Olmsted Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Olmsted Island is a small island in the middle of the Potomac River in Maryland near Great Falls named after Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.. The island is a part of C & O Canal National Historical Park, located across the river from Great Falls Park.
The island is very rocky and has steep cliffs that face the river, where it has been eroded over time. It also has trees and vegetation. The total area of the island (estimating from calibrated satellite footage) is no more than 0.2 square kilometers. A fenced-in wooden tourist walkway winds along the southern part of the island. For the purpose of protecting the island's natural wildlife, visitors are not allowed to leave the tourist walkway. The tourist walkway eventually ends in a scenic overlook platform (see images 1 and 2) that has a beautiful view of the Great Falls of the Potomac River (see image 3).
[edit] External links
- Satellite imagery of Olmsted Island on Google Maps. If you look carefully towards the southern end of the island you can see the tourist walkway winding its way and finally ending in the overlook platform at Great Falls.
