Potomac - 3. Great Falls (Center Lines)


Potomac, Maryland, US/Virginia, US

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3. Great Falls (Center Lines)

Usual Difficulty V+ (for normal flows)
Length 1 Miles
Avg. Gradient 100 fpm
Max Gradient 500 fpm

Center Lines


Center Lines
Photo of Greg Morrison by Thilo Rusche

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
POTOMAC RIVER NEAR WASH, DC LITTLE FALLS PUMP STA
usgs-01646500 3.20 - 4.00 ft V+ 01h07m 3.95 ft (rc= 0.9 )
scary level to run grace, but fingers are still good. flat liner can be run at these levels


River Description

 

This reach description was borrowed/adapted from the WorldKayak.com river wiki.

 
Overview
 
Great Falls of the Potomac River is a major set of rapids located about 15 miles upstream of Washington, DC. The main Falls lines drop fifty feet in one-tenth of a mile, creating a Class V+ set of waterfalls. In addition, a portion of the river flows around Olmstead Island in a channel called the Fish Ladder (additional channels flow at higher water).
 
History
 
Paddlers have known about Great Falls as long as there has been whitewater kayaking. Many of the features -- such as the Spout, the Fingers, the Fish Ladder -- have names that predate paddling, in some cases by hundreds of years. But it was not until paddlers started running waterfalls regularly in the 1970s that paddlers began to seriously consider running the Falls. The first descent of Great Falls was made in 1975 by local experts Tom McEwan and Wick Walker, with the second descent by Steve McConaughy and Great Falls National Park Ranger Bill Kirby.
 
Access
 
Access to the river is restricted on both the Maryland and Virginia sides.
 

Maryland Side - Paddlers may put in anywhere on the Maryland shore, but may not leave the boardwalk across Olmstead Island. To run the Falls from the Maryland side, most people put in above and run the aqueduct dam, or put in below the dam at higher levels.

Virginia Side - Paddlers may not put in upstream of the Falls. To run the Falls from the Virginia side you must put in at Fisherman's Eddy and then ferry and carry above both O-Deck rapid and the Falls themselves.

Carry up the Flake for multiple laps. If the rocks are wet, this can be sketchier than running the Falls.
 
Running Great Falls is currently unrestricted. However, to maintain good relations with the National Park Service paddlers voluntarily restrict their runs to less populated times in the park—early morning, late evening, or weekdays—and limit group size and time spent in the rapid.
 
The Park Service is concerned about running the Falls at popular times because it can draw spectators down off the observation decks and closer to the river's edge -- where they might fall in the water and drown. And, if paddlers spend a lot of time running around and relaxing in the Falls, it can give the impression that such activities are not very difficult or dangerous. Since 1975, at least 30 people have drowned in Great Falls, so the Park Service is understandably nervous about this.
 
For more information, see the Guidelines for Running Great Falls as written by the Canoe Cruisers Association in 1999. Today regular Falls runners continue to dialog with the Park Service to make sure access remains open to all.
 
River Signals and Helicopters
 
The Park Service patrols the Potomac with a helicopter most summer weekends. In an effort to minimize confusion, the helicopter pilots are trained to recognize three signals from paddlers.
 
  • Everything OK - Tap the top of your helmet with one hand.
  • Emergency - Wave both arms together over your head (like jumping jacks), holding brightly colored objects if possible.
  • Need Medical Attention - Form an X with arms or paddles.
 
Don't signal the helicopters unless you need them! And if being inspected, be sure to give the OK sign if you don't need assistance. Sometimes hikers call in "emergencies" that aren't actually emergencies.
 

StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2011-09-07 15:30:56

Editors

Stream team editor
Details


John Greer, Grace Under Pressure

Detail Trip Report  John Greer, Grace Under Pressure  @Potomac River Great Falls (Center Lines), MD(3.16MB .jpeg)

Tim Madison, Grace Under Pressure

Detail Trip Report  Tim Madison, Grace Under Pressure  @Potomac River Great Falls (Center Lines), MD(3.17MB .jpeg)

Photo#824907

Detail Trip Report    @Potomac River Great Falls (Center Lines), MD( .)

