Billy Goat Trail

The Billy Goat Trail is a hiking trail that follows a path between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River within the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park near the Great Falls in Montgomery County, Maryland. The trail has three sections: Section A, the northernmost, is ; Section B is ; and Section C, the southernmost, is

Description

The Billy Goat Trail was laid out by the YMCA Triangle Club in 1919.

Section A of the trail, by far the most popular, is on Bear Island and traverses rough and rocky terrain, including a steep climb along a cliff face along the Potomac River's Mather Gorge. At another point in the trail, hikers are required to scramble over and around huge boulders. Sections B and C are less strenuous; section B requires only one brief scramble, and section C has none. Most of the trail is well marked with light blue trail blazes.

Currently, Section B is closed due to trail damage.

Section A is best accessed from the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center. Section B and Section C are best accessed from the Carderock Recreation Area. All sections of the trail are free, although an entrance fee ($20 per car in 2021) is charged when entering and parking near the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center. No fee is charged when parking near Carderock. Dogs are not allowed on Section A, nor on Olmsted Island (location of the Great Falls overlook), but are permitted on a leash at all times everywhere else in the park. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to walk the Section A loop from the parking lot.

The three sections of the trail do not directly connect with each other, but are connected to each other by the towpath along the C&O Canal. The end point of section C is about southeast along the towpath from the starting point of section A.

Section A gallery

Pictures are approximately upstream to downstream on the trail.

File:River Green Billy Goat.JPG, River View from trail
File:View of the Potomac River from Bear Island.jpg, View of the Potomac River from Trail (via Bear Island)
File:Billy Goat A Pothole Alley.jpg, View of Pothole Alley, with Mather Gorge
File:Billy Goat A Pothole Alley another view.jpg, Pothole Alley, a little to the south of the first view
File:Billy Goat Trail Cliff.jpg, Steep cliff face on Section A of the trail
File:Billy Goat Trail Cliff (from above).jpg, View down the cliff face
File:Billy Goat A Marker 2 emergency Exit.jpg, Marker 2, about halfway through the trail. To the left goes the Emergency Exit trail
File:Billy Goat A Purplehorse Beach.jpg, View of Purplehorse "Beach" from above
File:Billy Goat A Purplehorse Beach No Swimming.jpg, The Purplehorse "Beach". No swimming here: river is dangerous and people drown.
File:Billy Goat A Beaver Pond.jpg, Beaver Pond along the trail
File:Billy Goat A Log Bridge.jpg, Log bridge at Marker 3
File:Billy Goat Trail River.jpg, View from the trail
File:Billy Goat A Crosses stream.jpg, Trail crosses stream near downstream end
File:Billy Goat A Trail Marker to right.jpg, Trail goes to right here

Section B gallery

Image:Billy_Goat_B_Trail_Beginning.jpg, Downstream entrance of the B trail, just above Carderock
Image:Billy_Goat_B_Trail_0.jpg, B trail in winter
Image:Billy_Goat_B_Trail_1.jpg, B trail, near the downstream entrance
Image:Billy_Goat_B_Trail_2.jpg, B trail
Image:Billy_Goat_B_Trail_3.jpg, B trail, Potomac River on the right
Image:Billy_Goat_B_Trail_4.jpg, B trail, Potomac River to the right, through the trees
Image:Billy_Goat_B_Trail_5.jpg, B trail crossing a small gully with log bridge
Image:Billy_Goat_B_Trail_8.jpg, The B trail crosses a small stream
Image:Billy_Goat_B_Trail_6.jpg, View of Potomac river from B trail
Image:Billy_Goat_B_Trail_7.jpg, Upstream entrance of the B trail, with the C&O Canal towpath in the background

Section C gallery

Billy_Goat_C_Trail_2.jpg, C section, near upstream end at canal
Billy_Goat_C_Trail_near_beginning_at_Parking_Lot.jpg, One of the approaches to the C trail, from the western parking lot
Billy_Goat_C_Trail_0.jpg, Part of the C trail in Carderock
Billy_Goat_C_Trail_1.jpg, Cliffs of Billy Goat C trail, a favorite spot of rock climbers
Billy_Goat_C_Trail_(midway).jpg, Billy Goat C trail, near the midpoint
Billy_Goat_C_Trail_3.jpg, View of Potomac River from C trail
Billy_Goat_C_Trail_4.jpg, C trail uses a small bridge to cross
Billy_Goat_C_Trail_5.jpg, Billy Goat C Trail
Billy_Goat_C_Trail_8.jpg, Bridge over stream. This is near the southernmost parking lot.
Billy_Goat_C_Trail_7.jpg, Trail crosses a small stream
Billy_Goat_C_Washout.jpg, A washout in the trail. Detour goes to the left.
Billy_Goat_C_in_Summer.jpg, Another look during the summer
Billy_Goat_C_Trail_6.jpg, Tricky spot in the C trail. Trail takes the left fork, but because it isn't marked, people often go straight and right off the trail. This is near the downstream end of the trail.
Billy_Goat_C_Tricky_Spot_in_Summer.jpg, Another view of tricky spot. In summer the vegetation can get pretty high.
Billy_Goat_C_trail_entrance_downstream.jpg, Downstream entrance, near pivot bridge remains on canal

References

External links

Great Falls Trail Descriptions (PDF)
from the National Park Service website
* Great Falls Trail Map (PDF)
Page 1
an
Page 2
from the National Park Service website

The Washington Post. City Guide: Billy Goat Trail

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Protected areas of Montgomery County, Maryland
Hiking trails in Maryland
National Park Service areas in Maryland
Protected areas established in 1919
1919 establishments in Maryland
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park