This view can be had within minutes of parking the car. It's easy to see why this place is always packed!
A view of some falls from the footbridge
The C&O Canal with the towpath on the left that can be used to access the falls and Billy Goat Trail
By the banks of the Potomac River - very family friendly!
A view from the boulders on Billy Goat Section A
Me just chilling laid out on a sun-baked boulder.
There are lots of little islands sprinkled throughout the river
One of several riverside beaches which can be used for chilling
Great views literally footsteps at the start of Section A
It is apparent from the start how boulder-y this hike is
The famous 40 foot wall on Billy Goat Section A. Well-known among tourists and search and resuce personnel alike
The canal is pretty wide around Billy Goat Section B
Along the towpath near Carderock - shockingly green with algae
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Great Falls Park / Billy Goat Trail

This is probably the best hike within half an hour of where I live.  I live in a busy metropolitan area, though, and this place is almost always packed.  It’s easy to see why this place is so popular.  The park is located by the Potomac River exactly where there are huge, majestic waterfalls.  On the other side of the river, you can see Great Falls, Virginia.  It’s odd to think that you have people on the Virginia side of the river in sight; however, it would take almost 2 hours to actually reach them by car since there is no nearby bridge.

 

The falls are also convenient.  You can see the best ones by traversing a set of foot bridges accessible only a short walk from the parking area.  There are also museums and other educational bits since the famous C&O canal runs parallel to the Potomac here.  That is not to say solitude can’t be found here.  Obviously, weekends and afternoons are going to be the most busy.  However, I find this place is mostly full of locals and their visitors instead of out-of-town tourists, so July and August tend to be less busy due to many people being on vacation.  Bad weather days are also nice visiting times.

Everything in the area is accessible by using the C&O Canal Towpath, which is a wide dirt and gravel path used by tourists, bicyclists, and joggers.  Besides the footbridges to view the falls, there are several exits off the towpath where you can go to the banks of the Potomac River directly.

 

Along this canal, you can follow the towpath further south beyond the falls to access the Billy Goat Trail.  Again, Hiking Upward does a much better job detailing the route, so please follow the link in the sidebar for route specifics.  In general terms, there are 3 sections of the Billy Goat Trail that run parallel to the towpath (sections A, B, and C).  You can forego any one or all of these sections by using the towpath.  Using either will eventually lead you to the Carderock Recreation Area.

The standard, popular loop is to park at Great Falls and do Section A first.   Section A is the closest to the parking area and  by far the most interesting and popular one.  There is significant traversing on boulders, a number of riverside beaches to chill, and great scenery.

Traversing the trail can be frustrating because non-hikers can be painfully slow during the boulder sections or up the famous 40-ft wall.

Sections B & C are also interesting because you get to see some small islands interspersed in the Potomac River.  These sections are much less crowded than Section A and the towpath and and there is I’ve seen very interesting wildlife that comes out.

 

PRO TIP: To avoid the entrance fee at Great Falls Park, I like to park at Carderock Recreation Area and run the towpath northwest about 3 miles to the trailhead of Section A.  This makes it a roughly 7 – 9 mile loop depending which sections you do.  The overall distance is significantly longer doing it this way, though.

 

In summary, you won’t find solitude here because it’s a great, interesting place that’s close to major population centers.  Look to go during off-peak hours and you’ll have a great time!