McLean Trip Overview
Amble along the cliffs overlooking the Potomac River, taking in thundering waterfalls, exciting rock climbing excursions, and the region’s most perilous kayaking spots. On this self-guided audio tour, you’ll have an opportunity to explore a few hidden gems found on the Great Falls Park trails. I’ll also show you one of my favorite, wilder paths at the national park – all guided step-by-step through GPS.
You’ll see that there’s much more to Great Falls than its viewing platforms. I’ll point you in the direction of the areas tourists don’t know about, including views of hidden waterfalls, the region’s best rock climbing and rappelling spots, and a route along the canal and through an abandoned colonial-era city. There are also several opportunities to go off-trail to get up-close with the rapids at the falls and, if you’re lucky, you might even see a daredevil kayaker trying their luck.
This tour can take up to two hours and, while it’s not especially strenuous, it’s plenty exciting!
Additional Info
Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Starts: McLean, United States
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Historical & Heritage Tours
Explore McLean Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting McLean, Virginia, United States
Amble along the cliffs overlooking the Potomac River, taking in thundering waterfalls, exciting rock climbing excursions, and the region’s most perilous kayaking spots. On this self-guided audio tour, you’ll have an opportunity to explore a few hidden gems found on the Great Falls Park trails. I’ll also show you one of my favorite, wilder paths at the national park – all guided step-by-step through GPS.
You’ll see that there’s much more to Great Falls than its viewing platforms. I’ll point you in the direction of the areas tourists don’t know about, including views of hidden waterfalls, the region’s best rock climbing and rappelling spots, and a route along the canal and through an abandoned colonial-era city. There are also several opportunities to go off-trail to get up-close with the rapids at the falls and, if you’re lucky, you might even see a daredevil kayaker trying their luck.
This tour can take up to two hours and, while it’s not especially strenuous, it’s plenty exciting!
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Great Falls Park, 9200 Old Dominion Dr, McLean, VA 22102-1019
Great Falls Park – the 3rd largest waterfalls in the United States, and one of the largest national parks immediately accessible to Washington DC. With a $20 vehicle access pass (not included in Viator package), you will have full access to the extensive Great Falls Park grounds and trails.
The Viator package includes a guided step-by-step audio tour, including a walking map that syncs to your phone’s GPS, as well as a narrated tour with over an hour of commentary about Great Falls and its hidden treasures.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Potomac River, Washington DC, DC
The iconic river that runs along the famous Washington DC monuments. This river runs through Great Falls along dramatic cliffs that tourists get to hike along. This stretch of river is particularly wild, and only extremely advanced kayakers attempt to navigate this stretch of river. Luckily, this tour gives you a bird’s eye view of the kayaking heroics as river level.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Matildaville Trail, Great Falls, VA 22102, USA
An abandoned city once visited by the United States’ first president, George Washington. Walk through the ruins of a long forgotten piece of American history.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Great Falls, Great Falls, Fairfax County, Virginia
The third largest waterfalls in the United States. A must see if you’re in the Washington DC area. You’ll have 3 different viewing platforms for these amazing waterfalls. You’ll also have views over the Mather Gorge downstream of the falls, as well as a view of hikers attempting the perilous Billy Goat Trail cliffs and Potomac River cliff rappelling, including Romeo’s Ladder and Juliet’s Balcony.
Duration: 20 minutes
