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Hikers at rest along Bear Island’s Billy Goat Trail Great blue heron at the rapids of Great Falls Virginia bluebells in the floodplain Kayakers paddling in Mather Gorge

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A A s g p o o e t a k c c o r T i e i E L r i l r e e e p r n r P S L b w r r p t i r c i w a p s Discover the Potomac Gorge: A National Treasure n the outskirts of Washington, D.C., O the Potomac River passes through a landscape of surprising beauty and ecological significance. Here, over many millennia, an unusual combination of natural forces has produced a unique corridor known as the Potomac Gorge.

This 15-mile river stretch is one of the country’s most biologically diverse areas, home to more than 1,400 plant species. Scientists have identified at least 30 distinct natural vegetation communities, several of which are globally rare and imperiled. The Gorge also supports a rich array of animal life, from rare invertebrates to the bald eagle and fish like the American shad. g g n n

In total, the Potomac Gorge provides habitat to i i m m e e l l F

F more than 200 rare plant species and natural

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© natural areas in the eastern United States. The heart of the Potomac Gorge is also known as Mather Gorge, named This riverside prairie at Great Falls, Virginia, results from periodic river flooding, after Stephen T. Mather, first director of the National Park Service. a natural disturbance that creates and sustains rare habitats. g g g n n n i i i e n m m m e r y e e e l l l a e l F F F P

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Flowering dogwood, a native forest understory species in our Specially adapted to withstand river The Potomac Gorge is home to Clinging precariously to the cliff’s edge, Brightly colored in its immature form, a reptile known as the region, is being decimated by an introduced fungal disease. flooding and scouring, rare plants like myriad bird species, from mig- Virginia pine is a characteristic species of five-lined skink is a regular sight in the Potomac Gorge. riverbank goldenrod take root and ratory songbirds to our national the rare bedrock terrace woodland of Great survive in rock crevices. emblem, the bald eagle. Falls and Bear Island.

WHAT IS THE POTOMAC GORGE? BE SAFE AND Over thousands of years, natural forces at dangerous rapids known as Great Falls — the of the longest, steepest fall zones on FOLLOW THE PARK RULES work in the Potomac Gorge have created a water level drops 60 feet in a half-mile stretch. the Atlantic slope. Despite its location in deep, narrow valley. Here, rainwater the Washington, D.C. metro region, the • It is unlawful to enter the Potomac River While a fall zone is characteristic of many gathered from an approximately 11,500- Potomac Gorge has one of the and C&O Canal from National Park lands U.S. east coast rivers, the Potomac has one square mile area upstream is funneled continent’s most intact fall zones, for wading, swimming, or bathing. The river through a constricted passageway, where unaffected by major dams and largely is extremely dangerous at all water levels, plants have adapted the ability to survive in unspoiled by riverfront development. especially near dams, falls, and rapids. the face of intense flood scouring. River currents are strong and unpredictable. Large rainstorms and melting snows A crossroads for plants and animals, this upriver regularly produce powerful •Stay on marked trails. Bicycles and area also supports a many different flooding in the Gorge. At times, horses are allowed only on designated

habitats, including scoured bedrock river floodwaters rise high enough to wash trails. Check with each park for specific

terraces, mature upland woods, rich over the Gorge’s 50–foot cliffs, but even rules before you visit.

floodplain forests, streams, and wetlands. lesser floods can scour the river’s

• Pet owners must keep dogs on leash in

It is this diversity of life that makes the ancient bedrock terraces, filling side

all park areas and must remove their pets’

Gorge a nationally significant conservation channels and inland ravines. Moreover,

waste. Dogs are prohibited on Olmsted

area. floods wash away years or decades of

Island, Bear Island, and the Billy Goat Trail

plant growth, rearrange soils and plants, d

The Potomac Gorge is located in the “fall n Section A. a and deposit new sediments and seeds g

zone,” where the river passes from the e i in their place. • Damaging, disturbing, collecting, or W

hard, erosion-resistant bedrock of the .

H removing natural, cultural, archaeological, .

