Seneca Tract

Seneca Tract. . , A mature deciduous forest, rich in American beech, oak, tulip poplar, and hickory trees, blankets and ancient headland of the Potomac River Gorge, white sycamore, silver maple, and boxelder trees dominate the flood-washed lowlands. A quiet stillness here evokes feelings of remoteness and solitude, surprisingly strange, considering how close you are to Washington, D.C. But this 466-acre tract adjoins other protected lands, creating a wild haven for plants and animals. Here turtles, frogs, and lizards roam stream margins. Here rare warblers nest in the unbroken forest canopy. Here, in spring, locally uncommon wildflowers carpet the forest floor. And here, relics of George Washington's Potowmack Canal rest along the river's bank. Explore, observe, discover, and respect, for what we treasure endures., [Captions:] , Experience Your Park , Travel on foot or horseback over woodland trails that meander through forests nearly 100 years years old., The Seneca Connector Trail guides you past different plant and animal habitats along a high ridge trail and a cool stream valley. The trail meets a segment of the Potomac Heritage Trail near the river's edge., If George Washington's vision for an industrialized, channelized, and straightened Potomac River had become reality your visit here may have been very different. Search out Washington's bypass canal along the river's shore. Contemplate this engineering feat and how the river resists any attempts to harness it.,

To look from the hills into the lower Lands, is but, as it were, into an Ocean of Woods… , Lewis Evans, 1750