Climbing Forecast › DC › Great Falls (Virginia)

DC · SCHIST

Great Falls (Virginia) climbing conditions

Good — dry and climbable

Right now

Temp72°F
Wind5 mph
Gusts8 mph
Humidity61.2%
Rain 48hdry
Last rainNone recent

Assessment

No recent rain

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Friday 21 August
Good
Temp75°F
Raindry
Wind5 mph
Gusts8 mph
Humidity54%
No recent rain
  • Schist climbs well when dry; lichen may slow drying in shade
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
14:00 72° dry 5 — 61.2%
15:00 75° dry 5 — 52%
16:00 77° dry 4 — 48.3%
17:00 79° dry 4 — 45.2%
18:00 81° dry 3 — 42.8%
19:00 82° dry 4 — 41.1%
20:00 82° dry 4 — 41.2%
21:00 82° dry 4 — 42.3%
Sat Saturday 22 August
Poor
Temp68°F
Rain1.9 in
Wind10 mph
Gusts—
Humidity97%
48.4mm rain forecastHumidity 97% — potential fog
  • Wet schist is slippery and slow to dry
  • Damp air — slopers and friction edges may feel greasy
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 68° 0.07 in 3 — 76.4%
07:00 67° 0.2 in 3 — 85%
08:00 65° 0.2 in 4 — 98.8%
09:00 66° 0.1 in 5 — 97.3%
10:00 66° 0.1 in 7 — 97.7%
11:00 68° 0.1 in 9 — 98%
12:00 68° 0.4 in 10 — 97.5%
13:00 68° 0.2 in 12 — 97.2%
14:00 65° 0.3 in 11 — 96.2%
15:00 68° 0.2 in 9 — 97%
16:00 69° 0.04 in 10 — 97%
17:00 69° 0.01 in 10 — 97%
18:00 70° dry 10 — 92.6%
19:00 72° dry 10 — 86.4%
20:00 72° dry 9 — 83.5%
21:00 72° dry 7 — 82.5%
Sun Sunday 23 August
Caution
Temp70°F
Rain0.00 in
Wind6 mph
Gusts—
Humidity85%
Drying — 20h since rain
  • Schist climbs well when dry; lichen may slow drying in shade
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 66° dry 2 — 95.9%
07:00 65° dry 3 — 98.2%
08:00 65° dry 2 — 99.6%
09:00 65° dry 2 — 99.6%
10:00 64° dry 2 — 99.4%
11:00 64° dry 3 — 100%
12:00 67° dry 4 — 98.8%
13:00 70° dry 5 — 90.5%
14:00 73° dry 9 — 75%
15:00 76° dry 11 — 67.7%
16:00 77° dry 10 — 64.8%
17:00 78° 0.00 in 10 — 59.3%
18:00 79° dry 10 — 55.4%
19:00 80° dry 10 — 50.5%
20:00 80° dry 10 — 46.6%
21:00 80° dry 9 — 47.4%
Mon Monday 24 August
Poor
Temp66°F
Rain0.01 in
Wind4 mph
Gusts—
Humidity78%
0.3mm rain forecast
  • Schist climbs well when dry; lichen may slow drying in shade
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 64° dry 6 — 78.8%
12:00 67° 0.01 in 4 — 78.2%
18:00 79° 0.00 in 8 — 43.7%
Tue Tuesday 25 August
Good
Temp64°F
Raindry
Wind6 mph
Gusts—
Humidity75%
Should be dry
  • Schist climbs well when dry; lichen may slow drying in shade
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 63° dry 5 — 74%
12:00 64° dry 6 — 74.5%
18:00 80° dry 4 — 36.5%
Wed Wednesday 26 August
Poor
Temp70°F
Rain0.04 in
Wind2 mph
Gusts—
Humidity83%
1.1mm rain forecast
  • Wet schist is slippery and slow to dry
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 68° dry 4 — 69.5%
12:00 69° 0.01 in 2 — 82.7%
18:00 84° 0.03 in 7 — 59.4%
Thu Thursday 27 August
Poor
Temp70°F
Rain0.01 in
Wind7 mph
Gusts—
Humidity97%
0.3mm rain forecastHumidity 97% — potential fog
  • Schist climbs well when dry; lichen may slow drying in shade
  • Damp air — slopers and friction edges may feel greasy
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 70° dry 3 — 97.5%
12:00 70° dry 7 — 96.5%
18:00 82° 0.01 in 2 — 64.3%
Fri Friday 28 August
Caution
Temp72°F
Rain0.00 in
Wind2 mph
Gusts—
Humidity94%
Should be dryHumidity 94% — potential fog
  • Schist climbs well when dry; lichen may slow drying in shade
  • Damp air — slopers and friction edges may feel greasy
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 69° dry 3 — 99.2%
12:00 72° dry 2 — 93.5%
18:00 85° dry 2 — 56.3%

About Great Falls (Virginia)

Great Falls Park is Washington DC's home crag — around 260 top-rope routes on the Virginia side of Mather Gorge, on mica schist cliffs 20–60 ft high directly above the Potomac River, 20 minutes west of DC. Routes 5.1–5.10+. One of the few East Coast climbing areas where you belay directly above a big river — check water levels before climbing (belay spots can flood after heavy rain upstream). Tree anchors are the norm. Foot traffic from non-climbers is heavy at weekends. NPS: $20/vehicle 7-day pass; open daily 7am to 30 min after sunset (closed Christmas); arrive before 9am to avoid parking delays. Schist has real friction risks when wet — never climb on wet schist.

Region
DC
Rock type
Schist
Aspect
mixed-facing
Altitude
98 ft
Exposure
low
Seepage
medium