Piedmont to the softer, sandy deposits of R The Potomac Gorge is a dynamic, and paleontological resources is prohibited. the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Over this 15–mile © highly disturbed environment, yet this corridor, the river drops from an elevation The unique geology, geography, and hydrology of the disturbance is a natural process and • Keep off archaeological and historic re- of 140 feet to 10 feet above sea level. At its Potomac Gorge produce its array of rare species and critical to the extraordinary natural sources unless explicitly permitted by parks. steepest point — the fast-flowing, diversity of the Gorge. natural communities. • Keep wildlife wild; don’t feed the animals. • Poisonous snakes and other wildlife live WHO OWNS AND CARES FOR THE POTOMAC GORGE? in the park. Watch where you put your hands and feet, particularly in rocky areas. We’re all responsible for the Gorge. Much of Public parkland in the Gorge includes the public infrastructure runs through the Gorge the Potomac Gorge’s 15–mile shoreline is National Park Service’s Chesapeake & Ohio — including water, sewer, gas, and power • Hunting and trapping in park areas are public parkland, where park managers Canal National Historical Park and George lines — providing critical services to the D.C. prohibited; fishing is subject to state or D.C. protect natural and cultural resources and Washington Memorial Parkway, which metro region population. While much of the licensing regulations. provide recreational opportunities for current administers Turkey Run Park, Great Falls Gorge’s immediate riverfront property is • Camping and campfires are permitted and future generations to enjoy. The river Park, and Glen Echo Park. In Virginia, the “protected” by being publicly owned and not only in designated areas. itself belongs to the State of Maryland, Fairfax County Park Authority oversees vulnerable to private development, it still extending back to colonial times. However, Riverbend Park and Scotts Run Nature faces a number of threats. • Alcohol, firearms, and metal detectors are responsibility for long-term stewardship of the Preserve, and there are several county prohibited in park areas. Gorge belongs to all who visit or live around stream valley parks on both sides of the river. this important natural area. Two private nonprofit conservation groups are active in the Gorge. The Nature Conservancy co–owns Bear Island, home of the popular Billy Goat Trail, with the National SELECTED Park Service. Potomac Conservancy owns e ATTRACTIONS c i Minnie’s Island and administers the C&O v r e

S Canal’s Lockhouse 8 Learning Center. George Washington Memorial Parkway k r a

P Other public and private lands are included in

d l Great Falls Park (VA) n a a n the nearly 10,000–acre area that’s the focus o

g Hiking, picnicking, kayaking, rock i t e i a of conservation action in the Potomac Gorge. climbing, bicycling, and horseback N W

. y Many homes and businesses exist in and s

H riding. e . t r around the Gorge, as well as schools, R

u 703-285-2965 o © C hospitals, and other institutions. Important www.nps.gov/gwmp/grfa Paddlers putting in from the Park rangers guide visitors at Great Falls. Turkey Run Park Angler’s Inn access area. Hiking, picnicking, spring wildflowers. 703-289-2500 WHAT ARE THE THREATS TO THE POTOMAC GORGE? www.nps.gov/gwmp/vapa/turkey.htm Several factors threaten the natural resources This oasis in the middle of an urban environ- Fort Marcy & Theodore Roosevelt Island e c i Hiking and historic interpretation. of the Gorge. More than 250 introduced v ment faces ongoing threats from human r e nonnative species, including garlic mustard, S activity as well. Stresses include expanding 703-289-2500

t s

Japanese honeysuckle, and kudzu crowd e residential and commercial development, www.nps.gov/gwmp/home.htm r o F out native plants. The region's large deer road and utility construction, and increased Glen Echo Park A population harms natural areas by D demand for water. Within the parks, high

S Dance, theater, and art classes. U g / n overeating native vegetation, altering natural t levels of visitor use create pressure to build i t Call 301-492-6229 e m g habitats, and preventing tree regeneration. e additional infrastructure, such as parking l www.nps.gov/glec g F a

l Introduced plant diseases like dogwood . lots. And insensitive recreational practices C

P Clara Barton National Historic Site

y y l r anthracnose also take a toll on native l can destroy natural areas by trampling

a Home of American Red Cross founder. a S G vegetation. vegetation, fragmenting habitats, and Call 301-492-6245 © © promoting the spread of invasive species. www.nps.gov/clba Kudzu White-tailed deer HOW CAN WE PROTECT THE POTOMAC GORGE? C&O Canal National Historical Park As one of the more than restore the parks’ resources. Be safe and For more information, get the Good Neighbor Georgetown Visitor Center two million people who follow the park rules. Above all, practice Handbook: A Guide to River Friendly Living in Canal towpath open to hiking and visit the Potomac Gorge “Leave No Trace” sensitive recreational use the Middle Potomac Region, on The Nature biking. each year, please do your principles (see opposite side). Conservancy’s website at www.nature.org/ 202-653-5190 part to help protect this goodneighbor or Potomac Conservancy’s site, www.nps.gov/choh If you live in the greater Washington, D.C. d

n exceptional place. Dis- www.potomac.org. The handbook’s topics Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center

a region, you also have an important role to g cover the Gorge’s special include landscaping with native species, Sixteen hiking trails; conditions and e i play. There are many things you can do in W

natural and historical controlling invasive nonnative species, difficulty vary. .

