This past weekend it was in the upper 60s/low 70s.
We would have been silly to not take advantage in the break in the cold temperature and get out for a hike.
Something we hadn’t done in a few weeks.
We had driven out to Great Falls before; paid the park fee and mingled with the relatively large crowds at the Falls and surrounding trails. However, this time we decided to experience the area in a slightly different way.
We drove out toward Great Falls, VA and parked in a lot on the side of the road near Difficult Run. I was concerned that the trails would be thick with mud after the previous week’s snow melt but as we took an unmarked trail across from the lot in to the woods, I noticed the ground was soft and squishy in some places but absolutely passable.
After a few minutes on the unmarked trail we reached a large path through the woods and headed off toward the Falls. It was approximately a mile to the Falls and as we hiked in, we noticed the long line of cars above us waiting to get in to the park. We realized how much more we preferred reaching the park our way – no waiting in line and no park fee!
Before we were able to reach the park, we hiked along a stream and began hearing the strangest noise. After first, we thought it was a flock of birds that we’d never heard before but then we realized it was coming from the water. It turns out the noise was being made by frog, not birds! It was the strangest thing and had us stopped in our tracks for several minutes.
Not long after listening to the frogs we began to hear the happy shouts of little kids playing outside. We were getting closer to Great Falls. Since we had been to the park before, we didn’t spend much time at the Great Falls overlook but we did stop long enough to take a picture and check out all the other people taking advantage of the nicer temperature by having a picnic.
View of Great Falls from the park overlook.
Next, we headed downriver along the River Trail. There were quite a few people on the trail and at the numerous overlooks along the trail but the crowd
eventually thinned out. Along the way, we trampled over several wooden bridges crossing streams and small falls feeding in to the Potomac River and even saw some ruins of the old lock system.
View of the Billy Goat Trail from the other side of the River.
By the time we reached the trail intersection that would take us back along Difficult Run, the crowd had more or less disappeared but we still occasionally passed other hikers. The climb out of the River Trail was uphill and was a nice change of pace. We hiked up it, breathless but happy when we reached the top and began descending toward Difficult Run.
View of Mather Gorge along the River Trail, Great Falls, VA.
We took a slight detour to see where Difficult Run meets the Potomac River before backtracking and headed back toward the car.
At the end of the 3.5 mile hike, I was glad it was over since my legs were tired from my run that morning but it felt good to get out and hike. It always makes me feel like I actually accomplished something on the weekends we hike.
Us!
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