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Great Falls Area

At Great Falls, the Potomac River drops 76 feet in less than a mile through a gorge that narrows from 1,000 feet wide to less than 100 feet through Mather […]

Olmsted Island

Here, near lock 17, is another worthwhile diversion along the towpath. Follow an easy quarter mile walkway along boardwalks and on a series of bridges over a terraced floodplain to […]

Stop Gate

A few minutes walk downstream from the Great Falls, you’ll find a picturesque white structure above the canal. It looks like a covered bridge; however, it’s an important piece of […]

Lock 20

Probably the most well known of the “Six Locks”, Lock 20 stands beside the famous Great Falls Tavern. Great Falls Tavern had a dual function as serving as lockhouse 12 […]

Lock 18

Lock 18 is located just below the break of Great Falls. The towpath here was often washed out leading to the building of the guard wall and guard gate at […]

Lock 19

Lock 19, though mainly constructed with Seneca red sandstone, has coping stones possibly taken from older structures, one of the stones that make up this lock is inscribed May 24, […]

Lock 16

The sandstone that once made up Lock 16 has largely been replaced by brick along the Lock walls. In this lock there are inscriptions in the coping stone on the […]

Lock 17

Lock 17 was famous among canal boatman during the canals operational years often being referred to as the “Crooked Lock”. This lock opens up into a spacious pool 300′ long […]

Lock 15

Lock 15 is the start of another series of locks known as “Six Locks”, which carries the canal up 50 feet and past Great Falls. Unlike “Seven Locks” which were built […]

Billy Goat Trail A

This section of the Billy Goat Trail is by far the most demanding—but extremely rewarding for those who complete it. You’ll scramble and climb over angled rocks and boulders while […]

Widewater

Located between Great Falls and Anglers, Widewater has a natural wildness to it. It is easy to forget that it is man-made. Although it looks more like a lake, Widewater […]

Anglers Parking

Small lot off MacArthur Boulevard, across the street from Old Anglers Inn and near Billy Goat Trails A & B. Also near bathrooms and towpath access.

Anglers

Located between Billy Goat Trail Sections A and B and just downstream from Widewater is Anglers, one of the most visited sections of the C&O Canal. The natural beauty of […]

Marsden Tract Day Use Area

A campsite located next to the Marsden Tract Campground is for private users who have received a permit from the ranger station at Great Falls. Visitors making a rest stop […]

Marsden Tract Campground

Located between the Carderock Recreation Area and Angler’s Inn at Mile 11.5 on the C&O Canal Towpath, the Marsden Tract Campground is a group campsite south of the Great Falls […]

Billy Goat Trail B

Billy Goat Trail B is currently CLOSED, due to trail damage. Visit the C&O Canal National Historical Park’s page of current conditions for updates. Sections A and C are open. […]

Cabin John

Cabin John is a small, woodsy residential community in Bethesda, Maryland. It is home to about 2,300 people and many small businesses. Like many communities along the Potomac, Cabin John’s […]

Potomac

Once a modest agricultural community, Potomac, Maryland has grown into one of the wealthiest locations, per capita, in the United States. The town’s population includes foreign dignitaries, American politicians, famous […]

Billy Goat Trail C

The Billy Goat Trail is appropriately named. Divided into three sections (A, B, and C), The Billy Goat Trail takes more adventurous hikers along, up and over the rocks edging […]

Carderock North Parking Lot

Large lot. Follow signs off Clara Barton Parkway to Carderock parking. Near Billy Goat Trail C and Carderock climbing area.

Carderock Picnic Pavilion

The picnic pavilion at the Carderock Recreation Area is a large covered pavilion, open on three sides with 30 picnic tables. You must reserve the pavilion by visiting Recreation.gov. For […]

Carderock Climbing Area

For those looking for a departure from the easy-going grade of the C&O Canal, you are invited to look upward to the Carderock Climbing Area. Located along the Canal, Carderock […]

Lock 10 Parking

Small lot off Clara Barton Parkway, near Lock 10 and Lockhouse 10, which is available for overnight stays as part of the Canal Quarters program.

Lockhouse 10: Canal Quarters

Lockhouse 10 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 14

Lock 14 is the last of the “Seven Locks”. This lock along with Lock 15 had to be rebuilt between November 1871 and January 1872. Locks often had to be rebuilt […]

Lock 13

Standing in the shadow of the bridge that now passes above it Lock 13 is often overlooked. However this lock features a bypass flume with stonework that is in exceptionally […]

Lock 12

Lock 12 begins what is the closest concentration of three Locks in the Seven Locks series. In this stretch of three Locks the canal prism stretches from the original 60 […]

Lock 11

Like Lock 10, Lock 11 also features a lockhouse. This lockhouse unlike the one at Lock 10 is an exhibit describing the drop gate lock and the life of the […]

Lock 10

Many canal stories involve the canal’s continuous reinvention of itself. For example, when it became clear that the railroad was far superior to the canal in connecting the Chesapeake Bay […]

Lock 9

Lock 9 though located very closely to Lock 8 was built a little differently. Though Lock 8 was the first lock to be built with red sandstone, Lock 9 was […]

Lock 8

From the south, “Seven Locks” (locks 8-14) raise the C&O Canal more than 50 feet in a little over a mile as it approaches the American Legion Bridge at the […]

Lock 8 Parking

Small lot off Clara Barton Parkway, near Lock 8 and Lockhouse 8, with access to picnic tables, restrooms, and the towpath.

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