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Snyders Landing

Another point of boat access to the Potomac River, Snyders Landing also includes parking on the berm side of the Canal. Originally named for the nearby town of Sharpsburg, it […]

Killiansburg Cave

The Battle of Antietam is well known for the events that unfolded on September 17, 1862, and the long-lasting importance it had over the rest of the Civil War. Antietam […]

Killiansburg Cave 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 […]

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 […]

Lock 38 (Shepherdstown River Lock)

The Shepherdstown River Lock is one of only three river locks on the Canal. Built from gray limestone and meant to draw traffic from the Virginia side of the Potomac […]

Thomas Swearingen Ferry & James Rumsey Bridge

In 1755, the Virginia General Assembly recognized the need for a proper river crossing, and Thomas Swearingen was authorized to operate a ferry on the Potomac River between the Maryland […]

Ferry Hill Parking

Small lot off Shepherdstown Pike, near Ferry Hill Plantation/C&O Canal Visitors Center.

Bridgeport

If you needed a place to stay or a warm meal while traveling through Ferry Hill in the early nineteenth century, you were out of luck. But by the 1830s […]

James Rumsey Steamboat

What is a “canoe powered by a teakettle?” A steamboat, of course! The eccentric inventor James Rumsey shocked Shepherdstown during a December 3, 1787 demonstration when his boat – without […]

Shepherdstown River Lock

The Shepherdstown River Lock is one of only three river locks on the Canal. Built from gray limestone and meant to draw traffic from the Virginia side of the Potomac […]

Boteler’s Mill/Potomac Mill

Dating back to 1826, Boteler’s Mill, also known as Potomac Mill, is on the shore of the Potomac River in eastern Jefferson County, West Virginia, half a mile below Shepherdstown. […]

Packhorse Ford/Boteler’s Ford

Less than a mile from Shepherdstown, West Virginia is a shallow point of the Potomac River that was a convenient crossing point between West Virginia and Maryland for Civil War […]

Antietam Creek Parking

Parking spaces along Canal Road, near Antietam Creek and Aqueduct, with access to the towpath.

Antietam Battlefield

The single bloodiest day of any American war was recorded just up the road from the C&O Canal in Sharpsburg, MD. After a rousing victory at the Battle of Second […]

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 […]

Antietam Ironworks

Industry got an early start on Antietam Creek. Its first settler, Israel Friend, built a gristmill there by the early 1730s. Friend also owned an Ore bank, which was purchased […]

Antietam Village

Many workers and supervisors who made a living at the mills and ironworks near Antietam Creek lived nearby in Antietam Village. The remnants of this once thriving industrial region are […]

Antietam Creek and Aqueduct

Running south from Pennsylvania, Antietam Creek is another large tributary feeding the Potomac River. Just three miles upstream from its meeting with the Potomac, Antietam Creek passes through the town […]

Shinham Limestone Kilns

At this point along the Canal, you can observe brick-lined arches in a concrete facing. These are the remains of several limestone kilns that were used to create fertilizer, plaster […]

House Falls and Cow Ring Sluice

About 4 1/2 miles below its confluence with Antietam Creek, the Potomac River rumbles through House Falls, named after a family that owned land along the river and a Potomac […]

Dargan Bend Parking

Small lot off Back Road, near Dargan Bend Boat Ramp and Dargan Bend Recreation Area.

Huckleberry Hill 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 […]

Lock 36

This gray limestone lock is located just down the hill from the former Fort Duncan, built in 1862 by the Army of the Potomac to protect Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry […]

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 […]

Remains of Dam 3

In 1799, a dam was created here to serve the armory at Harpers Ferry. Its use of natural rock supports created a unique zig-zag structure across the river. Unfortunately, the […]

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