Great Falls

Detail Trip Report  Great Falls  Great Falls, VA(296.05KB .jpeg)

Cramer Running Falls

Detail Trip Report  Cramer Running Falls  Potomac River, MD(171.85KB .jpeg)

Kayaker on Cliff

Detail Trip Report  Kayaker on Cliff  Potomac River, MD(132.38KB .jpeg)

Subway at low water

Detail Trip Report  Subway at low water  Potomac River, MD(119.82KB .jpeg)

Preparing to launch

Detail Trip Report  Preparing to launch  Potomac River, MD(66.95KB .jpeg)

Brooksy Boof

Detail Trip Report  Brooksy Boof  Potomac River, MD(73.21KB .jpeg)

Showboat

Detail Trip Report  Showboat  Potomac River, MD(380.77KB .jpeg)

The Flake

Detail Trip Report  The Flake  Potomac River, MD(122.23KB .jpeg)

Pinky Finger

Detail Trip Report  Pinky Finger  Potomac River, MD(118.24KB .jpeg)

The Fingers

Detail Trip Report  The Fingers  Potomac River, MD(365.23KB .jpeg)

Center Lines

Detail Trip Report  Center Lines  Potomac River, MD(144.09KB .jpeg)

Middle Finger

Detail Trip Report  Middle Finger  Potomac River, MD(239.38KB .jpeg)

The Ledges

Detail Trip Report  The Ledges  Potomac River, MD(35.36KB .jpeg)

Grace Under Pressure

Detail Trip Report  Grace Under Pressure  Potomac River, MD(105.24KB .jpeg)

The Ledges

Detail Trip Report  The Ledges  Potomac River, MD(191.28KB .jpeg)

Two kayakers running the Falls

Detail Trip Report  Two kayakers running the Falls  Potomac River, MD(122.55KB .jpeg)

Middle Finger

Detail Trip Report  Middle Finger  Potomac, MD(74.93KB .jpeg)

Grace

Detail Trip Report  Grace  Potomac, MD(47.86KB .jpeg)


Gauge Information

Gauge Description:

Below 3.3 the landing zone below the Fingers gets really shallow; however, you can run Grace and then ferry over to the MD side for Z-Turn and Horseshoe.  This is called the Alpine Line.  Above 3.8 Grace gets beefy and there's very little time to recover if something goes wrong.

 

The gage is located at Little Falls (aka Brookmont) Dam, where the river is very wide.  Consequently, an inch on the gage can translate to a foot at Great Falls.  The gage is also 8-9 miles downstream, so if the river is rising or falling rapidly there could be a discrepancy between the gage reading and the actual level.  Scout the rapids visually if there is any doubt.  (You were going to do that anyway, right?)

USGS Potomac River / Little Falls Gage

NOAA Prediction for Little Falls Gage

 

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
POTOMAC RIVER NEAR WASH, DC LITTLE FALLS PUMP STA
usgs-01646500 3.20 - 4.00 ft V+ 01h07m 3.95 ft (rc= 0.9 )
scary level to run grace, but fingers are still good. flat liner can be run at these levels

RangeWater LevelDifficultyComment
2.80 -3.20 ft somewhat Low-barely Low V+ Grace Under Pressure can be run as a novelty at these levels but the fingers are dry. look at the Md and Va lines instead
3.20 -3.40 ft barely runnable-med runnable V+ probably as low as you'd want to run the fingers. Good level for Grace and angel slot
3.40 -3.70 ft med runnable-a bit pushy runnable V+ Classic. Grace is excellent just be sure to stay in your boat and not get lost going through the ledges. ideal levels for the middle finger
3.70 -4.00 ft a bit pushy runnable-high runnable V+ scary level to run grace, but fingers are still good. flat liner can be run at these levels
4.00 -4.30 ft somewhat High-somewhat High V+ just peeling out to run the fingers is a serious undertaking with beatdown potential

Report - Reports of Potomac 3. Great Falls (Center Lines) and related gauges

Reports give the public a chance to report on river conditions throughout the country as well as log the history of a river.

Reports

When River/Gauge Subject Level Reporter
Potomac [MD] Middle Finger 3.7 Potomac Pathways
Potomac River [MD] Two kayakers running the Falls n/a Scott Anderson
1y135d06h53m /Potomac River-Great Falls (Center Lines) [MD] John Greer, Grace Under Pressure 0 cfs Brett Mayer-Aschhoff
1y135d06h54m /Potomac River-Great Falls (Center Lines) [MD] Tim Madison, Grace Under Pressure 0 cfs Brett Mayer-Aschhoff
1y364d10h29m @Potomac River Great Falls (Center Lines) [MD] Account of 02/11/10 n/a n/a
2y212d14h35m Great Falls [VA] http://www.lovelylightstudio.com/ n/a user: "Chrisrh2000"