H your own backyard to help ensure a healthier . places. Volunteer with the reducing lawn chemical use, abating storm- 301-299-3613 R Potomac Gorge, Potomac River, and © parks or nonprofit groups water runoff, and permanently protecting Chesapeake Bay. Lockhouse 8 Learning Center Wild false indigo to help conserve and private land through conservation agreements. Accessible from southbound Clara Barton Parkway. 301-608-1188 (Potomac Conservancy) EXPLORE HISTORIC SITES IN THE POTOMAC GORGE www.potomac.org Besides its natural riches, the Potomac Across the river in Maryland and Washington, In Georgetown, walking tours and boat rides Gorge is home to many cultural and historical D.C., explore the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal take you back to this town's heyday as a County and Regional Parks Potomac Gorge Conservation Partners sites, reflecting human activity over National Historical Park, a 19th–century major tobacco port. Up the river in Maryland, Riverbend Park thousands of years. Beginning on the Virginia engineering marvel running 184.5 miles from Glen Echo Park offers year–round activities in Hiking, birding, spring wildflowers. side of the Potomac, the ruins of George Georgetown to Cumberland, MD. You can dance, theater, and the arts. Begun in 1891 703-759-9018 Washington’s Patowmack Canal are learn more about the C&O Canal at its two as part of the Chautauqua movement, Glen www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend preserved at Great Falls Park, along with D.C.–area Visitor Centers, in Georgetown and Echo was a popular amusement park until Scotts Run Nature Preserve remnants of the once bustling town of at Great Falls (MD). 1968. Community action by local citizens, in Waterfall, wildflowers, hiking trail. Matildaville. partnership with the National Park Service, has saved the park from destruction and Gulf Branch Nature Center Fort Marcy, just above Chain Bridge, was part The Nature Conservancy is a The National Park Service For more than ten years, the fosters its continued restoration. 703-228-3403 of the system of fortifications that surrounded global conservation organi- preserves unimpaired the Potomac Conservancy has www.arlingtonva.us zation whose mission is to natural and cultural resources been protecting the health, Washington, D.C., during the Civil War. A trail The Great Falls Tavern has been welcoming Potomac Overlook Regional Park preserve the plants, animals, and values of the national park beauty, and enjoyment of the connects several hundred yards of well– visitors since 1831, when the C&O Canal 703-528-5406 and natural communities that system for the enjoyment, Potomac River and its trib- preserved earthworks maintained by the Company responded to travelers’ requests represent the diversity of life on education, and inspiration of utaries. The Conservancy pro- k www.nvrpa.org/potomacoverlook.html c

National Park Service. a for shelter and meals. Now an NPS Visitor Earth by protecting the lands this and future generations. The vides conservation options and l F Cabin John Stream Valley Park and waters they need to Park Service cooperates with hands-on restoration oppor- e Center, the tavern offers year–round i

The Gorge ends where the river widens into n 301-299-0024 a interpretive programs. In addition to the canal survive. Through a strategic, partners to extend the benefits tunities throughout the Potomac h its tidal phase, and at this point you find p www.mc-mncppc.org science–based planning of natural and cultural resource River region, including in the e

t towpath, the Billy Goat Trail and the Gold

Theodore Roosevelt Island, an 88.5–acre S approach, TNC identified the conservation and outdoor Gorge, which it has identified as Mine Trail, among others, offer scenic vistas wooded preserve once used as a fishing site © Potomac Gorge as a priority recreation throughout this a critical landscape meriting and varied recreational opportunities. by Native Americans. The historic Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center. conservation area. country and the world. special protection.

© February 2005 The Nature Conservancy Printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks. Editors: Stephanie Flack & Karen Zachary. Designer: Karen Zachary. Detail Map: Tammy Stidham, National Park Service.