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Dam 4

The water pouring over Dam #4 upstream from Taylors Landing is truly powerful. The roar of the water fills the air and even sends a vibration through the ground. The […]

Big Slackwater

Big Slackwater is downstream from McMahon’s Mill. Canal boats once entered the river here as the mules continued walking along the towpath. C&O Canal Company engineers chose to utilize the […]

Big Woods 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 […]

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 […]

Heart of the Civil War Visitors Center

Located approximately half a mile east of Sharpsburg along Maryland Route 34 on the western edge of the Antietam Creek sits the historic Newcomer House at Antietam National Battlefield – […]

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 […]

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 […]

Horseshoe Bend 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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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