiking along the old canal towpaths. The first half is very well groomed and easy going. I went down the Billy Goat 🐐 section which is quite challenging. The hike is quite a scramble from there back to the towpath. It is manageable for older kids (6+) but it might be tricky with young ones and nearly impossible with any type of stroller. It is quite beautiful though.