General
The closest climbing to the Washington DC area – other than Carderock – is in the Mather Gorge of the Potomac River, roughly 15 miles northwest of Washington DC.
There are separate National Parks on both sides of the river. Great Falls Virginia has a visitor’s center and several overlooks from which to view the spectacle of the Great Falls of the Potomac, which is even more impressive during the spring runoff. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park on the Maryland side of the river has a visitor center, various information displays and also river overlooks. Both parks offer mostly flat hiking and some biking opportunities. The river is also popular with kayakers and birdwatchers.
Cell phone is spotty particularly on the Virginia side of the river and depends on your particular provider.
Access
Both National Parks can be reached via I495, the Beltway. The entrance to Great Falls National Park (VA) is on Georgetown Pike and the entrance to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park (MD) is on Falls Road.
There is a per day fee to enter either of these Parks, collected at the rangers’ booths. Or you can buy various yearly passes, some of which apply to all National Parks in the US. The comprehensive annual America The Beautiful pass is valid and there is a cheaper annual C&O Canal Parks pass that covers both of these parks. If you are entering these parks regularly the annual passes are a bargain.
Type of Climbing
The Mather Gorge offers around 260 rock climbing routes on the Virginia side of the river and another 60 or so routes on the Maryland side of the river, ranging from 20 – 60ft in height.. The majority of the routes are in the 5.7 – 5.10 range and typically involve face climbing. Most of the routes are on the river although there are several crags on both sides of the river that are set back on the cliff top.
Most climbers top rope these climbs as the majority of routes have little or no protection and bolting is not permitted. The rock type – mica schist – is very slippery and not conducive to placing solid trad gear. So you will need slings/static line/gear for building anchors at the cliff top, typically using trees and boulders. Anchors for many routes can also be backed up with trad gear.
The trees on the Virginia side see lots of use. Please avoid damage to the bark by pulling webbing and ropes around the trunk. Also try not to compact root soil, stand on rock if possible. Soil erosion and the health of these trees is one area that the park is intensely focused on and, rightly or wrongly, much of the stress these cliff top trees are seeing is being attributed to climbers.
Most of the climbs on both sides can be accessed by scrambling down to the river, although some may be more easily accessed from rappel – check the guidebooks. When the river is high some areas are inaccessible. The river can be dangerous and both kayakers and swimmers have drowned.
Note: Great Falls National Park is reviewing the impact of climbing and climbers throughout the gorge. PLEASE minimize your impact when moving around on top of and on the climbs. Observe all fencing and restrictions. The park has been very responsive to climber concerns over closures and has in all but a very few cases provided opening in fences to access the cliff top. Consider being a good custodian and packing out an extra bag of trash from the cliff bases.
Crag Logistics
Great Falls National Park is most easily accessed via the 495 Beltway
After passing through the Great Falls National Park rangers booth, make an immediate sharp right hand turn to get to the “Climbers Parking lot”.
There is a sign-inbox at the far end of the parking lot that is used as a meeting place, to leave messages for tardy climbers and to help folks spread out on the climbs. Please be courteous and sign in.
The trailhead through the gate to the right of the sign-in box leads to a number of different paths that directly and less directly take you to the visitor’s center, concessions, picnic areas, historical points of interests and the river’s climbing routes. The most direct route to the river is to follow the path past the restroom on your right and continue until you see the river.
The routes along the gorge are divided into areas referenced in the guide books. Often groups heading out to climb will use these names to indicate where they will be climbing.
For the Maryland side of Great Falls:, start at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal’s Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center. Walk south along the Canal Path until you meet the Billy Goat trail. The climbing areas are all found near this trail. You can also access the southern end of the Billy Goat trail by using the limited parking near the Old Anglers’ Inn and walking north along the canal path.
Climbing Restrictions
The National Park Service has placed restrictions on the areas available for rock climbing at Great Falls Virginia. Details are here.
Guidebooks
The most recent paper guide – A Climber’s Guide to the Great Falls of the Potomac – describing the climbing at Great Falls was published in 2001 by the Potomac Mountain Club.. It is available via online ordering or in person from the headquarters of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, the parent club for the Potomac Mountain Club. By purchasing the guide you are supporting the Club. The guide is also available in local outdoor shops and from Amazon.
There is also an electronic Rakkup guide that provides maps and descriptions for the climbing routes on the Virginia side off the river. It is based on the printed guide. The paper guide also includes the Maryland climbs, which will likely be included in future editions of the Rakkup guide.
Other online sources include Mountainproject. There are separate listings for Virginia and for Maryland . Or look at Bob Sihler’s summitpost.org pages which have excellent overviews, details and photos.
A selection of Great Falls climbs is given in Eric Horst’s 2013 book Rock Climbing Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland.