Great Falls
Maryland · 46-foot drop · Last verified 2026-05-15
Right now
Tonight
66°F
Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy
Monday
95°F
Sunny
Today's daylight
Sunrise 5:54 AM · Sunset 8:16 PM · 14h 21m
Snapshot built 2d ago. Sources: NWS LWX.
Great Falls is a waterfall in Maryland. It drops roughly 46 feet. Access details and conditions have not yet been verified in person by Fallspots — the data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Great Falls is a series of rapids and waterfalls on the Potomac River in the state of Maryland 14 miles (23 km) upstream from Washington, D.C. As the border between the states of Maryland and Virginia generally follows the low-water line on the Virginia side, the river and falls at Great Falls lie within Montgomery County, Maryland, which abuts Fairfax County, Virginia on the far shore.
When to go (from the climate data, not our opinion)
Monthly averages from Open-Meteo's reanalysis dataset (2020–2024). Highlighted months are when we think the waterfall is at its best — but the numbers are the numbers regardless.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip (in) | Snow days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 30 | 3.6 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 49 | 32 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Mar | 57 | 38 | 3.7 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 65 | 45 | 4 | 0 |
| May | 73 | 54 | 3.8 | 0 |
| Jun | 84 | 64 | 4.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 89 | 70 | 6 | 0 |
| Aug | 86 | 68 | 6.9 | 0 |
| Sep | 78 | 61 | 5.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 68 | 51 | 2.9 | 0 |
| Nov | 57 | 41 | 2.9 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 48 | 33 | 4.3 | 3 |
Source: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API · ERA5 reanalysis 2020–2024.
Compare to nearby falls
If this one isn't the right fit, here's how it stacks up against the closest documented falls. Every column is filterable on the site — not buried in 13,000 reviews.
| Waterfall | Distance | Height | Trail | Dogs | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Falls (this page) | — | 46 ft | — | — | — |
| Scott's Run Falls | 3 mi | — | — | — | — |
| Stubblefield Falls | 4 mi | — | — | — | — |
| Little Falls | 8 mi | — | — | — | — |
| Brambleton Sign/Water Decoration | 15 mi | — | — | — | — |
| Coe Creek | 20 mi | — | — | — | — |
Related waterfalls
Similar height (~46 ft)
- Iris Falls46 ft
- Lower Copper Falls46 ft
- Ravine Twin Falls46 ft
- Sol Duc Falls46 ft
- Spearfish Falls46 ft
Questions visitors ask about Great Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
How tall is Great Falls?
Great Falls is 46 feet (14 m) tall. Height is sourced from OSM.
How far is Great Falls from a major city?
Great Falls is 3 miles from Great Falls (about 4 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in Maryland
Where it is
38.9977, -77.2529
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Falls_(Potomac_River)
Wikidata (Q1475394)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1475394
GeoNames (4761950)
https://www.geonames.org/4761950/
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
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Marina and Theo verify pages one road trip at a time. If you've been to Great Falls recently, your local knowledge improves the page for everyone. Pick the kind of contribution that fits — every email lands in our inbox and gets read (and credited when we publish).
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