We were going to do this hike last weekend but we slept in. So this weekend we got up early on Saturday morning to go hike the Billy Goat Trail down at Great Falls. We did this hike one year ago just before Brady started at his new job and we decided it was time to do it again.
Since it was a relatively short hike, we only carried water, snacks, and sunscreen. We took three liters of water (with ice cubes added) for the two of us which was plenty since it wasn’t hot. It was in the 60s at the start of our hike and in the mid-70s when we finished. It was humid and my glasses kept fogging up so I had to take them off while we were hiking.
The Billy Goat Trail A is one of the most popular trails in the region and gets very crowded on the weekends. We’d hoped to park for free in the Anglers parking lot but it was already full by 8:30 am. It was $10 to park inside the main entrance and parking lot was relatively empty. The trail was significantly more crowded than our first time when we hiked in the early afternoon on a weekday. Since you’re scrambling on rocks for the whole trail, it’s much easier to maneuver with fewer people.
The biggest draw to the trail is the rock scrambling opportunities but I also love the range of scenery. You frequently find yourself in little pockets within these large boulders and rock mountains and it’s a surprising find when you come across a small pond nestled among the boulders.
One of my favorite sections of the trail is “Pothole Alley” (see photos below). You have to be careful with your footing here or an ankle could easily slip away from you but it’s a fun section to climb through. This section runs along the Mather Gorge where the river appears to be calm but is extremely dangerous below the surface. Read this really cool interactive article about it.
Pothole Alley was extremely crowded as we were hiking through. As we were enjoying the view, a young kid came along and began scooting down a rock towards a dropoff. His family had gone ahead without noticing that their kid was inching towards potential death. I was about to have a panic attack that this kid would be on the news so I snapped at him and he quickly reversed and went after his family.
A line had formed at the top and the bottom of the “50-foot traverse” and we had to wait a couple of minutes to go up. I love climbing here and I’d enjoy spending more time exploring here if it wasn’t so highly trafficked. I can imagine going down could be scary but I love this part.
We got stuck behind a youth group and a boy scout troop at a couple of points which slowed us down a bit. Otherwise, the trail was pretty clear in the second half. On the walk back along the towpath, we saw many turtles and fish in the canal and we even saw a great blue heron wrestle with a small snake.
It took us an hour and twenty minutes to complete the 1.75-mile trail and an additional hour of walking along the towpath for a total of just over 4 miles.
This post is part of the “Maryland’s Top Scenic Hikes” series on this blog. See the other hikes here.
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