john1027
Mu-43 Veteran
The Great Falls of the Potomac and Mather Gorge are in my opinion the most spectacular natural landmarks in the Washington, DC area. The Potomac River Gorge is a 14-mile stretch of the Potomac River that extends from the Key Bridge in the District of Columbia to the Great Falls. The falls and the gorges can be seen from the overlooks and trails on the Virginia-side at the Great Fall National Park or on the Maryland-side within the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. All of this is located just 15 miles upstream from downtown Washington, DC.
The National Park Service (NPS) describes the falls as...cascading rapids and several 20 foot waterfalls with a 76-foot drop in elevation over a distance of less than one mile. The Potomac River narrows from nearly 1,000 feet, just above the falls, to between 60 and 100 feet wide as it rushes through Mather Gorge, a short distance below the falls. The Great Falls of the Potomac display the most spectacular fall line rapids of any eastern U.S. river. The falls are popular for kayaking and are classified as Class 5+ on the International Scale of River Difficulty, which equals extreme difficulty. Certain spots are Class 6, un-runnable, and dangerous. Below the falls and through Mather Gorge things are much more manageable, and the waters rank Class 2-3 which range between novice to intermediate.
The river in this area is always powerful and dangerous but is especially so at this time of year after most of our snow melted after a few days of warm weather. I’ve posted images before from this park but wanted to put up a few from the GF2 and a couple processed as HDR images.
GF2 & PL 20mm (5 image autobracket & PP w/Nik HDR Efex Pro)

GF2 & PL 14mm (5 image autobracket & PP w/Nik HDR Efex Pro)

GF2 & PL 14mm (5 image autobracket & PP w/Nik HDR Efex Pro)

GF2 & 20mm (5 image autobracket & PP w/Nik HDR Efex Pro)

GF2 & PL 45mm

GF2 & PL 45mm

GF2 & PL 45-200mm (@ 200mm)

The National Park Service (NPS) describes the falls as...cascading rapids and several 20 foot waterfalls with a 76-foot drop in elevation over a distance of less than one mile. The Potomac River narrows from nearly 1,000 feet, just above the falls, to between 60 and 100 feet wide as it rushes through Mather Gorge, a short distance below the falls. The Great Falls of the Potomac display the most spectacular fall line rapids of any eastern U.S. river. The falls are popular for kayaking and are classified as Class 5+ on the International Scale of River Difficulty, which equals extreme difficulty. Certain spots are Class 6, un-runnable, and dangerous. Below the falls and through Mather Gorge things are much more manageable, and the waters rank Class 2-3 which range between novice to intermediate.
The river in this area is always powerful and dangerous but is especially so at this time of year after most of our snow melted after a few days of warm weather. I’ve posted images before from this park but wanted to put up a few from the GF2 and a couple processed as HDR images.
GF2 & PL 20mm (5 image autobracket & PP w/Nik HDR Efex Pro)

GF2 & PL 14mm (5 image autobracket & PP w/Nik HDR Efex Pro)

GF2 & PL 14mm (5 image autobracket & PP w/Nik HDR Efex Pro)

GF2 & 20mm (5 image autobracket & PP w/Nik HDR Efex Pro)

GF2 & PL 45mm

GF2 & PL 45mm

GF2 & PL 45-200mm (@ 200mm)
