Mather Gorge
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Mather Gorge is a river gorge south and just downriver of Great Falls on the border of Maryland and Virginia. The Maryland side of the gorge is part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and the Virginia side is part of Great Falls Park. Both parks are National Park Service sites. The gorge is named after Stephen Tyng Mather, the first director of the National Park Service.
The gorge is cut by the Potomac River and is, for the most part, lined on both sides by cliffs. Towards the southern end of the gorge, the cliffs become tree-lined bluffs as the gorge widens out into the wider and larger Potomac Gorge. At this point the Potomac river crosses the fall line as it leaves the Appalachian Piedmont and enters the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Hiking is a common activity with many trails along and near the gorge. On the Maryland side, in the C&O Canal National Historical Park, Section A of the Billy Goat Trail follows the gorge. The River Trail in Great Falls Park follows the gorge on the Virginia side. The river in this area is a whitewater attraction. It is also a popular rock climbing attraction as the cliff heights and terrain lend themselves well to top rope climbing.
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