Great Falls of the Potomac, Maryland side, April 24, 2013

Today we traveled about 45 miles south to a place we visited last summer. We were curious to see if the Potomac was more filled with water this spring. Last summer, we visited the Virginia side of the river. This time, we went on the Maryland side.

We had determined that we would hike one or two of the trails there. After reading trails descriptions, we settled on the aptly named Billy Goat trail. It had been billed as a strenuous trail, one where  you'd have to scramble over large boulders, and climb up cliff faces. Hey--we're in good shape--no problem!

The first part of the trail was really pretty easy, down the flat tow path, and through a hardwood forest. Easy-peasy. Then came the billy goat part. The hike takes you on a "path" parallel to the Potomac, up on the crest of the river bank. That "path" was, in large part, more like a boulder field. There was little or no dirt, little or no place to put your whole foot flat on the ground. There was a lot of climbing up rock, and scrambling back down. At one point, we did find ourselves on a "beach" of sorts. Unfortunately, we had to climb back up a steep granite face to get back up to the crest of the river bank. All in all, it took us about 4 hours. Here are a few pictures:

I've got to say, that there were times on the trail, when we wondered how we were going to get up and over the rocks. But, fact is, after you've been on the trail for a few hours, you know that you can't turn around and go back, so you find a way. The last leg of the trail takes you along the tow path, reward for the tough hike you just did. It was a beautiful day, and the views of the river from the trail were fabulous.

BTW, the falls were fantastic as well. The Maryland side offers a different perspective.