BGuthrie Photos: VA -- McLean -- Great Falls Park

VA -- McLean -- Great Falls Park:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. GFALVA_121126_081.JPG: The Patowmack Canal 1785-1828 This canal, skirting the 76-foot drop of the Great Falls of the Potomac, was the most demanding and complex of the five canals built by the Patowmack Company. The company was founded by George Washington on May 17, 1785 to improve the Potomac River for access and trade with the western frontier. The agreement that was developed between Maryland and Virginia to share the river for their common purpose led to further meetings -- Annapolis (1786) and Philadelphia (1787) and to [the] drafting of the U.S. Constitution.
2. GFALVA_121126_118.JPG: People and the Potomac The Potomac River is the second largest watershed feeding the Chesapeake Bay. Early peoples depended on the river for food and made their homes along its banks. European settlers saw the river as a source for transportation, expansion, and settlement. We still rely on the river in important ways. Most of the people in the Washington, D.C. area depend on the Potomac River as a source of their drinking water. Millions more see the river as a place to recreate - a place to escape from busy lives. What is YOUR relationship to the river?
3. GFALVA_121126_201.JPG: A Globally Rare Environment The Potomac River Gorge "In more than twenty-five years of field work, I have not seen another site with a comparable diversity of land forms, plants, and natural communities." -- Gary Fleming, Ecologist, Virginia DCR Look around you. Have you noticed the unusual landscape here? Because of this landscape's wild river and rocky terrain, this is one of the country's most biologically diverse areas. Bedrock terraces high above the river, precarious ledges and floodplains have become a fragile home to over 30 distinct plant communities, three of which are not found anywhere else in the world. What has and continues to cause this diverse, rare life to exist? The river before you is the answer. As you explore this 2.5-mile long trail you will encounter 14 trailside exhibits illustrating the unique features of the Potomac River Gorge and the important role it fills within the watershed.
4. GFALVA_121126_207.JPG: River of Change The Potomac River at Great Falls The Potomac River begins as a small spring near Fairfax Stone, West Virginia. Like a giant funnel it gathers water from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia as it travels 383 miles to the Chesapeake Bay. When it reaches Great Falls, the river narrows and drops 76 feet into a canyon called Mather Gorge. Changing weather conditions in the river's watershed affect the character of the river at Great Falls. During dry periods the river shrinks to a trickle on the face of a rock wall. At average flow, the river cascades over the rock into a 25-foot deep pool. Within 72 hours after a snow melt or heavy rains upstream, the Potomac swells. Sometimes the flow is so great that all the water cannot force its way through the narrow entrance of Mather Gorge. When this happens, the river backs up, covers the falls and floods the riverbank.
5. GFALVA_121126_260.JPG: The Patowmack Canal The shallow ditch behind this sign marks the bed of the Great Falls portion of the Patowmack Canal. A system of by-passes to provide riverboats easy passage around waterfalls in the Potomac River; it was promoted by George Washington, and built between 1785 and 1802.
6. GFALVA_121126_340.JPG: Holding Basin Since entering the woods, you have been walking through what was the holding basin of the Patowmack Canal. Water held here by wooden gates was used to fill the locks for boats locking through.
7. GFALVA_121126_372.JPG: Lock No. 1: This was the first of 5 locks on the Great Falls portion of the Patowmack Canal. Used from 1802 to 1828, they lifted or lowered riverboats the 75 feet that the river drops in going over the falls.
8. GFALVA_121126_378.JPG: National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Great Falls Canal and Locks Constructed 1785-1802. Operated until 1821 -- -- -- These works were the major feature of the first river navigation system for trade with the west. This pioneer waterway was begun under the leadership of George Washington as president of the Potowmack Company, 1785-89.
9. GFALVA_121126_410.JPG: How a Lock Worked: First Step: A boat going downstream entered the lock at its upper end. At the lower end a gate kept the water in. Second Step: The upper gate was then closed. Valves in the lower gate were opened and the water level was lowered to the elevation of the next lock downstream. Third Step: The lower gate was opened and the boat proceeded to the next lock. For boats going upstream, the procedure was reversed.
10. GFALVA_121126_524.JPG: Note the tree dangling by its roots on the left
11. GFALVA_121126_599.JPG: Life on the Edge: Here at Great Falls, the Potomac River winds its way past rugged cliffs on its journey to the Chesapeake Bay. The rocky cliff tops are home to an astonishing variety of trees and plants. The Potomac River's powerful floods scour the landscape, transporting plant seeds to new homes on the cliffs. A thriving riverside prairie can be found along the tops of the cliffs. Several grass species can be seen waving gently in the breeze. Wildflowers add splashes of color during the spring, summer, and fall months.
12. GFALVA_121126_619.JPG: Mather Gorge This mighty chasm, carved by the Potomac River, below the Great Falls is dedicated and named in memory of Stephen T. Mather July 4, 1867 - January 22, 1930 with untiring enthusiasm for the national park idea, he served as first director of the National Park Service, 1917-1929, helping shape America's national park system, A philosophy of conservation which has spread throughout the world. April 17, 1969
13. GFALVA_121126_631.JPG: High Water! Like you, thousands of visitors come to enjoy this scenic spot unaware of the devastating flood potential. As you stand on this imposing precipice, imagine the river raging through this narrow, mile-long gorge, gathering speed as it rises, at times engulfing this ledge and inundating the surrounding landscape. What causes the Potomac to overflow these cliffs? Major water events occurring in the watershed upstream, such as severe storms or significant snow melts accompanied by heavy rains, cause the river to rise swiftly. These converging waters, constricted by this natural funnel, force the water to rapidly back up and fill the gorge in front of you. What is the Mather Gorge? It is a gorge within a gorge. This mile-long narrows, bounded by steep rocky cliffs and covered sparsely with vegetation, lies within the 15-mile long Potomac River Gorge. Different theories exist about the formation of the Mather Gorge. However, through the millennia and continuing today, the true sculptor of these gnarled rock faces is the erosional force of the powerful Potomac River.
14. GFALVA_121126_665.JPG: Why is There a Hole in That Rock? The series of potholes in front of you were formed when the river flowed where you are standing today, some 35,000 years ago. The formation occurred during Ice Age floods, when strong currents moved tons of sediment downriver. Rock obstacles in the river created tornado-like circular flows called vortexes. The power of the vortex picks up fine sediment and drills into the rock. The result is a pothole. The erosive process is as modern as it is ancient. You can observe pothole formation wherever you see powerful, swirling currents. Consider this: scientists estimate that it takes 500 years to form a pothole. Perhaps you have already encountered numerous potholes along this trail.
15. GFALVA_121126_700.JPG: Flood water levels
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Wikipedia Description: Great Falls Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Great Falls Park is a small National Park Service (NPS) site in Virginia, United States. Situated on 900 acres (3.65 km�) along the banks of the Potomac River, the park is a disconnected but integral part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The Great Falls of the Potomac River are near the northern boundary of the park, as are the remains of the Patowmack Canal, the first canal in the United States that used locks to raise and lower boats.

