Camp – C&O Canal Trust

Sharpsburg

The town of Sharpsburg is a monument to sacrifice and fortitude. In 1763 the town was originally called Sharps Burgh, in honor of Governor Horatio Sharpe, and became the first […]

Please visit the C&O Canal National Historical Park’s website for detailed camping information, or you can call 301-739-4200 with any questions. Site reservations can be made via the Recreation.gov website.

Irons Mountain Campsite

The Irons Mountain Ridge is the Canal’s last formidable ridge to navigate as it makes its way toward Cumberland. The campsite is upstream about a mile from the Narrows, the […]

Spring Gap Drive-in Campground

Even before the Canal came along, Spring Gap served as a shallow river-crossing accessing the Patterson Creek area of what is now West Virginia. It’s just as popular more than […]

Pigmans Ferry Campground

The name of this campsite is somewhat misleading. The site of the actual ferry is more than a mile and a half upstream and the campsite itself is not on […]

Potomac Forks Campsite

Town Creek Campsite

The Canal takes anything but a direct route as it bends around Sideling Hill, Town Hill and Green Ridge as it makes its way toward Cumberland. The towpath finally leaves […]

Purslane Run Campsite

The Purslane Run Campsite is a half mile upstream from where the Western Maryland Railroad crosses back over the Potomac into Maryland. It is named for a stream another half […]

Paw Paw Campsite

Please Note: Potable water may not be available at each campsite. Water is treated with iodine. Please plan to have water purification tablets with you. Water is turned off from […]

Sorrel Ridge Campground

Like several locks in this section of the Canal, concrete replaces several sections. The remains of the lockhouse are also nearby. The free overnight campsite provides a portable toilet, picnic […]

Stickpile Hill Campsite

Stickpile Hill is another ridge that forces the Potomac River in its looping pattern along the southern edge of Green Ridge Forest State Forest. It is said that the ridge […]

Devils Alley Campsite

Bordering Green Ridge State Forest to the north, Devil’s Alley Campsite is one of the more remote hiker/biker campsites along the towpath. It is named after a hollow located upstream […]

Green Ridge State Forest

Directly adjacent to the canal for nearly 18 miles is Green Ridge State Forest. At 47,560 acres, Green Ridge is the largest contiguous block of public land in Maryland – […]

Fifteenmile Creek Drive-in Campground

Like other campsites on the Canal accessible by road, stays at Fifteenmile Creek are limited to 14 consecutive days between May 1 and October 1 and no more than 30 […]

Indigo Neck Campground

This campground is well positioned for exploring parks and state forests in the area. Just a mile and a half downstream of the small town of Little Orleans, Indigo Neck […]

Cacapon Junction Campsite

Although the Great Cacapon River isn’t much more than a creek, it was seen as an important resource for commerce upstream. Flatboats and rafts brought iron, flour and lumber downstream […]

Leopards Mill Campsite

This riverside campsite was named after Jacob Leopard who operated a gristmill about a mile upstream. Interestingly, Leopard had been running his mill before the Canal even came along. Later, […]

White Rock Campground

Please Note: Potable water may not be available at each campsite. Water is treated with iodine. Please plan to have water purification tablets with you. Water is turned off from […]

Little Pool Campground

Little Pool Campground provides great access to a number of Canal landmarks. To the south is Fort Frederick, Big Pool and Licking Creek Aqueduct. To the north is the Tonoloway […]

Licking Creek Campsite

Please Note: Potable water may not be available at each campsite. Water is treated with iodine. Please plan to have water purification tablets with you. Water is turned off from […]

Fort Frederick State Park Campground

Visit the Fort Frederick State Park website for more information.

Fort Frederick State Park

Bordering the Potomac River and surrounding parts of the C&O Canal is Fort Frederick State Park. A 585-acre park in the Cumberland Valley of Maryland, it is named after Fort […]

McCoys Ferry Drive-in Campground

North Mountain Campsite

The name of this campsite comes from the high ridge across the Potomac River. Many people here also know it as Fairview Mountain. The base of this mountain was the […]

Jordan Junction Campsite

Some of the Canal’s hiker/biker campgrounds seem like they’re out in the middle of nowhere. This isn’t one of them. The Jordan Junction campground, just a quarter mile upstream from […]

Cumberland Valley Campsite

The first campsite south of Williamsport on the Canal, Cumberland Valley Campsite is named after the nearby railroad of the same name. The Cumberland Valley Railroad was built to connect […]

Opequon Junction Campsite

Looking across the Potomac from this campground, you’ll see the mouth of its namesake creek. Historically, Opequon Creek played an important role in pre-1800 America. The creek was navigable upstream […]

Big Woods Campsite

Unlike many of the hiker/biker campsites along the Canal, Big Woods campsite affords overnight visitors some measure of privacy. In fact, it’s not even visible from the towpath. A sign […]

Washington Monument State Park

Named for the first completed monument dedicated to the memory of George Washington, Washington Monument State Park is located in Washington County, Maryland at the top of South Mountain. Citizens […]

Horseshoe Bend Campsite

Where the Potomac River makes a huge U-shaped turn is the appropriately named Horseshoe Bend Campsite. Like other hiker/biker overnight stops, travelers can expect to find a portable toilet, picnic […]

Killiansburg Cave Campsite

Please Note: Potable water may not be available at each campsite. Water is treated with iodine. Please plan to have water purification tablets with you. Water is turned off from […]

Antietam Creek Drive-In Campground

Just upstream about a quarter-mile from the mouth of Antietam Creek you’ll find the Antietam Drive-in Campground. While the campground is accessible by car, you’ll need to walk from the […]

Huckleberry Hill Campsite

The Canal and the B&O Railroad were very attractive to industries of the day. Near this riverside campsite once stood the Canal landing for Potomac Refining Company’s main building. The […]

Bald Eagle Island Campsite

The Bald Eagle Island campsite is located just north of the narrow Point of Rocks section of the Potomac, a historic point of contention between the Canal and the B&O […]

Calico Rocks Campsite

Calico Rocks was the name given to a type of composite stone found in this area. Sometime known as “Potomac Marble,” Calico Rocks was a jumble of pebbles mixed into […]

Indian Flats Campsite

A short distance north of the dramatic Monocacy Aqueduct, the Indian Flats campsite is a great stopover point for those who want to take a longer look at 516-foot stone […]

Marble Quarry Campsite

According to old maps, before the C&O Canal was built, there was “a “Marble Quarry” running along the Maryland side of the river for over a mile. The stone that […]

Turtle Run Campsite

One of the regularly spaced hiker/biker campsites along the towpath, Turtle Run provides a front row seat to Civil War history—in the middle of the Potomac. Turtle Run offers views […]

Chisel Branch Campsite

The Chisel Branch Campsite is a hiker-biker campsite named after for a stream that crosses beneath the canal approximately half a mile from the site. Amenities include a chemical toilet, […]

Horsepen Branch Campsite

The Horse Pen Branch campsite is a hiker/biker campsite not accessible by car. Amenities include a chemical toilet, water, picnic table, and grill. Please Note: Potable water may not be […]