Great Falls/Potomac River Tour
Ride Rating:
1
Ride Stats:
- Distance: 77 miles / 123.9 km
- Ride Time: 4-6 hours
- Approximate Fuel Costs: $5.85
- States Visited: Maryland, Virgina
What a scenic ride!!!
The Potomac River is a natural border between Maryland and Virginia. There are only two ways of crossing the Potomac River from Maryland's Montgomery County to the Virginia side. You can choose the Washington DC Beltway (I-495), or White's Ferry, which is further upstream.
The Potomac River is a rather large river with a strong current. Looks can be deceiving as it appears to be a rather lazy and laid back river at White's Ferry. We took this picture when we crossed back into Maryland on the way home on White's Ferry. The river looks calm....
You can see in the pictures taken at Great Falls earlier in the ride just how swift and strong the current is.
This is a picture at Great Falls from the Maryland side...
and here is a picture from the Virginia side.....WOW!
This route covers a number of diverse roadways. The back roads in both Maryland and Virginia are great, with a nice number of smooth curves, and wonderful scenery. Check out the pictures at the end of this article for more scenic views along the way.
I always try my best to avoid the Washington Beltway (I-495) and luckily, the distance traveled on I-495 for this tour is rather short. Do you see why I avoid this???
This area, by the way, is considered to be one of the wealthiest areas in the country, which is evident by the number of expensive homes we saw along the way.
ANIMALS........have to say something about them.....
You never know what kinds of animals you will see when traveling in this area. We saw everything from a Great Blue Huron.....
Some wild and crazed geese....
And a georgeous looking canine walking along the C&O Canal....
The Maryland side of Great Falls is more about the history of the C&O Canal. There is evidence of restoration work going on, and the area offers a lot in the way of hiking trails. For more information on this area, go to http://www.candocanal.org/
The Virginia side of Great Falls is where the spectacular views of the river are, as you can see in the pictures posted below. For more information on this area, go to http://www.nps.gov/grfa
The rest of these pictures below are in sequential order as taken along the ride.
On the Maryland side.....
And on to the Virginia side....
Now it time to go home via the ferry....
See ya next time!!
This is a motorcycle ride in the states Maryland, Virgina. This motorcycle route has 8 scenery characteristics and other road conditions to help you plan your road trip. This motorcycle map was created by AJMcBiker in June. Click here to see other Motorcycle Roads by AJMcBiker
BiggHoss says:
I ride that road and many of those areas on 4 wheels in my profession, I plan to ride on two this year. I love going across the Ferry, and the roads around the Great Falls area are awesome. Thank you for sharing.
Sat Mar 1, 2014 at 2:26 PM
hptdyber says:
Please note: it is 5.00 per vehicle but you get a three day pass for that. I road to the falls on the VA side and they were wonderful, then stopped at the Humble Monkey just before you get on 7 north for a great sandwich. I don't drink but I hear that they have a great selection fo wines and gourmet foods. The address is 1025-D Seneca Road in Great Falls VA 22066. The pictures that I took of the Falls were great and the history in the visitors center was done really well. I also met some other bikers at the Ferry and now I have new friends to ride with. They recommend Shenandoa in VA.
Fri Jan 11, 2013 at 9:09 AM
multistrada says:
Looks good - planning on a route similar to this next month. Looking forward to it.
-Dave
Fri Jan 11, 2013 at 9:09 AM
roadstar says:
Looks like a great ride. I really liked your photos.
Fri Jan 11, 2013 at 9:09 AM
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The best of the best. These folks have ridden and shared more roads than any other ORJ member this month.