Potomac River, |
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| Usual Difficulty | V+ (may vary with level) |
|---|---|
| Length | 1 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 100 fpm |
| Max Gradient | 500 fpm |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| POTOMAC RIVER NEAR WASH, DC LITTLE FALLS PUMP STA | ||||
| usgs-01646500 | 3.30 - 4.00 ft | V+ | 01h06m | 3.85 ft (rc= 0.8 ) |
This reach description was borrowed/adapted from the WorldKayak.com river wiki.
Maryland Side - Paddlers may put in anywhere on the Maryland shore, but may not leave the boardwalk across Olmstead Island. To run the Falls from the Maryland side, most people put in above and run the aqueduct dam, or put in below the dam at higher levels.
Virginia Side - Paddlers may not put in upstream of the Falls. To run the Falls from the Virginia side you must put in at Fisherman's Eddy and then ferry and carry above both O-Deck rapid and the Falls themselves.
Below 3.3 the landing zone below the Fingers gets really shallow; however, you can run Grace and then ferry over to the MD side for Z-Turn and Horseshoe. This is called the Alpine Line. Above 3.8 Grace gets beefy and there's very little time to recover if something goes wrong.
The gage is located at Little Falls (aka Brookmont) Dam, where the river is very wide. Consequently, an inch on the gage can translate to a foot at Great Falls. The gage is also 8-9 miles downstream, so if the river is rising or falling rapidly there could be a discrepancy between the gage reading and the actual level. Scout the rapids visually if there is any doubt. (You were going to do that anyway, right?)
USGS Potomac River / Little Falls Gage
NOAA Prediction for Little Falls Gage
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POTOMAC RIVER NEAR WASH, DC LITTLE FALLS PUMP STA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| usgs-01646500 | 3.30 - 4.00 ft | V+ | 01h06m | 3.85 ft (rc= 0.8 ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| When | River/Gauge | Subject | Level | Reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potomac [MD] |
Middle Finger
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3.7 | Potomac Pathways | |
| Potomac River [MD] |
Two kayakers running the Falls
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n/a | Scott Anderson | |
| 56d21h05m | /POTOMAC RIVER NEAR WASH, DC LITTLE FALLS PUMP STA [MD] | Account of 09/27/09 | 0.00 ft | n/a |
| 56d21h07m | /POTOMAC RIVER NEAR WASH, DC LITTLE FALLS PUMP STA [MD] | Account of 09/27/09 | 0 cfs | n/a |
| 133d00h36m | Great Falls [VA] |
http://www.lovelylightstudio.com/
|
n/a | 150737 |
No guide books for this stream. If you know of a book that describes this stream please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run. | Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | Grace Under Pressure | 5.1 |   |
| 0.5 | The Ledges | IV+ | |
| 0.5 | The Fingers | 5.0 | |
Arguably the toughest standard line in Great Falls. Skirt to the right of the guard hole, then boof off the right side of the 10-15' waterfall. Watch for pinning rocks in the runout. Eddy out left or right, or continue down to the Ledges.
The Sliding Board (Class 5.2) crashes into the bottom of Grace and is rarely run due to a horrible sieve on the left.
A short sequence of 3-5' ledges and slots. They're not that hard, but if you lose control or get disoriented things can go downhill in a hurry. The center option is the traditional line and should be finished by boofing right into the pool above the Fingers. The right-most option is called the Angel Slot and has some pinning potential. The left options funnel toward Twist and Shout and Subway and should generally be avoided.
Also known as the Streamers. Five slots that look alike from above, with serious consequences for choosing the wrong one. From river left to right, they are:
The Index Finger (Class 5.0) - Pretty straightforward 20' boof. This is the one you want.
Make SURE you know which slot to take.
River Alert
State News
River Links
NWRI - Potomac River Great Falls (Center Lines) (mobile)
User Comments
The solutions aren't always ideal, but I will try to explain my rationale with regard to gradient.
"Please explain how a 1 mile stretch of river can have average gradient of 100 fpm and maximum
gradient of 500 fpm." The river drops 100 feet between the put-in and the take-out, which are 1
mile apart. So the average gradient is 100 fpm. However, the heart of the run drops 50 feet in 0.1
miles, for a maximum gradient of 500 fpm. "Maximum gradient figures cited 'up top' should always be
computed across a full mile, otherwise they are meaningless." Says who? There is no standard way to
calculate gradient. Leland Davis calculates gradient mile by mile in NC Rivers & Creeks, but
Stafford and McCutcheon use terms like "200 fpm," "200 fpm action," and "200 fpm crux" in The New
Testament. Which is right? Great Falls is a park and huck, so calculating gradient mile by mile
would be meaningless. Nobody puts in above Great Falls unless they plan on running it. They're not
there for the paddle in and the paddle out. The only section that counts is Great Falls itself,
which is 500 fpm. I would put "500 fpm crux" if I could, but the AW page builder doesn't give me
that option. Furthermore, removing the 500 fpm maximum gradient from 'up top' could mislead people
into thinking Great Falls is no steeper than the Upper Yough. "If you wish to convey that some
shorter portion has steeper gradient, you may express that within the text of the description..."
The description includes the following statement: "The main Falls lines drop fifty feet in
one-tenth of a mile." The reason I include the maximum gradient up top is that nobody reads the
description.
gradient of 500 FPM. Maximum gradient figures cited 'up top' should always be computed across a
full mile, otherwise they are meaningless. If you wish to convey that some shorter portion has
steeper gradient, you may express that within the text of the description (as "the river drops 50
feet in a quarter mile, for an effective gradient of 200 FPM") but that should NOT be in the
'Maximum Gradient' area. Edit
but, even though I arrived on Flake Island after sunset, the heat was very, very oppressive.
Sitting down to rest did not help, as the rocks were super-heated by the sun to around 120 degrees.
I was rapidly becoming seriously dehydrated and probably lost about 30 percent of my strength
before putting in to run the rapid. This rapid should probably not be scouted during daylight in
the summer. So watch out for the summer heat; I came close to having a heat stroke!!! Also, the
water temperature is close to 100 degrees, too, so it provides close to zero cooling. Edit