Potomac Connections

Potomac Connections. Piedmont Region. , George Washington walked, rode horseback, and boated through this region pursuing his dream of westward expansion, connecting the Atlantic Seaboard to the frontier West. His efforts to reengineer, dam, channelize, and straighten the Potomac River influenced industrialization in the 1800s and beyond. But the river resisted. Today wild intermingles with urban. Huge oaks, sycamores, and tulip poplars guard the river and welcome all seeking solace there., The Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail network is a portal into the region's history, culture, and ecology. Here is a network of hiking and water trails affords you an intimate connection with the river and distinctive Piedmont landscape. The trails beckon exploration and offer adventure., [Sidebars:] , Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail , Trail segments here in Fairfax and Loudoun counties are part of the larger Trail network that traverses the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The Trail network passes through five distinct landscapes, each the result of climatic effects on past and present geologic environments and each influencing the history of people living there., Water Trail , Miles of water trail on the Potomac River and Goose Creek allow paddlers to hug the safety and calm near the shoreline. Paddlers may surprise great blue herons, kingfishers, wood ducks, and even river otters. Historic features like Goose Creek Canal and George Washington's Patowmack Canal await your discovery., Hiking Trail , Segments of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail wind through a 50-mile-long corridor of private and public lands in the northern Fairfax and eastern Loudoun counties. The corridor showcases the rolling hills of the Piedmont at the river's edge. The rich floodplain forest here offers many discoveries from spring wildflowers to grist mill ruins.