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Swains Lock – Great Falls Overlook loop from Potomac

Routes

Running trails & routes

Swains Lock – Great Falls Overlook loop from Potomac

Hard

3.0

(26)

runners

Swains Lock – Great Falls Overlook loop from Potomac

03:16

31.1km

200m

Running

Hard run. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: May 15, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

4.43 km

Swains Lock

Highlight • Historical Site

These are hard to come by along the C&O canal and usually hidden. Always nice to know where to get water.

Tip by

8.72 km

Great Falls Overlook

Highlight • Viewpoint

This is a spectacular waterfall on the Potomac River. Water gushes over a series of jagged rocks and flows through the Mather Gorge.

Tip by

8.79 km

Start of the Great Falls Foot Trail

Highlight • Trail

The Great Falls of the Potomac is a place with various rapids and small falls in the Potomac. The place marked here may only be entered on foot. Bicycles and dogs 😜 must stay outside.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

9.10 km

Viewpoint

9.67 km

Lock 15 and View of the Potomac River

Highlight • River

Lock 15 marks the beginning of the "Six Locks" series, which raises the canal 50 feet past Great Falls. Built from red sandstone boulders transported from Seneca, these locks differ …

Tip by

10.8 km

Widewater

Lake

16.7 km

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Lake

16.9 km

The Lock-Keepers

Highlight • Historical Site

Tucked along the C&O Canal, the Lock-Keepers site offers a quiet glimpse into 19th-century canal life—where history, water, and woodland meet just moments from Bethesda.

Tip by

24.0 km

No bridge too far

Highlight • Trail

31.1 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

20.9 km

5.39 km

2.69 km

1.79 km

299 m

130 m

Surfaces

15.1 km

6.47 km

4.31 km

2.84 km

1.41 km

957 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (120 m)

Lowest point (20 m)

Weather

Today

Friday 26 June

31°C

21°C

32 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 8.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

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Swains Lock – Great Falls Overlook loop from Potomac

Swains Lock

Great Falls Overlook

Start of the Great Falls Foot Trail

Lock 15 and View of the Potomac River

The Lock-Keepers

No bridge too far

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