Nice trail to beat the crowds and fees of nearby Great Falls Park. The winding trail follows the river and can be quite muddy in spots but its a nice hike.
The trail starts out with wider stonedust paths at the entrances, but the stonedust stops and it quickly becomes very narrow and with deep puddles and larger rocks. It is not "stroller friendly". There are some edges where the soil has eroded, and hikers need to exercise caution to not fall over the cliff. Very tall maple trees line the heavily shaded path. The path and water are extremely muddy when it rains.
The signs have deep scratches and could be restored, as well.
We decided to stop here aince great falls was full and the road closed. The trail was comparatively Quiet and tranquil with opportunities to Parkhurst among the rocks on the river
Beautiful park with great views throughout. Easy trail to walk along. I saw a belted kingfisher within minutes of starting on the trail. It was too fast for me to snap a picture! ?
Really nice park to enjoy in the winter. Dog friendly and connects to other hiking areas. Clean and with some walking you no longer hear the road and enjoy the calm of nature.
Lovely place to hike that follows the stream. Gorgeous and quaint area. There is a small beach close to the parking lot of you take the trail to the left of the parking lot. Parking lot is small so get there early! Great place to take kitties for a hike as there is enough room to spread out on most of the trail. Also, it’s free!
The Difficult Run Trail in Great Falls, Virginia offers a delightful outdoor experience. The length of the trail is almost 10 miles. Good place with beautiful views for hiking. Avoid visiting this place after heavy rain coz the trail becomes muddy.
It's a quick hike from Difficult Run into Great Falls. A few steep areas but overall I would rate it as an easy hike. There are several nice overlooks and a small but scenic waterfall on the way to the main park.
Vast area with many different trails that lead to different parts of the potomac or into great falls. I can spend hours on end exploring this place, have been for 15 years and still don't get tired of coming back!
We have been here many times and for me the place is one of the most beautiful in the DMV area. Unfortunately, on our last hike, we saw countless beverage cans and other rubbish in and close to the stream and in the forest. There are bags of dog poop everywhere. There was ugly graffiti on the stones in the river. Too bad...
Did not want to purchase a parking pass for Great Falls so went 2 minutes down the street. Parking lot was small but hey it’s free. It was not bad a lot of mud to be expected it was raining. We did see some deer. We just followed the mud that was our trail marker you can definitely see. I walked a mile out and back to car my shoes were just fine.
It’s my favorite place to hike in the dmv area. In the summer, there are many places to wade around in the water with friends. For a challenging hike, try the old ridge hike here, which connects all the way to great falls park. A romantic spot is the river hike which leads you to a sandy area- see photos below.
The south trail is the pretty straight forward, not too much effort required though it gets busy over the weekend so. Stream Valley Trail is a spectacular placefor a hike though, if you like getting out and enjoying the very best nature has to offer you will love this place. The water gets fast though so if you're taking the kids eep an eye on them.
Nice easy trail along the creek going south from the parking lot. Area gets busy on weekends, but at other times, can be fairly quiet once you are far enough away from the road. There are also access trails to the Great Falls park.
Great trail and the sound of water makes it for me. I arrived on a Wednesday and had plenty of parking. I can see why it fills up so quickly on the weekend. Parking is limited
Although the trail is called difficult run, it's actually a great hiking trail for everyone. There are a few riding the bicycles but the majority are hikers, many with dogs just like us. If you keeping going, one end leads to Great Falls. There were plenty of shade so didn't feel as hot and is especially nice and tranquil with the water along the trail.
A rather hidden gem in the Great Falls Park, this usually comes on your way out of the Park - Depending which way you're going. It would be worth your while to stop here and visit the little stream nearby. It descends into a creek. Most visitors to the Great Falls Park overlook this place. However, the place is raw, cool and nice.
This is a really cool hike, mostly flat just a couple of places where you have to walk over medium sized rocks. Usually not too crowded, at worst you have to wait 10 minutes in the parking lot to get a spot. Go down about 1/2 mile and you get to lots of little waterfalls, lots. If you stay on the trail to the right you walk beside the creek and eventually get to the Potomac, with a cool beach area. Right before the path meets the river, you can make a left on a path going up the hill, and if you keep going eventually you are on cliffs overlooking the Potomac. Very cool for a non-stressful hike!
Great place to go for a short or long hike. Parking lot gets full early. Uber can drop off and pick up from this location. I had enough reception with AT&T.
Lots of great hiking trails on this one, you can connect to great falls from here but make sure you’re prepared with enough water as the scenic route is a little longer but oh so worth it.
Very nice hike. In early April, shrubs are not too high, we were able to walk off trail and also jump on rocks in the middle of the creek. Parking is tight. But if you wait, someone is always leaving to take their spot.
Great hiking along the Difficult Run trail. The very picturesque and tranquil trail follows a robustly flowing stream with a crossing nicely facilitated by a line of large stones. The trail can get very muddy in places, so be prepared if you're heading out after a rainstorm. Lately just about any given day can be described as after a rainstorm, so I would suggest being prepared for mud no matter what. However, as long as you're willing to do some puddle jumping, you will be rewarded with a tranquil hike and ultimately a very nice view of the Potomac River.
Website
