"The Difficult Run and Ridge Trail loop is located in the southern section of Great Falls Park. You could park at the Main Visitor Center and hike this loop, but that would be an 8-mile loop via the River, Ridge, Difficult Run, and Matildaville or Old Carriage Road trails." Read more

"Difficult Run Stream Valley Trail follows the dramatic, fast-moving Difficult Run stream until it joins the Potomac River. The National Park Service maintains the well-marked trail with blazes and signage. Expect elevations over 300 feet with rocky, steep, and challenging sections of trail, plus extraordinary views of Mather Gorge, climbers scaling cliffs, and visitors exploring the riverbanks. Difficult Run stream is a 15.9-mile-long tributary that ends at the Potomac River’s Great Falls Park. Populated by runners, hikers, dog walkers, and families, this relatively difficult trail (maybe that’s how it got its name) was originally developed as a road used by the American Indians and later by colonists." Read more