Explore Great Falls Park on your Washington, D.C., Timeshare Vacation

published on July 27, 2010 by


Did you think that Washington, D.C., was just a collection of monuments and museums? Think again. Great Falls Park is an 800-acre park within Washington, D.C.’s metropolitan area, just 15 miles from downtown. When you rent a timeshare here you’ll have time to visit all of those wonderful monuments and museums, and also to get out into the beauty and grandeur of nature.

Great Falls Park is located along the Potomac River, and is administered by the National Park Service. After the last ice age, the ocean levels dropped forcing the Potomac River to carve deeper in its path to the sea, eroding hard bedrock and producing this spectacular waterfall and rapids section of the river. Here the river cascades into 20 foot waterfalls displaying the steepest fall line rapids of any eastern river.

You can view the falls from several observation areas, all easy walks from the Visitor Center. Overlook 2 and the Patowmack Canal Trail are wheelchair accessible. Follow the River Trail, beginning just downstream of the falls, and you will see spectacular views of the Mather Gorge. Above the Visitor Center you can follow the upper Canal Trail and view the head of the falls and the Aqueduct Dam.

Most of the park’s 800 acres are forested. Amazingly, so close to the city, here you can encounter a number of different kinds of wildlife. Over 100 different species of birds can be seen at Great Falls Park, as well as native animals such as deer, fox, squirrels and chipmunks.

So that you can enjoy the wildlife, and the variety of plants, some of them rare species, that are found in Great Falls Park, it offers a variety of activities including hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, bicycling and even horseback riding. And picnicking – it’s a good thing you have a timeshare kitchen making it easy to pack your picnic lunch!

Your kids will delight in the Junior Ranger program which makes exploring Great Falls Park even more fun. For children 5 and up, age-specific booklets are provided. Children who complete the booklets earn a Junior Ranger Badge.

A two-day Junior Ranger day camp is offered each summer at Great Falls Park for children ages 8-11. Campers spend two days with Park Rangers exploring the park, taking hikes, participating in activities, and having fun.

Timeshare rentals are available in the Washington, D.C., area at Wyndham’s Old Town Alexandria, in Alexandria, Virginia, where they start at just $100/night, and a metro station is right out front. Listed with a Fort Washington, Maryland, address, the new Wyndham Vacation Resorts at National Harbor is just a couple of blocks from the Potomac River waterfront, with rentals starting at $125/night.

Photo courtesy flickr.com