History:

Native American petroglyphs have been discovered within the park on cliffs overlooking Difficult Run.

The Patowmack Canal, which George Washington partially funded, was a one-mile (1.6 km) bypass canal that began operating in 1785 to give small barges the opportunity to skirt around the falls and to distribute manufactured goods upstream and raw materials downsteam. The park visitor center has the bottom portions of two wooden canal lock gates excavated in the 1980s from the canal. The gates survived from at least the 1830s and were found during restoration projects on stonework which were erected for the canal locks. Stone mason marks found on the stones are unique to each artisan and are identical to some found in foundation stones of the White House and the U.S. Capitol.

During the construction of the canal, blasting powder, which at the time was essentially gunpowder, was used to blast through solid rocks. This is one of the first known examples of blasting powder being used for engineering purposes anywhere in the world. The canal was never a profitable enterprise. With the completion of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal on the opposite side of the river, and the oncoming age of railroads, the project was abandoned in 1830. The canal is a Civil Engineering Landmark as well as a Virginia Historic Landmark. Along the trails, the ruins of the small town of Matildaville can also be found.

Between 1906 and 1932, the Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad and its successor, the Washington and Old Dominion Railway, operated an amusement park (trolley park) at the falls. Located at the end of an electric trolley line that began in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., the park contained picnic grounds, a dance pavilion, and a carousel. In the evenings, a searchlight illuminated the falls. The park continues to provide picnic grounds and a visitor's center but the carousel that operated between 1954 and 1972 was destroyed by a flood caused by Hurricane Agnes.

The George Washington Memorial Parkway was developed to ensure the easy linkage of George Washington's most visited places. Great Falls Park was a part of the Northern Virginia Parks system and was transferred to the NPS in 1966. A proposed bridge to span the falls was also considered but, due to a strong lobby to eliminate additional bridges over the Potomac and concerns over environmental impacts, the project was never undertaken.

Access and amenities:

Access the park by exiting Interstate 495 (the Capital Beltway) at Georgetown Pike (Virginia Route 193) and head west 3 miles (4.5 km) to Old Dominion Drive. From there follow the signs north 1 mile (1.5 km) to the park entrance. There is a $5 entrance fee per car for visitors who drive into the park. There is no charge for those who hike in along trails from Georgetown Pike or from Riverbend Park. The park is open only during daylight hours.

The park has several viewing platforms that provide visitors with vantage points overlooking the falls. The NPS operates a visitor center near the falls.

Fifteen miles (24 km) of hiking trails encompass the park and follow a small stream known as Difficult Run. A scenic trail near the river travels upstream from a landing at the mouth of Difficult Run, climbs to the top of Mather Gorge and passes the falls, a dam, and a reservoir before ending in Fairfax County's Riverbend Park.

Rock climbers frequent the cliffs in Mather Gorge above the Potomac. Some consider the park to be the best location for this activity in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

The park contains a large picnic area and sufficient parking for 600 vehicles. On busy weekends all the parking may fill up by early in the morning, creating delays and temporary closures lasting up to several hours. The NPS does not permit camping in the park.

The falls total 76 feet (20 m) over a series of major cascades. The Great Falls are rated Class 5-6 Whitewater according to the International Scale of River Difficulty. Since the early 1990s the Falls have been a popular destination for expert whitewater boaters in the DC area. Below the falls, through Mather Gorge, the river is rated class 2-3 and has been a very popular kayaking run since the 1960s.

Entry into the water above the falls from the Virginia side is illegal. An average of seven drownings per year occur in the Potomac River in the park vicinity, most of them alcohol related even though consumption of alcoholic beverages is illegal within the park.
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