Great Falls Park

September 3, 2021

The dramatic rocky rapids of Great Falls Park provide the perfect background for yesterday’s history and today’s selfies.

According to archaeological records, this area has been a meeting place for thousands of years. The Piscataway and Powhatan tribes used the area for trading missions from 8000-1700 BC. Much of the modern history of the area involves the boom-and-bust cycle of towns built around one industry: the construction of the canal. The ruins of one such town, Matildaville which was named after the mother of Robert E. Lee, are still visible today.

Starting in the early 1800s, city folk would venture up the river via a 6 to 8-hour boat ride to eat, dance, and spend a mere $.25 to stay the night at the lodge. A carousel, installed in 1906, was a big draw for the Great Falls Amusement Park. The amusement park closed in 1952 but the carousel stuck around until Hurricane Agnes blew through and destroyed it in 1972.

Today, getting to the falls is much more convenient. Whether accessed from the Virginia or Maryland side, the falls are possibly the most photographed section of the Potomac River. As one of the more popular parks in the area, the riverside retreat is still a popular meeting place and can get crowded on nice days. There is a Visitor’s Center with maps and history of the area and picnic tables to enjoy an alfresco meal.

Visitors can get a small taste of the history by taking a boat ride through the 8-foot rise of the canal while park attendants, dressed in period costumes, tell the story of the area.

The falls are a natural boundary between the navigable tidal Potomac below and the river’s freshwater mainstem above, thwarting those who travel by water. This holds true for both humans and aquatic species, as this area is the natural upstream boundary of the American shad migration.

The variety of hiking levels go from “Easy Stroll” to “Mountain Goat-Inspired.” If you are of the mountain goat-variety hiker, check out the 1.7-mile Section A of the Billy Goat Trail. Make sure to bring water, snacks, sunscreen, and a map, as the short distance can be deceivingly hard, especially on warm days.

The rapids are for admiring, not for swimming or wading. It is dangerous and illegal to swim anywhere in Great Falls Park. The 15-mile Potomac River Gorge can create unexpected treacherous conditions even for the most skilled swimmers and paddlers.

Always check Current Park Conditions before visiting the park as trails or other areas of interest could be closed.

Looking for someplace new to visit in the Potomac basin? The weekly About the Basin feature highlighting destinations (on our Facebook, Twitter, and Potomac River Watch) are now available on the Wandering the Watershed map. Readers can now choose a destination from our compiled list of basin gems. Visit regularly as new postings will be added. Enjoy your tour through the Potomac basin! The new feature also can be accessed through the maps page on our website.

The Shenandoah and South Branch Potomac basins are low but running near normal for this time of year. Both streams are showing some better fishing as river levels have risen from very low water levels. Anglers are reporting catches of smallmouth bass, channel catfish, and sunfish in both systems. A segment of the North Fork of the Shenandoah is till harboring blue-green algae blooms that could be harmful to people or pets that have contact with the water. Mountain streams in Shenandoah Park are running low and clear, requiring anglers to carefully approach wary fish.

Trout management areas on the North Branch Potomac continue to provide a cooler area that holds some nice brown and rainbow trout. Fly fishermen are using terrestrial and nymphs to catch some nice fish. The ICPRB continues to assist the Maryland Department of Natural Resources with creel surveys and data collection that will help in future management decisions.

The upper Potomac River is challenging for anglers who are finding the improved river levels still carry a fair amount of stain and sediment. Early morning and evening are the best, coolest times to find fish that are keeping to the middle of the river over rock gardens and boulders. Large eddies in the current are good spots to find fish. Anglers are using dark-colored soft plastics, spinners, and chatterbaits to get attention. The bite remains very light and presentations should be worked very slowly. Pay close attention to feel the gentle bite. Lander, Whites Ferry, and Brunswick provide access to some good stretches of river. Anglers are finding some bass and catfish at Fletcher’s Boat House.

