Amazing hiking trails! Trails are pretty accessible for all levels…read more The trail maps need updating as there are some new trails.

It's closed for months to repair a sewage siphon in spring, which is ridiculous. There's a sewage…read morepipe that empties into the waterfall area, but people don't seem to care and they swim, even though you can smell the sewage. The whole place and even the forest is littered with hard lemonade and beer bottles, babies diapers, dog poop and all kinds of food wrappers.

My granddaughter loves Hadley's Park. It is well designed and has special tiles that provide areas…read morethat absorb falls and scrapes in the most gentle manor. There is a castle, a pirate ship, and a frontier village to play on. Each large structure has accessible ramps for young children. There are swings, rockers, slides and other fun equipment for kids to play on. The park has baseball fields and soccer fields for kids to play games on. They get quite busy during the school year. This park was redesigned and provides a lovely area for kids to enjoy. It is right off Falls Road in Rockville.

the park is good but little kids keep tripping and getting hurt on the massive cracks on the…read morepark's floor, and the flies are relentless, there are way too many flies and mosquitos, this is NOT a good park

Great park with plenty of activities happening throughout the week! Lots of trails heading in north…read moredirections along the river- we walked about one mile from the visitors center and reached the Potomac dam which has great views. The trails were well taken care of. I arrived around 9am and there was plenty of parking and not too many other people on the trail

Hands-down, one of my favorite parks to go to in the Great Falls area. There's plenty of parking. I…read morelove to come here with my Doggo and hike, the trail all the way to the view of the falls.

Grading on the curve of "it's in Maryland", this is a fantastic trail!…read more If this were west of the rockies though, it would be A-OK. There is one tiny section where you actually have to scramble. The rest of it is pretty much a moderate hike with some lite route-finding. We saw multiple snakes on the way in, which were the highlight. Definitely worth doing if you're in the area, but probably not worth a dedicated trip if you're in DC proper.

Not a reflection of the trail as a whole, but when I stopped back on this occasion I was dismayed…read more It was one thing during the peak of the COVID era when there were signs up saying this trail was to be undertaken in one direction only. People were throwing around all sorts of silly rules out of desperation in those days. I doubt any lives were saved by this; maybe the theory was to reduce human contact but realistically, we're talking about hiking in open air. Public health aside, I return to find even now there are still signs saying to take the trail one way. And having done it both ways many times, it's the wrong way! Absurd. Supposedly there's some justification, but I think that grown adults can figure out how to hike in two directions without running into each other. As an overall natural resource, it remains a gem (though it must be noted that the Billy Goat B trail downstream is currently closed due to damage). But whoever is making these stupid rules shouldn't be in the business of making rules at all. Thankfully some rebels were taking the trail in the northernly direction, as well they should.

This climbing spot is more than that. The Billy Goat Trail goes through it passing stunning rock…read moreformations that bleed into the Potomac River. There's a large parking lot with restrooms, drinking fountains, and clear signage. It's also close to many other things to do in the area like Lockhouse 10, Glen Echo, and more.

I love the Canal Tow Path. I have run along it a couple dozen times. I usually enter in Georgetown…read moreor at Fletcher's Cove. But I also start at Carderock for a change or if that is how the race is set up. I don't do much in the park itself. But I see it is a lovely, underused facility (which I don't want to ruin). There is, as people have mentioned, a military facility nearby. I wonder as I drive around, if they are conducting surveillance or if you'd get in trouble for doing something such as taking photographs. I've never had an issue though, if you were wondering. I have gotten lost, however, because it's not quite clear (and GPS is not precise) how you get to where you want to go once you take the exit. I recommend Carderock highly for a hike. I believe it also is a nice place to hang out, even if you don't get to the trail (but why would you go here and not at least take a gander at the water).

I visited Great Falls NP on a spring-like day on May 30, 2026. This is a fantastic place to enjoy…read morenature on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. What are the pluses? First, the park includes waterfalls, pine trees, granite cliffs, and babbling brooks. Second, the Visitor's Center area has restrooms, staff who can answer questions, and a simple "old-school" ice cream and snack shop. Third, the river trail and waterfall outlooks provide amazing scenery without much effort - just a bit of walking. What more can you ask for? It's $20 per vehicle (for 7 days of use), or if you have an annual national park pass ($80), it's valid here. On the last Saturday of May 2026, it was crowded but parking was still available in the additional parking lot (second one past the visitor center) around 11:50am.

