Allen and Sumi Hu with sons Rowan (in orange) and Jonah. Photo by Ken Moore.
Brandon Greiner, 3, took the lead. The three-year-old biked the trails from one overlook to the next while his twin sister Ainsley, mom Nicole and father Nathan Greiner walked immediately behind.
Brandon’s parents are both health and physical education teachers, and during the summer, “Everyday, we try to find a new activity. Today it’s this,” said Nathan Greiner.
Great Falls National Park offers history and nature in an 800-acre park at 9200 Old Dominion Drive in McLean.
By 10:30 a.m., rangers said hundreds of cars had already come through. The wait time to get into Great Falls Park was 16 minutes long.
By noon, the queue almost backed up to Georgetown Pike, with a wait time of nearly an hour.
“This is pretty incredible,” said Sumi Hu who came to the historic overlooks with her husband Allen, and children Rowan and Jonah.
A sign at one of the overlooks explains: “The Potomac River begins as a small spring near Fairfax Stone, West Virginia. Like a giant funnel, it gathers water from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia as it travels 383 miles to the Chesapeake Bay.
“When it reaches Great Falls, the river narrows and drops 76 feet into a canyon called Mather Gorge.”
Jessica Peguero adopted her dog Toby from Lost Dog and Cat Rescue (lostdogrescue.org).
“He loves climbing on the rocks,” said Peguero.
She and Toby try to come to Great Falls once or twice a month. “We love nature,” she said.
Chris and Estelle Maletz brought their daughters Pauline, 5, Claire, 4, and Bosco to Great Falls “just to get outdoors and enjoy the day,” said Chris Maletz, “and to take the girls out for a hike.”
Juan Munguia and Nery Munguia, of Herndon, brought Aylin Munguia to Great Falls for her second birthday party.
Her parents decided it was the best place to invite family and friends for soccer, barbecue chicken, and, of course, birthday cake.
Immediately after kicking a soccer ball, Aylin was changed into Sunday best for birthday photos.