3 Great Falls
National Park
While you’ve been
driving, the towpath
has been twisting and
turning for 15 miles to the
Great Falls Tavern Visitor
Center (%301-767-3714;
11710 MacArthur Blvd, Potomac,
MD; h9am-4:30pm Wed-Sun,
boat rides 11am & 3pm Wed-Fri,
11am, 1:30pm & 3pm Sat & Sun).
From here you can book a
canal boat ride, a favorite
activity among kids.
The one-hour trips are
a leisurely introduction
to the rhythms of the
waterway, and are well
worth the $8/5 price tag
for adults/children. The
4.7-mile Billy Goat Trail,
which begins near the
visitor center, takes you
on an enjoyable scramble
over rugged, river-
smoothed boulders.5 p201
The Drive » Head back on
MacArthur Blvd for 1.2 miles,
then turn left onto Falls Rd.
Follow it for about 2 miles, then
turn left onto River Rd and
follow it for 6 miles through
some of the poshest suburbs of
Montgomery County.4 Blockhouse Point
A little further up the
river, Montgomery County
has carved the pretty
little Blockhouse Point
Conservation Park (%301-
670-8080; 14750 River Road,
Darnestown; hsunrise-sunset;
p) out of this corner of thePotomac River Valley. From
Blockhouse Point, you’ll see
views of the Potomac Valley
and ruins of Civil War
bunkers. Nearby Seneca
Creek State Park (%301-
924-2127; 11950 Clopper Road
Gaithersburg; h8am-sunset Mar-
Oct, from 10am Nov-Feb; p#)
is a much larger affair,
consisting of the woods
that hug Seneca Creek,
which winds a twisty
course to the Potomac.Miles of hiking and
biking trails and boating
opportunities await in
Seneca Creek, though
if you’re a horror film
buff, you may already be
familiar with these woods- this is where 1999’s Blair
Witch Project was filmed.
The Drive » Stay westbound
on River Rd for 3 miles, then turn
right to get onto Partnership
Rd. Take Partnership for about
4 miles through meadows andTRIP HIGHLIGHTSKIP BROWN/GETTY IMAGES ©WASHINGTON.DC,.MARYLAND.&.DELAWARE.TRIPS.16
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