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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. |