Why GFP?

Great Falls Park is a small U.S. National Park located on the southern banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, VA. It is 800 acres of woodland and riparian ecosystems, characterized by steep, rocky river sides, with trails and overlooks maintained for the pleasure and safety of visitors. The falls for which the park is named, are created by a drop in elevation of the Potomac of more than 75 feet in less than a mile (NPS, 2015).

The purpose of this blog is to help me and others become more familiar with the biodiversity, geologic and social history, and other fascinating features of Great Falls Park, in order to promote stewardship of this local gem and National Park. I was born and raised in the town of Great Falls, VA and frequently visited the park with family and friends for hikes, runs, picnics, and taking in the scenery. It was not until I was a teenager that I realized that it is a National Park, which carries with it significance. It is steeped in geologic history, as well as Native and Colonial American history, and while it changes day by day according to the ebb and flow of the complex freshwater system of which it is a part, it remains the same striking example of the expanse that is Earth's history, the power of nature, and the intersection of environment and human society.