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River Trail

The River Trail, just upstream from the Great Falls Tavern, winds along the Potomac, affording views of small rapids, eagles’ nests, and rocky outcroppings in the river. The trail is […]

Sixth Annual Park After Dark

[start-date] 6:00 pm – [end-date] 10:00 pm The C&O Canal Trust will be hosting its Sixth Annual Park After Dark fundraiser, Centennial Celebration, on Saturday, September 17, 2016 at 6:00 […]

Open House at Swains Lockhouse

[start-date] 1:00 pm – [end-date] 4:00 pm Join us at the Open House for Swains Lockhouse, June 25-26, from 1pm-4pm each day. Be one of the first to view the […]

President’s Day Ball

[start-date] 1:00 pm – 12:00 am President’s Day Ball beginning at 1:00 pm at Historic Great Falls Tavern for George Washington’s birthday. Dr. Larry Kenner-Farley and company will lead dancing […]

Lockhouse 21 “Swains”: Canal Quarters

Swains Lockhouse (Lockhouse 21) is part of the Canal Quarters program and is available for overnight stays! You and up to 7 friends can spend up to three nights here, […]

Historic Great Falls Tavern

The Great Falls Tavern serves as a C&O Canal National Historical Park Visitor Center. Visit the Park’s website for more information. Great Falls is one of the most popular spots […]

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 […]

Lock 27, Spinks Ferry

Spink’s Ferry was an established Potomac crossing long before the Canal was built. Josias Clapham licensed the ferry way back in 1757. Because the approach to his ferry landing was […]

Dickerson Power Plant & Kayak Course

Take a good look beneath the towering smokestacks of the Dickerson Power Plant. Focus on the 900-foot, concrete lined discharge channel where 300,000 gallons of water per minute are borrowed […]

Dickerson Conservation Park

Dickerson Conservation Park provides opportunities for quiet enjoyment of the natural environment. The 304-acre park sits next to the Potomac River and the C&O Canal just south of the boundary between Montgomery […]

Lock 26 (Woods Lock)

Lock 26 has aged beautifully. It is currently filled in, to keep its empty walls from collapsing into a pile of stones. The stone foundation of its house has been […]

White’s Ferry

White’s Ferry is a one-of-a-kind on the Potomac River. It is the last operating ferry on the river, transporting vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians from Maryland across to the Leesburg area […]

Marble Quarry

The challenges of moving marble from the Marble Quarry to a re-building Washington in the early part of the 19th century demonstrated exactly how valuable the C&O Canal would be. […]

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 […]

Marble Quarry Campsite Hand Pump

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 […]

Whites Ferry Parking

Large lot. Off Whites Ferry Road, near Whites Ferry, with service across the Potomac to Virginia.

Turtle Run Campsite Hand Pump

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 […]

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 […]

Broad Run’s Mystery Aqueduct

Culverts and aqueducts both allowed streams and rivers to cross uninterrupted below the C&O Canal. Aqueducts were usually larger—more like bridges. But what else differentiates a culvert from an aqueduct? […]

Poolesville

Poolesville, a town of 6,000 people in western Montgomery County, Maryland, is a worthwhile diversion for Canal travelers. From the towpath, it can be accessed via 5-mile rides on Whites […]

Seneca Creek State Park

As Seneca Creek splashes its way toward the Potomac, the stream basin is home to a wide range of attractions and outdoor activities. Seneca Creek State Park is a 6,300-acre […]

Ruin of Jarboe’s Store

Just as crossroads have become gathering places in the automotive age, so too did upstream Canal locks become places to meet and do business in the mid 1800s. Lockhouse 25 […]

Lockhouse 25: Canal Quarters

Lockhouse 25 is part of the Canal Quarters program and is available for overnight stays! You and up to 7 friends can spend up to three nights here, experiencing life on […]

Lock 25 Edwards Ferry Parking

Small Lot. Take Edwards Ferry Road, near Lock 25 and Lockhouse 25, which is available to guests for overnight stays as part of the Canal Quarters program.

Lock 25 Edward’s Ferry

Activity at Edward’s Ferry began very early in the Civil War with a Union encampment and commissary established here in 1861 by General Charles Stone. “Camp Stone,” as it was […]

Lock 25 Edward’s Ferry Boat Ramp

Edward’s Ferry has a significant Civil War tie, when it was used as a river crossing for the Union army, as well as many civilians. Today, it has a large […]

Chisel Branch Campsite Hand Pump

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 […]

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, […]

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