My previous visits to Great Falls had been from the Maryland side, as had T's, so we headed down to Virginia to see them from a new angle. We actually started from Riverbend Park, north of the falls, and headed down the Potomac Heritage Trail.
There were plenty of folks out enjoying the nice weather, especially around the falls themselves. The Virginia side doesn't offer the experience of crossing over some of the channels on bridges, but the falls are spectacular either way.
We went past the three overlooks to where the river narrows, down to Sandy Landing, then returned via the Matildaville trail to the visitor's center area. We took the PHT back up to where we parked, then a bit farther north to see an eagle's nest across the river.
Our hike was about 7.5 miles, without significant elevation gain, but with minor scrambles over rocks. The restrooms at Matildaville were closed, including the port-a-johns stationed there, so beware that the visitor's center may be your only bet. Riverbend does charge $2 to park, on the honor system, so we avoided the fee to enter the national park.
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