Great Falls (Center Lines)Class V+
1 Miles
Avg Gradient 100 fpm
Max Gradient 500 fpm
Center Lines
Center Lines Photo of Greg Morrison by Thilo Rusche Gauge Information
Potomac River
River Description
This reach description was borrowed/adapted from the WorldKayak.com river wiki. Overview
Great Falls of the Potomac River is a major set of rapids located about 15 miles upstream of Washington, DC. The main Falls lines drop fifty feet in one-tenth of a mile, creating a Class V+ set of waterfalls. In addition, a portion of the river flows around Olmstead Island in a channel called the Fish Ladder (additional channels flow at higher water).
History
Paddlers have known about Great Falls as long as there has been whitewater kayaking. Many of the features -- such as the Spout, the Fingers, the Fish Ladder -- have names that predate paddling, in some cases by hundreds of years. But it was not until paddlers started running waterfalls regularly in the 1970s that paddlers began to seriously consider running the Falls. The first descent of Great Falls was made in 1975 by local experts Tom McEwan and Wick Walker, with the second descent by Steve McConaughy and Great Falls National Park Ranger Bill Kirby.
Access
Access to the river is restricted on both the Maryland and Virginia sides.
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. Carry up the Flake for multiple laps. If the rocks are wet, this can be sketchier than running the Falls.
Running Great Falls is currently unrestricted. However, to maintain good relations with the National Park Service paddlers voluntarily restrict their runs to less populated times in the park—early morning, late evening, or weekdays—and limit group size and time spent in the rapid.
The Park Service is concerned about running the Falls at popular times because it can draw spectators down off the observation decks and closer to the river's edge -- where they might fall in the water and drown. And, if paddlers spend a lot of time running around and relaxing in the Falls, it can give the impression that such activities are not very difficult or dangerous. Since 1975, at least 30 people have drowned in Great Falls, so the Park Service is understandably nervous about this.
For more information, see the Guidelines for Running Great Falls as written by the Canoe Cruisers Association in 1999. Today regular Falls runners continue to dialog with the Park Service to make sure access remains open to all.
River Signals and Helicopters
The Park Service patrols the Potomac with a helicopter most summer weekends. In an effort to minimize confusion, the helicopter pilots are trained to recognize three signals from paddlers.
Don't signal the helicopters unless you need them! And if being inspected, be sure to give the OK sign if you don't need assistance. Sometimes hikers call in "emergencies" that aren't actually emergencies.
StreamTeam Status: unverified
Last Updated: unknown
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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
Potomac R/Little Falls, MD (R) [ MD ] |
Current Conditions
Station Graphs |
| Level Legend: | Running | Below Minimum Recommended Flow | Above Maximum Recommended Flow | Unknown |
| State | River Name/Section | Class | Level | Rel. Level | Updated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MD | Potomac— 2. Violette's Lock/GW Canal Loop | I-II | 2.93 Ft | med | 10/7 4:45 | |
| MD | Potomac— 4. Mather Gorge to Lock 10 | I-IV | 2.93 ft | med | 10/7 4:45 | |
| MD | Potomac— 5. Lock 10 to Little Falls | I | 2.93 feet | med | 10/7 4:45 | |
| MD | Potomac— 6. Little Falls | II-III(IV) | 2.93 ft | med | 10/7 4:45 | |
| MD | Potomac River— Great Falls (Center Lines) | V+ | 2.93 ft | low | 10/7 4:45 | |
| MD | Potomac River— Great Falls (MD Lines) | V+ | 2.93 ft | med | 10/7 4:45 | |
| MD | Potomac River— Great Falls (VA Lines) | V+ | 2.93 ft | med | 10/7 4:45 |
| AW Gauge ID: | 569 |
| USGS Station: | 01646500 |
| HUC: | 02070008 |
| Latitude: | 38.9494 |
| Longitude: | -77.1278 |
| Class: | 4 |
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. User Comments |
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2008-09-02 12:54:29 (34 days ago)
I was out here the other day to run the Spout. The temperature was supposedly about 93 degrees, 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
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| 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.
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