Great Falls Park
National park · Virginia
The Potomac drops 76 feet over jagged bedrock cascades at this 800-acre National Park Service site near McLean, with cliffside trails past the ruins of George Washington's Patowmack Canal offering some of the region's most dramatic river-gorge foliage views.
Don’t miss
Peak: October 30–November 3
Color builds from October 18 · mostly bare by November 23
Sampled at Great Falls Park’s own coordinates and elevation (48 m) rather than a regional average.
16 weather points cover Virginia, and the model shifts their answer 4 days earlier, which is what it takes to match 1 published peak date from smokymountains.com. Against Virginia's own climatology, the 2026 weather puts the peak 4 days earlier. How the forecast works
When to go to Great Falls Park
Good color holds through about November 10, giving you roughly 23 days from the first turn to past peak. Against Virginia overall, that is 8 days later.
It is in Washington, DC, close enough to reach without planning a drive around it.
Great Falls Park on the map
Drag the date slider to see when color reaches this corner of Virginia, or tap a pin for that stop’s own peak window.
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Frequently asked
- When does Great Falls Park peak in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 30–November 3 (best estimate November 1). Color starts around October 18 and is mostly bare by November 23.
- How do I get to Great Falls Park?
- The closest city is Washington, DC, about 13 mi away (it's right in town). It's part of Virginia's fall lineup.
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