Dear Members of the Geological Society of Washington,
We are pleased to invite you to the Spring Geological Society of Washington Field Trip on Saturday June 6th to The Billy Goat Trail at Great Falls. The trip will be led by USGS geologists Alan Pitts, Peter Valley, Alex Gray… and any other fun folks we convince to come along.
The event will include an approximately 3- hour walking tour including the Great Falls overlook and the northern portion of the Billy Goat Trail (From the northern entrance near the Stop Gate until approximately TM-1 on the map below). The official trip will finish at TM-1 before the trail becomes more difficult, while any adventurous hikers are free to continue ahead on their own.
Please register by emailing Alan Pitts at pitts.alan@gmail.com
Trip Details:
Location: Great Falls Park, Maryland
Duration: approximately 3 hour-walking tour
Date: June 6th, 2026
Time: 9:00am to 12:00pm-ish
Meeting Point: Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center
Parking options: Parking inside the park is widely available
Safety and Trail information: Please note that the Billy Goat Trail portion of the trip will involve hiking over rugged and rocky terrain. We recommend sturdy footwear and trekking poles if balance is an issue.
Our guided trip will explore the first section of the Billy Goat Trail and turn around at the TM-1 point on the map. For any hikers who are planning to continue onward please see the information and link below from the National Park Service
The hike involves scrambling over angled rocks, boulders and climbing. Visitors in less-than-optimal health, visitors with small children, and visitors not experienced or properly outfitted should consider other trail options. The 1.7-mile hike takes most visitors 2-3 hours to complete. Along the trail are views of Mather Gorge and Potomac River. This trail can close due to fooding from the river. Link: Billy Goat Trail – Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Register by emailing Alan Pitts at pitts.alan@gmail.com
We look forward to seeing you!
