Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail

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Great Falls Loop

Great Falls Loop

Description

The Great Falls Loop begins immediately west of our nation's capitol, along the brackish waters of the Potomac River. Continuing northwest along the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the loop trail follows the Potomac River upstream through the spectacular rapids and whirlpools of Great Falls National Park, to the northernmost site at Riverbend Park, which lies above the Fall Line and beyond the tidal effects of Chesapeake Bay. Following I-495 south (the Capital Beltway), the loop samples an assortment of habitats, ranging from extensive forets to narrow riparian corridors. From the Coastal Plain, a wintering ground of swans, geese, and ducks, to the Piedmont forest, an area alive with the songs of nesting scarlet tanagers, and cerulean and worm-eating warblers, the route unveils the natural beauty that exists a mere stone's throw from metropolitan Washington D.C.