Due to Fed Govt closure, Great Falls Park barred entrance. I was able to park FREE and a ranger in the office noted the bathrooms are open and directed me to hike a section of the Heritage Trail along the Potomac (about 2 miles each way with the river in my left.) Walking at a moderate pace, I reached great falls in about 40-45 min each direction.

We hiked the trail on the Potomac to Great Falls and back. Beautiful trail with limited photo views of the river due to trees. Trail level is Moderate due to a few rocky spots and narrow footholds..

It's the entrance adjacent to the main great falls entrance with its own but smaller parking area.. Its visitor center is smaller than the main great falls visitor center and has a small gift shop that sells ice cream and other gift/outdoor items. They also sell live bait for fishing. The visitor center has bathrooms and also a small outdoor seating area with decent river view. The staff is very helpful too.

You can hike to the main great falls area in about 40 mins .. the trail is pretty flat and easy with couple of small rocky points.

Went in Sunday Aug 31, Labor Day weekend. Probably not a smart more but it was actually not as crowded as expected. The BLUE trail clearly marked, no obstructions, really nice trail to the falls. Drive was easy and park easy to find.

The park offers clean restroom facilities, comfortable seating areas, and a beautiful riverside trail. I enjoy walking there in every season from lush green leaves to bare and frosted branches.