Donate

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.

Glen Echo Park

Bolstered by the income of their patented “culinary eggbeater” that could go in reverse, twin brothers Edwin and Edward Baltzley settled Glen Echo and set about building a summer educational […]

Clara Barton House

You might know that Clara Barton was a volunteer nurse and relief worker who founded the American chapter of the Red Cross. You might not know that her neighbors in […]

Lock 7 Parking

Small lot off Clara Barton Parkway, near Lock 7 and Lockhouse 7, with access to towpath.

Kayak Run/Feeder Canal

Some of the nation’s most accomplished kayakers, including many Olympians, have spent hours perfecting their craft on Potomac River whitewater training runs. One training site is here on the feeder […]

Lockhouse 6: Canal Quarters

Lockhouse 6 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 […]

Lock 6 Parking

Small lot off of Clara Barton Parkway, near Lock 6 and Lockhouse 6, which is available for overnight stays as part of the Canal Quarters program. Access to towpath.

Lock 6

When you happen upon the lockhouse nestled beside Lock 6, whether by walking, biking, or driving past, you wouldn’t know that this quaint house along the canal had witnessed so […]

Lock 5 Parking

Small lot off of Clara Barton Parkway, near Lock 5 and the Brookmont Bridge, with access to the towpath.

Let's Explore!