scott's run nature preserve

From the dinky parking lot, you'd assume there's not much here. Then -- KABOOM -- Mother Nature surprises the daylights out of view. A wonderful walk in the park.

Access to to the preserve and its parking are free but parking spots are limited and the two parking areas are right off the main road and you can easily drive past them both. Most of the trails are easy though there are some hilly spots. This is basically a wooded area for taking short hikes or walks; nothing especially remarkable. But, it is very nice and worth repeat visits especially if you live in the area. If you are only visiting the area then Great Falls National Park would be a better choice, they charge an entry fee of $5 per car or $20 for a full year's access.

We found this park to be exactly what the other reviewers said. It was easy to find, not crowded, and full of dog walkers. I also agree about the poor quality of signs in the park and online, it would have been more enjoyable if we had known for sure which way to go! Only the riverside trail was marked, an even then not well. No excuse for that.

I have been hiking in this preserve for more than forty years. Needless-to-say, it has special meaning to me and my family. Thus I was horrified to see signs posted throughout the area stating that deer are being subject to bow hunting in this PRESERVE. Preservationists united to save this land back when it was the Burling Tract, but why aren't people rallying to protect deer from being stalked by bow hunters in this haven? If deer numbers are that high, why weren't/aren't alternatives being considered/used?

The preserve has terrific trails. It's close proximity to residential areas makes the place attractive to visit after work or weekends. However, the online trail map is very primitive and you can misjudge most trails and end up in dead ends if you are a first timer. The traffic is very heavy on Georgetown Pike and if you want to go to Swinks Mill Road while exiting the park, you may experience difficulty making a left and immediate right turn during rush hours.

Nice place to hike with your dogs. Many trails of varying abilities.Usually pretty quiet, though the parking lot can get full on a perfect day.

Was looking for something in northern VA area to limit the driving and found this place. The trail was great for walking and was relatively flat and wide. We took our dog and he met many friends along the hike. The river and waterfall are nice and overall it was a good place to enjoy a fall day.

Off Georgetown Pike (Rt 193 and the beltway I495), this popular Nature Preserve is an excellent place to take a walk and leave the noise behind - literally. As you park your car and start your walk into the forest, you gradually hear the traffic noise and other urban pollution fade away. Very soothing. Make you wonder how much ambient noise humans generate but goes unnoticed as we get used to it. Only a nature preserve like Scotts Run can make you feel the level of ambient noise as you clearly notice the gradual fade in noise with each step until it becomes deadly quiet, a few hundred yards into the forest. My dog and I enjoyed the walk and did some interesting photography. You can hear the leaves fall and occasionally the loud sound of a tree branch come down. Once in while you will run into a dear and plenty of squirrels which gets my dog Millie over-excited the moment she notices a squirrel. Anyway, give this walk a talk and you will come back for more. My other favorite is the Seneca Trail (at the end of Seneca Road in Great Falls), both are comparable except for the experience of how Scotts Run cuts out ambient noise with each step. A nice feeling. Also their are more unusual plants in Scotts Run (thats what they say -- I did not notice anything special). The forest is dense and you need to keep on the trail paths lest getting lost or at least finding your way back more tired than what you had planned for. Here is an interesting pic I took the other day

It was a nice hike with good trails and excellent old growth trees, lots of stuff to look at for kids and adults. You'll want good shoes and or sandals as there are rocks and roots on some of the paths. It was not very crowded, thou when I first got there the parking lot was full, there are 2 lots, but as I was turning around to check out the lower lot some people came walking down the trail and I got a spot. It is a pretty spot, I was somewhat dishearten by some trash left by some people lacking in "Moral Fiber"

This is a beautiful mini-park just off the Georgetown Pike exit of the Beltway. Nice trails and good parking. Terrific place to walk a dog (on a leash please). All of the beauty of Great Falls (less the falls of course) but with no crowds. A place to walk - not picnic!

Scott's Run is a lovely little place to escape the noise and worries of everyday life. I've been going to walk here for about ten years now and it's never ceases to amaze me how calm I feel after a nice walk in the woods. If it's your first time, it's easy to get lost so make sure you keep your phone/gps on you if you're not great with remembering maps. Also, make sure you bring water if you plan in scaling the rocks as one can get overheated (in the summer) pretty quickly. Wear sneakers, not flips flops, because there are areas to cross over stepping stones through the water and I've seen a lot of people slip and fall. There are two separate parking lots on Georgetown Pike that fill up pretty fast on the weekends so try to come early! It's a great way to start the day

This park is, in my opinion, far better than Great Falls park. No problem parking, no entry fee, more secluded, more nature. It is truly beautiful. I wish I had discovered this earlier.

Close enough to the Beltway for convenience, far enough so you don't get the traffic noise. It's a large nature preserve crisscrossed with trails. The main loop is over two miles, fords two streams, and brings you to house ruins (just the chimney) and a small waterfall. There are two parking lots on Georgetown Pike, the westernmost one is much larger.

This wonderful woodland park offers an easy hike to one of the best waterfall picnic sites in the DC area. Several looping trails through the woods offer a variety of easy routes for a pleasant day's walk. The trail along the Potomac River provides several nice overlooks.

The fair weather stream crossings were easy even for a whimp like me. You will encounter 2 of them if you park in the lot directly across from Swinks Mill Road and take the gravel path alongside Scotts Run. If you turn left after the intersection with the other trail at the top of the hill after the 2nd stream crossing, you will head downhill to the Potomac and the waterfall. This is the shortest out & back route to the waterfall & the Potomac. Look east for the American Legion Bridge. You can head there by hugging the riverbank - this is the Potomac Heritage Trail, and will lead you further east & south to parallel the shoreline and the GW Parkway (Turkey Run park and GW Parkway HQ). You can enjoy a longer trip back via the woodland trail - bear left at the intersection where you had previously headed downhill. I could not figure out which trail led back to the Swinks Mills parking lot, so I bushwacked a bit and then walked along route 193 (not recommended for the faint of heart or when the leaves and thorns are more prevalent in warm weather).