Scenic Overlook? You be the judge….
For years now I’ve been intrigued by the signs for the “Scenic Overlooks” on GW Parkway. Anyone who knows me knows I’m all about great scenery, and based on the rest of the views from the Parkway itself, it seems like there might be some nice views of the river. So this weekend I finally decided to stop and see for myself what all the fuss was about. Turns out it’s not much.
Here’s the view from the first overlook. It certainly overlooks the river, but I’m not sure its all that scenic. Certainly no more scenic than the views you get just driving down GW Parkway. So, I figured that maybe the second one would be better.
Here’s the view from the second overlook. Unless you have some magic power to see through leaves, you’ll probably agree that this particular vantage point doesn’t even count as an overlook. You can’t see the river at all!
So, all in all, I’d have to say that going to the GW Parkway overlooks is pretty disappointing and not worth risking your life trying to merge back into traffic when you leave. They aren’t particularly scenic, and only one is really even an ‘overlook’. On the plus side, they are still great places to go for teens who want to make-out with their sweeties or spies who want to hold clandestine meetings with government officials.
I figure if they are spy exchange locations, they’re watching from afar by the nearby CIA, which make those spies who use them entirely stupid.
I made the mistake of doing that when I first moved down here. Hohum.
I _think_ the first one is Fletcher’s Boathouse.
The first one is Fletcher’s Boathouse, yes
I guess they figured “Scenic Overlook” was a better name for them than “Place for your drunk friend to urinate/vomit when you’re driving back from Georgetown.
yeah, unremarkable is an understatement.
however, fall and spring do clear out the leaves and allow you to see the river from that second spot.
Yeah, as I drove it this morning, I remember driving it in Fall and thinking it was much more scenic then.
Only slightly better in the fall – Scenic Overlook in Autumn