Great Falls & National Parks, Oh my!! (US National Parks) worth an Annual Pass…read more Do you like easy walking trails? Beautiful views? A front seat to nature...ducks, frogs eagles and other animals await your visit to Great Falls Park. It's really 2 parks in 1, or is that 1 park cut into 2? Let me explain, Great Falls is a national park that sits in the border of Maryland and Virginia. The trails were relatively easy, in regular sneakers. Apparently, if you get up in the morning you can see an amazing array of wildlife and a huge amount of birds. There's even a man made waterfall, areas to enjoy water sports and fishing. It cost $20 per car, $15 per motorcycle and $10 on foot. It cost $35 for Annual Pass (only for Great Falls Park and C&O Canal National Historical Park). There's also an America the Beautiful--the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, which cost $80 for US residents and citizens. For nonresident it cost $250. There are even a senior citizen resident annual pass for $20 and lifetime resident pass $80. For the cost of a one year annual pass, you can visit many times in a year. It's cheaper than paying each time you go...if you are into physical fitness, trails, nature and the great outdoors. Did you know the US National Parks include a rainforest and a Spanish Fort located in Puerto Rico, a US territory. Yes, for such a small area Washington, DC has 30 National Parks (including historic sites, memorials, and parkways). But wait there's more, The Greater Capital Region (DC, MD and DC) has 86 Parks in total with all parks and sites maintained by the US Parks Department. Are you going to Great Falls or will you hit all the US Parks this summer? Get a pass and get out in nature.

Cabin John Park is a great outdoor experience for kids, hosting gatherings, and playing sports in…read moreMontgomery County. This park is very much family-friendly and you will often find families frequenting this park, so please be patient and understanding. You can reserve picnic tables (online), grill, take advantage of the many sporting fields, ice skate, ride a mini train, hike, and play on the kids adventure playground. There are also designated dog areas specific for large and small dogs; please be mindful of the rules for dog management. There are generous accommodations here for dogs which you will find convenient. There are many shaded areas around the park, offering a canopy on hot days. Overall, a great park to bring the family or plan your next outdoor gathering.

Great playground with various stations for different age groups. It's about a 5min slow walk to…read morethe Cabin John mini train. Tickets are still $4/person and runs every 3min during season. There are many benches and shelters all over the park. Wonderful place to meet up for play dates when weather is good!

Really good place to go. For people with kids. Really clean place and nice people. Nice basketball…read morecourts outside.

Love, love, love this neighborhood park--and so do all the neighborhood kids. There are two…read moreplaygrounds (one for preschoolers, one for school-aged kids), two tennis courts, basketball hoops, a little league field, a few tables with BBQs, and a hill perfect for sledding when there is enough snow. The city shuts off the water to the water fountains a bit prematurely (early November) and there's some scary spots on the 2-5 year old playground that forces you to play with your kid to prevent them from falling...but that's not so bad. Thanks, Rockville for such a nice park!

Across from a school and in a residential neighborhood, McCrillis Gardens feels like the "hidden…read moregem" the Washingtonian Magazine once claimed it to be. Visiting on a Monday morning, here's my experience. 1) Entrance: Good thing there's clear signage. Otherwise, it would be easy to miss. When you walk in, there's a roundabout in front of an old house. The garden is behind the house. In case you miss the signs or the staff furiously yelling at you, you can't park here. Some park across the street at the school or you can find street parking along nearby Renshaw Drive. 2) Gardens: Go in the spring when flowers are in bloom. There are trails, benches, and other areas to find stillness.

So as stated, no parking on the property but there is a school across the street so off hours there…read morewould work. There is also a gate in the back and theee might be parking on street? I would guess spring would be the best time to visit as there looked to be lots of rhododendrons and daffodils. According to Carl, who is taking over the care of the property, there are azaleas blooming from March thru May.... So it looks like this property has been a little neglected in past years. Vines are growing , bushes have not been cut back. The restrooms were not open on our visit. It looks like a friends of volunteer group would be great for locals who would like to lend a hand. As we all know, it take a lot of effort!!!!

So great that this playground got rebuilt after the arson. Also has a great paved nature walk…read more There are so many butterflies bees, and beautiful native plants!

This is a really nice encompassing park in Potomac MD that can even be enjoyed in the snow. The…read moretheme is the Chesapeake Bay, particularly over in the little kid area. In that area there is a large play boat with a slide, a ramp, a wheel, a couple of climbing points ,and a few bouncy animals and stationary animals as well. It was hard to determine all the semantics of the park given that we visited when it was snow covered. The entire surfacing is rubber which is nice. The larger play area is a treehouse theme with a few different slides, a bridge, and a few various climbing ropes. There are plenty of picnic tables for warm weather and Theresa parking lot. A little trail also circles around the playground area. This is a really nice park: however, we only visited due to an appointment in the area. I don't think I'd venture here without another errand or such to tend to in this area.