Each spring, during National Park Week, as the buds bloom and the Potomac River stirs with new life, I’m reminded just how fortunate we are to have an incredible national park in our backyards. Once a lifeline for commerce fueling America’s growth, today the C&O Canal is a place of refuge, recreation, and discovery for millions of annual visitors — a landscape shaped by nearly two centuries of stories, and still offering new ones every day.
A place where history lives and nature thrives.
From the roaring beauty of Great Falls to the quiet towpath lined with wildflowers, the C&O Canal National Historical Park, season after season, inspires a love of nature and appreciation of our shared history all over again.
I was introduced to the park as a young child growing up near Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The Canal Classrooms program did not exist when I was growing up, but my parents frequently took me to the park on weekends. We would hike and picnic along the river, admiring the old sycamore trees and walking over, at that time, the 160-year-old Antietam Aqueduct.
I learned to ride my bike on the towpath. It wasn’t resurfaced then, so it wasn’t as smooth a ride around Lock 38 as it is today, but I loved it and I loved knowing we had a place to go and explore together. These visits to the park helped me develop a deep appreciation for history and respect for the natural world at an early age. I’m very grateful to still have this special place in my life and the opportunity to introduce it to my daughter.
For all of us who love the C&O Canal, it is more than a park – it is a living testament to our nation’s history and a sanctuary of natural beauty. A story written in stone, water, and time that deserves our collective stewardship.
From the inspiring engineering feat of the nearly one-mile-long Paw Paw Tunnel to the charm of historic lockhouses and the steady rhythm of the towpath, the park connects us not just to nature but to our shared story. What other park has over 1,300 historic structures and is ranked as one of the most biologically diverse?
The C&O Canal is unique in so many ways.
Thanks to the dedicated care of the National Park Service, 184.5 miles from Georgetown in the District of Columbia to Cumberland, Maryland, and thousands of adjoining acres, remain a place where people of all ages and backgrounds can walk, ride, paddle, learn, and wonder. Every maintained trail, every preserved structure, and every moment of stillness by the water is a testament to their dedication. The C&O Canal Trust is proud to be part of that mission — raising support, rallying volunteers, and working in partnership with our park colleagues to keep this national treasure thriving for all who visit.
At the Trust, we believe loving a place means caring for it — and that care is most powerful when it’s shared. Each time someone makes a donation, lends a hand on a volunteer day, or brings a child to the towpath for the first time, they become part of something bigger: a community working together to protect the park we all love. We are grateful for our passionate community of supporters and volunteers who help ensure the park and its resources are protected for today and preserved for the future.
Join me in celebrating everything the C&O Canal National Historical Park represents: a legacy of resilience, a sanctuary in every season, and a reminder that history lives all around us. I invite you to continue writing the next chapter of the C&O Canal’s story with us. Celebrate its past, enjoy its beauty, and help ensure its future.
Let’s show the park a little love, together.
With gratitude,
Lauren Riviello
President & CEO
Images by Francis Grant-Suttie, Chris Hanessian, Trust Staff, John Gensor, and Charissa Hipp
