Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park

District of Columbia, Maryland

103 Reviews

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Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park Facts

States: District of Columbia, Maryland
Counties: Allegany, Caroline, Frederick, Montgomery, Washington
Length: 184.2 miles
Trail end points: Canal St (Cumberland, MD) and 29th St & Rock Creek Pkwy (Washington, D.C.)
Trail surfaces: Brick, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt
Trail category: Canal
ID: 6031394

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park Description

Overview

Following the Potomac River, the C&O Canal Towpath traverses the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park for 184.2 miles between Cumberland, Maryland, and the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington D.C. 

About the Route

Every year, millions of visitors hike or bike the C&O Canal Towpath. Peak season is May–October and weekends from spring through fall are busy, especially around Washington, D.C., and Great Falls Park in Potomac, Maryland.

Across the trail's entire route, hundreds of original features, including locks, lock houses, aqueducts, and other canal structures, are reminders of the canal’s role as a transportation system during the Canal Era, which peaked in the mid-19th century. The C&O Canal Towpath was an engineering feat that, unfortunately for investors, was largely outdone by the competing railroad that parallels the towpath in many places.

Today, recreationists of all types can enjoy this mostly level, continuous trail through the spectacular scenery of the Potomac River valley. The towpath is primarily dirt and gravel with about 50 contiguous miles surfaced with crushed stone.

The park provides campgrounds (both private and public), picnic areas, indoor and portable toilets, innumerable historical sites, and lookout points along the way. In adjacent canal towns, trail users can find amenities such as cafés and restaurants, B&Bs and motels, bike shops, museums, and retail shops, as well as additional historical sites. A handful of visitor centers operated by the National Park Service sell guidebooks and provide information about the towpath, its history, and local points of interest. Trail users can even stay the night in one of the restored lock houses.

Most of the trail is heavily wooded, and river views are best during early spring, late fall, and winter when trees are leafless. Don’t miss the Paw Paw Tunnel at milepost 155.2 (with MM 0 located in D.C.), a scenic tunnel carved into the mountainside, where the trail passes right through.

The rural character of the path requires regular maintenance, so some sections may be closed for repairs. Visit the National Park Service website for current information on trail detours.

Connections

In Washington, D.C., the C&O Canal Towpath parallels the paved Capital Crescent Trail.

In Cumberland, the C&O Canal Towpath connects to the Great Allegheny Passage.

The C&O Canal Towpath also has multiple connections to the Western Maryland Rail Trail.

The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park is part of the Capital Trails Coalition, a series of interconnected trails in the Metropolitan Washington D.C. Region. 

The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park is part of the Great American Rail Trail, a 3,700-mile route from Washington to Washington D.C. 

Parking and Trail Access

The Chesapeake & Ohio National Historical Park runs between Canal St (Cumberland, MD) and 29th St & Rock Creek Pkwy (Washington, D.C.), with parking at the western end in Cumberland.

Parking is also available at:

  • 273 MD-144 (Hancock)
  • 100 S Maple Ave (Brunswick)
  • Potomac Palisades Conservation Park, 5001 Wissioming Rd (Bethesda)

There are numerous parking options along this route, please see TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park Reviews

Rough with Rider-Beware Hazards

I biked from Pittsburgh to DC (GAP and C&O trails combined) 9/8 thru 9/14/24. This review is for the C&O only. Weather – excellent. Scenery- beautiful. Accommodations – very good. Trail surfaces –highly variable from narrow dirt paths laced with muddy holes to relatively smooth, hardpacked dirt to loose gravel (better for a pickup truck than a bicycle!). From 10 miles south of Great Falls into DC the trail/road was especially rough. I was riding an Off-road bike with 40 MM wide tires and momentarily lost front tire stability in MANY spots due to loose gravel (especially on the sloped paths leading into & out of lock areas). My biggest safety concern were the numerous concrete bridges over creeks & culverts that had ZERO guard rails, warning signs or even yellow paint. The bridge widths were narrower than the trail requiring the biker to NOTICE and move more to the center for safety. If a biker went off the side of any of these bridges, I’d expect serious injuries or worse. The worst safety hazard was at Lock 38. Approaching the lock from the southwest side, the (main) trail leads right across the top of the lock wall- that is 3 to 4 ft wide with only an outer rail – very dangerous. The drop off to the grassy floor below was about 7-9 feet straight down. I was in a group of riders that suddenly saw this “tightrope” situation and jammed on their brakes. (Nobody realized we should have diverted onto a narrow, unmarked path that led downward through the lock.) Fortunately, everyone stopped safely; walked their bikes down a slope and on to the safe path through the bottom of the lock. A simple, cheap sign could prevent the near-miss accidents at this spot.
I’m really disappointed that this National Park hasn’t (at least) marked these safety hazards. Considering all the hazards and the rough gravel, I think this C&O Towpath trail merits 2 stars.

Perfect for bikepacking

Rode from Cumberland to a parking area 23 miles outside of DC, camping at four of the campsites along the way. They have been doing a lot of work to improve the condition of this trail and it shows. Weather was perfect, but most sections seemed like they would still be pretty good even after some rain. There was one detour that was a tough push over really rocky roads for a few miles. Other than that, it was perfect.

We parked at lock 38 by Shepardstown. Trail is well maintained and gorgeous. Many bikers, runners and walkers out.Note it is a trash free park.

We parked at lock 38 by Shepardstown. Trail is well maintained and gorgeous. Many bikers, runners and walkers out.Note it is a trash free park.

Awesome Nature Rides

Whether a multi-day ride from DC 180 miles to Cumberland or individual day rides along the tow path next to the C&O canal, this trail is awesome. And now that much of it has been resurfaced to be crushed granite rather than just dirt, muddy rides will no longer be a problem after and during rains. One of the top 10 bucket list rides in the US, easily.

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