As a “transplant” to the Washington, DC area, I’m constantly learning about fun new spots to go out to eat, hang out, and photograph. I didn’t grow up in this area, going on family outings or school field trips to all the locally-iconic places. Great Falls Park is one of those places that I’m sure everyone who is from this area knows well but I just discovered when Grace and Trae suggested it as a location for their engagement session… and I’m so glad they did because I’m in love!

Great Falls Park is a hidden gem in this area. Maybe not so hidden to those who live active lifestyles or who have been in the DC area long enough to have heard of just about every large park, but in my 6.5 years thus far of living in Northern Virginia I had never heard that just a few miles up the Potomac River was a waterfall and rapids with a series of overlooks and hiking paths. I’m not an outdoorsy person – if you were hoping to schedule a session with me and hike a few miles or go up any paths that are even moderately difficult, I’m sorry to tell you I am not your photographer haha – but I was amazed at how easy yet interesting the hikes were close to the entrance, and how beautiful the view was without having to look too far!

It makes for the perfect place for an engagement session because of the ease, short distance, and beautiful views. For the first part of this session with Grace and Trae, we stuck to the observation decks, which were near the entrance, because we didn’t know what to expect further down the trails. And now I wish we had known not to bother because those observation deck portraits have nothing on the gorgeous photos we were able to take further down the trails, even just from a few minutes more of walking. What’s incredible about the River Trail at Great Falls Park is that there is one fairly flat, straight trail but then there are a few different paths that branch away from it going in roughly the same direction but closer to the gorge. From those slightly more rough paths, you can climb up and down rocks leading to the edge of the gorge and get beautiful vantage points of the rushing water and even the falls themselves, without the crowds and without the unsightly barriers blocking the views of the water below.

It was so much fun exploring with Grace and Trae and it was a very fitting location for these two! Trae in particular is an adventurous person and was having a great time climbing around the rocks, staying ahead of Grace and I as we maneuvered our way down a more challenging path and finding more and more places we could explore off the path to look for a better spot for them to pose for photos. And Grace was laughing with him throughout the whole session, especially a trooper in her non-climbing boots and a dress for the latter part of our session (which was when we had gotten even more adventurous)! They were so sweet together and we all had a fun time throughout the whole two hours we were there. I’d love to go back for another session, especially to see how things change when there’s leaves on the trees and warmer weather… And I definitely plan on returning just to go exploring on my own!