Fishing is challenging in the metropolitan Potomac, with stained water and some patches of debris. Anglers are targeting bridge pilings and wood structure for largemouth bass. The Washington Channel is yielding some fish at the seawall and adjacent grass patches. Anglers are finding some fish off National Harbor and near Belle Haven Marina.

Downstream in the tidal Potomac, anglers are finding some largemouth bass off Piscataway and in Mattowoman Creek. Lilly pads and aquatic grass are good places to look on a moving tide. Stands of aquatic grass at lower tides are good places to use a floating frog or chatterbait for largemouth bass and northern snakeheads. Both species are also found in the Virginia embayments, where anglers are finding some large snakeheads. Early mornings and sunset are the best times to explore these waters which are about 85 degrees during the day. Large blue catfish are taking cut bait throughout the tidal river, with the largest found along channel edges. These fish are found all the way down to the river’s mouth.

Water in the Colonial Beach area continues to show stained water and large populations of sea nettles that can make line and lure handling difficult. Some areas are showing water temperatures in the high 80s. Striped bass are in the area, although many are smaller fish. Anglers are trolling or jigging for them in the early morning and evening. They are joined by good populations of Spanish mackerel that anglers are catching by trolling or jigging. Some nice spot and small croaker are being caught, with white perch and some blue catfish rounding out the menu.

Those conditions hold down the river’s mouth, where anglers are trolling and jigging for striped bass along the shipping channels. Anglers also are finding some large red drum. Anglers are sight fishing for cobia, and there are still some speckled trout. Crabbing remains tough. The area of low dissolved oxygen on the river bottom should keep anglers fishing above 25 feet to avoid the dead zone

We are grateful to the many river watchers who contribute to this effort. Particular thanks go to the state departments of natural resources, Potomac River Fisheries Commission, National Bass Guides, Shallow Water Fishing Adventures, and Machodoc Creek Marina.

Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve

August 20, 2021

The Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve is an outdoor living laboratory located only an hour drive from the D.C. Metro area. It is staffed with Natural Area Preserve managers who carefully oversee the 2,486 acres to preserve the impressive biodiversity and the unique forest and woodland communities found on the mountain.

Photo Credit: Virginia Outdoors Foundation

Since 2002, Bull Run has been owned and managed by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) which was established to promote the preservation of open-space lands and to encourage private gifts of money, securities, land or other property to preserve the natural, scenic, historic, scientific, open-space and recreational areas of the Commonwealth. They protect 850,000 acres across Virginia.

In an effort to balance public use with the preservation of the natural ecosystem, the northern section has restricted access, and the southern section is only open to the public Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The public can access the area by way of 7-miles of hiking trails, public programming, and volunteer opportunities. Grab a trail map to find the hikes that lead to picturesque views of the Blue Ridge mountains. A few simple rules apply during your visit: please stay on the designated trails, no dogs are allowed, and practice Leave No Trace principles. They also host school-aged children, university students, and researchers. There is an active stream restoration and monitoring program on site.

Cultural history is an important part of the VOF program. The area is part of the ancestral land of the Manahoac Indigenous people who practiced prescribed burning to create a wildlife habitat conducive for hunting. However, according to notes by the explorer John Smith, they did not burn the hills along Bull Run and throughout the Blue Ridge mountains. The VOF protects many regionally important cultural history sites on the land. Staff provide guided hikes with titles such as Black and African American History of the Preserve and a spooky Cemetery Night Hike. Volunteers are a vital part of the program, so if this sounds interesting, contact them to find out more.

Another organization along the mountain is the Bull Run Mountains Conservancy which protects the Bull Run Mountains through education, research, and stewardship. They provide education, research, and volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Halloween Safari is an annual event in October which is a not-as-spooky-as-it-sounds nighttime hike followed by a bonfire and live music.

Contact these organizations to learn more about the recreation, education, and volunteer opportunities in the area.