WXPort

News






User Comments
2008-10-27 10:02:45 (1201 days ago)
Scott AndersonDetails
Thanks for your input. As the streamkeeper, I have to use my best judgment when listing river data.
The solutions aren't always ideal, but I will try to explain my rationale with regard to gradient.
"Please explain how a 1 mile stretch of river can have average gradient of 100 fpm and maximum
gradient of 500 fpm." The river drops 100 feet between the put-in and the take-out, which are 1
mile apart. So the average gradient is 100 fpm. However, the heart of the run drops 50 feet in 0.1
miles, for a maximum gradient of 500 fpm. "Maximum gradient figures cited 'up top' should always be
computed across a full mile, otherwise they are meaningless." Says who? There is no standard way to
calculate gradient. Leland Davis calculates gradient mile by mile in NC Rivers & Creeks, but
Stafford and McCutcheon use terms like "200 fpm," "200 fpm action," and "200 fpm crux" in The New
Testament. Which is right? Great Falls is a park and huck, so calculating gradient mile by mile
would be meaningless. Nobody puts in above Great Falls unless they plan on running it. They're not
there for the paddle in and the paddle out. The only section that counts is Great Falls itself,
which is 500 fpm. I would put "500 fpm crux" if I could, but the AW page builder doesn't give me
that option. Furthermore, removing the 500 fpm maximum gradient from 'up top' could mislead people
into thinking Great Falls is no steeper than the Upper Yough. "If you wish to convey that some
shorter portion has steeper gradient, you may express that within the text of the description..."
The description includes the following statement: "The main Falls lines drop fifty feet in
one-tenth of a mile." The reason I include the maximum gradient up top is that nobody reads the
description.
2008-10-08 03:14:29 (1220 days ago)
Please explain how a 1-mile stretch of river can have average gradient of 100 FPM and maximum
gradient of 500 FPM. Maximum gradient figures cited 'up top' should always be computed across a
full mile, otherwise they are meaningless. If you wish to convey that some shorter portion has
steeper gradient, you may express that within the text of the description (as "the river drops 50
feet in a quarter mile, for an effective gradient of 200 FPM") but that should NOT be in the
'Maximum Gradient' area. Edit
2008-09-02 12:54:29 (1256 days ago)
I was out here the other day to run the Spout. The temperature was supposedly about 93 degrees,
but, even though I arrived on Flake Island after sunset, the heat was very, very oppressive.
Sitting down to rest did not help, as the rocks were super-heated by the sun to around 120 degrees.
I was rapidly becoming seriously dehydrated and probably lost about 30 percent of my strength
before putting in to run the rapid. This rapid should probably not be scouted during daylight in
the summer. So watch out for the summer heat; I came close to having a heat stroke!!! Also, the
water temperature is close to 100 degrees, too, so it provides close to zero cooling. Edit
Users can submit comments.

Rapid Summary

Mile Rapid Name Class Features (Legend)
0.5Grace Under Pressure5.1Waterfall Photo
0.5The LedgesIV+Photo
0.5The Fingers5.0Waterfall Photo

Rapid Descriptions

Grace Under Pressure (Class 5.1, Mile 0.5)

Grace Under Pressure

Grace Under Pressure
Photo of Billy Boylan by John Boylan

 

Arguably the toughest standard line in Great Falls.  Skirt to the right of the guard hole, then boof off the right side of the 10-15' waterfall.  Watch for pinning rocks in the runout.  Eddy out left or right, or continue down to the Ledges.

The Sliding Board (Class 5.2) crashes into the bottom of Grace and is rarely run due to a horrible sieve on the left.



The Ledges (Class IV+, Mile 0.5)

The Ledges

The Ledges
Photo of Eric Jackson by Martin Radigan

 

A short sequence of 3-5' ledges and slots.  They're not that hard, but if you lose control or get disoriented things can go downhill in a hurry.  The center option is the traditional line and should be finished by boofing right into the pool above the Fingers.  The right-most option is called the Angel Slot and has some pinning potential.  The left options funnel toward Twist and Shout and Subway and should generally be avoided.



The Fingers (Class 5.0, Mile 0.5)

The Fingers

The Fingers
Photo of Gordon Dalton and Harris Haynie by Mike Malone

 

Also known as the Streamers.  Five slots that look alike from above, with serious consequences for choosing the wrong one.  From river left to right, they are:

  • Twist and Shout (Class 5.2) - Narrow, twisty flume with high pin/piton potential.  Sam Drevo used to run this back in the day.
  •  
  • Subway (Class 5.3) - Steep double drop with a sieve at the top and a cave at the bottom. Took the life of an experienced class V kayaker in 2004.  Avoid at all costs.

  •  

    The Index Finger (Class 5.0) - Pretty straightforward 20' boof.  This is the one you want.

  •  
  • The Middle Finger aka Flatliner (Class 5.1) - Shallow landing zone.  Miss the boof and you’re [censored].
  •  
  • The Pinky Finger aka Angel Hair (Class 5.1) - Lands in a boily cauldron between a sheer rock wall and an undercut boulder.


Make SURE you know which slot to take.




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 3. Great Falls (Center Lines), Potomac Maryland, US/Virginia, US (mobile)