Mather Gorge & the Billy Goat Trail

Stand at three successive overlooks watching the Potomac drop 76 feet through a boulder-choked gorge — the falls are as dramatic as anything on the East Coast. The Virginia side park, managed by the National Park Service, was established in 1966 and sits on land that once housed a failed 18th-century canal project conceived by George Washington. Arrive before 9am on weekends to secure parking.

The 4.7-mile Section A is the crown jewel of the C&O Canal towpath system — a Class C scramble across bare Mather Gorge quartzite with sheer riverside cliffs, mandatory hand-and-foot boulder moves, and channel views that feel genuinely remote despite being 15 miles from the Capital Beltway. The trail was designated a National Recreation Trail in 1971. Allow 3–4 hours and bring water shoes for the optional wading sections in summer.