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- Roci<.. CuMBIN~ 1 S•,1NG W1LPFLOWEP..S IN sarrrs ~~ H ...ruR.E. ~ESEJWE ... NO TURKEY RUN PAR.I<. LEAVE iNO TRACE \.JA$H INGTON , D.C. More than two million people visit the Potomac Gorge parklands each year, raising the risk of our "loving the parks t o death." How can you help protect wildlife and natural areas when you visit? PLAN AHEAD, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO SHARE OUR TRAILS KE !O:P OUR l?.R.l 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 Atlanti c slope. Despite its location in deep, narrow valley. Here, rainwater the Washington, D.C. metro region, the • It is unlawful to enter the Potomac Rive r 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 vi sit. 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 ravin es . Moreover, waste. Dogs are prohibited on Olmsted area. floods was h away years or decades of Island, Bear Island, and the Billy Goat Trail plant growth, rearrange soils and plants, The Potomac Gorge is located in the "fall Section A. and deposit new sediments and seeds zone," where the river passes from the l ~ in their place. • Damaging, disturbing, collecting , or hard , erosion-resistant bedrock of the removing natural, cultural, archaeological, Piedmont to the softer, sandy deposits of ~ The Potomac Gorge is a dynamic, and paleontological resources is prohibited. the Atlantic Coastal Plain_Over this 15- mile C\il 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 archaeologica 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 an imals. • 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 ove rsees 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 ATTRACTIONS Minnie's Island and administers the C&O Canal's Lockhouse 8 Learning Center. George Washington Memorial Parkway ~ 8: Other public and private lands are included in Great Falls Park 0/A) the nearly 10,000- acre area that's the focus Hi king, picnicking, kayaking, rock of conservation action in the Potomac Gorge. climbing, bicycling, and horseback Many homes and businesses exist in and rid ing. around the Gorge, as well as schools, 703-285-2965 hospitals, and other institutions. Important www.nps.gov/gwmp/grfa Paddlers putting in from the Park rangers guide visitors at Grea_t_F,_a_ll_s_. ---- 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 of the Gorge. More than 250 introduced ment faces ongoing threats from human Hiking and historic interpretation. nonnative species, including garlic mustard, activity as well. Stresses include expanding 703-289-2500 Japanese honeysuckle, and kudzu crowd residential and commercial development, www.nps.gov/gwmp/home.htm out native plants. The region's large deer road and utility construction , and increased Glen Echo Park population harms natural areas by demand for water. Within the parks, high Dance, theater, and art classes. overeating native vegetation, altering natural levels of visitor use create pressure to build Call 301 -492-6229 habitats, and preventing tree regeneration. additional infrastructure, such as parking www.nps.gov/glec Introduced plant diseases like dogwood lots. And insensitive recreational practices Clara Barton National Historic Site anthracnose also take a toll on native can destroy natural areas by trampling Home of American Red Cross founder. 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. 11 exceptional place. Dis- www.potomac.org. The handbook's topics Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center region, you also have an important role to i'l, cover the Gorge's special include landscaping with native species, Sixteen hiking trails; conditions and play. There are many things you can do in ~ natural and historical controlling invasive nonnative species, difficulty vary. your own backyard to help ensure a healthier ~ Canal and ~ places. Volunteer with the reducing lawn chemical use, abating storm 301 -299-3613 Other trail Loca l (j) Restrooms ~ Whee[chair r.111 Picnic area Potomac Gorge, Potomac River, and c:::::::; towpath trail Parks accessible tall @ parks or nonprofit groups water runoff, and permanently protecting Lockhouse 8 Lea rn ing Center Chesapeake Bay. Rapids and NPS Parks Wild false indigo to help conserve and private land through conservation agreements. Accessi ble from southbound Clara hazardous G Parking LI Telephone [jJ) Snack bar A ~~~e;~?~:er ~ I areas 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 Potomac Gorge Conservation Partners 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 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 th e Chautauqua movement, Glen www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend The Nature r>. preserved at Great Falls Park, along with D.C.- area Visitor Centers, in Georgetown and Echo was a popular amusement park unti l Scotts Run Nature Preserve Conservancy. '/"~ remnants of the once bustling town of at Great Falls (MD). 1968. Community action by local citizens, in Waterfall, wildflowers, hiking trail. SAl/tNG THE t.AST Gft[ AT Pl.ACES ON EARTH 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 Con!lQrvancy 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 co nservatlpn organi preserves unimpaired the Potomac Conservancy has www.arlingtonva.us zation whose mi§sion 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 www .nvrpa.org/ potomacoverlook. htm I represent the diversity of life on education, and inspiration of utaries. The Conservancy pro National Park Service. ti for shelter and meals. Now an NPS Visitor Earth by pro tectirig the lands th is and future generations. The vides conservation options and ~ Center, the tavern offers year-round Cabin John Stream Valley Park and waters they need to Park Service cooperates with hands-on restoration oppor The Gorge ends where the river widens into interpretive programs. In addition to the canal 301-299-0024 su rv ive. Throug h a strategic, partners to extend the benefits tuniti es throughout the Potomac its tidal phase, and at this point you find towpath, the Billy Goat Trail and the Gold www.mc-mncppc.org science-based planning of natural and cultural resource River region, incl uding in the Theodore Roosevelt Island, an 88.5- acre J Mine Trail, among others, offer scenic vistas approach, TNC identified the conservation and outdoor Gorge, which it has identified as wooded preserve once used as a fishing site @ Potomac Gorge as a priority recreation throughout this a critical la ndscape meriting and varied recreational opportunities. by Native Americans. The historic Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center. conservati on area. country and the world. special protection. ~ Printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks.. • i ·r•, ,.- . -' ·- -· :.t:...u.~~~-;~~~l-y ~-..:·~~!~-4.- ~.:"' ~· ,· -.··-c1GEroWN, FouNDED lN 17Sl, Staying on marked trails is a simple way to Controlling your dog keeps people, wildlife, WA.S 1' HNDQ, PORT UNTIL ~E. EWO.,Y 1800s protect the Gorge's natural areas. Walking off and other dogs safe. Keep your dog on leash and CllESA.PEAKE. »ID OHIO CAW.L NAilONAL trail causes erosion, tramples plants, and under your command. Bring a plastic bag to f\ISTORI CM. PARK, C,EORGE.1'bwN increases the chance that invasive weeds will remove your pet's waste. Learn and respect where Vl51TORS CE~ ~ Cl\NlilL Sol\T replace native vegetation. Avoid areas that are dogs are pr ohibited. R11>ES "'"'0 L KS l·'t closed for revegetation or signed as sensitive. PACK IT IN, PACK IT OUT N~TWE l>.MERI CANS LIV£D A AND FISHED IN ~E GOii.GE. LEAVE IT AS YOU FIND IT Pick up all trash - yours and others - and ~ FoR THOUSAN - The Potomac Gorge is home to precious and carry it home with you. Litter is unsightly, OF YEARS '' BE.FoRE. irreplaceable natural and cultural resources, and dangerous, and attracts scavengers that can E.UROPE El(f>LORE~....,..,,..k we all have a responsibility to help preserve the harm wildlife. Even biodegradable materials such AAAIV£t:S area's integrity. Climbing on hist oric structures, as apple cores can take years to break down. IN l