Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Trail (South)

Trail Description:

The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park is a 184.5 mile continuous linear trail that travels along Maryland's Potomac River Valley from Georgetown, Washington D.C. to Cumberland, Maryland on the old C&O Canal towpath. The surface of the towpath is mostly hard-packed dirt and gravel. Mountain biking the C&O Canal Trail Southern section as it climbs for 70 miles, from the Tidewater Lock (Lock 0) in Georgetown through the low, rolling hills of the Piedmont into the northern Blue Ridge at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia is a bike ride back in history.

The C&O towpath trail is busiest between May and October and in the first 14 miles from Georgetown to Great Falls. Try riding the towpath at other times or at the upper reaches of the canal for a more relaxed, less travelled cycling adventure. Many towns along the route provide convenient services, refreshments and inns, making logistics for a weekend getaway or longer trip easy. Free Hiker-Biker Campsites (first come-first serve basis), located at several points from Swain’s Lock to Seneca at various intervals offer alternative options for multi-day trips.

Interesting geological features such as towering cliffs and interesting rock formations at Widewater, where the canal widens, and the spectacular Great Falls of the Potomac can be observed. History afficianados will find the hundreds of original structures, including 21 locks, several lock houses and the canal's longest aqueduct along this stretch a fascinating reminder of the canal’s role as a transportation system during the Canal Era. This segment of the canal path also passes several National Historical sites including the Clara Barton National Historic Site, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and the Antietam National Battlefield (see historical notes below).

Other outdoor activities available include hiking, canoeing, kayaking and horseback riding. At both the Georgetown and Great Falls Visitor's Center, you can pick up trail guides, information about the route ahead and even take mule-drawn canal boat rides.

The Great Falls section of the Potomac River, located only fifteen miles from the Nation’s Capital, is a major outdoor recreation hub on the trail. Here, the Potomac River builds up speed and force as it cascades 76 feet in two-thirds of a mile over a series of steep, jagged rocks and flows through the narrow Mather Gorge. Besides bicyclists travelling on the canal towpath through the area, people come to hike on the challenging Billy Goat Trail, kayak or canoe in the whitewater below Great Falls, or rock climb in the Gorge.

Once you pass Great Falls, the crowds thin out. Swain's Lock is a very picturesque place to stop. It used to be a popular refreshment stop and canoe and bike rental concession run by the Swain family. Swain family members helped to build the original canal and lived at the lovely white Lockhouse 21 since the early 1900's. The concession closed in 2005.

The park forms a corridor that is just as important for travelling wildlife as it is for hikers and bicyclists. It preserves a floodplain forest and wetlands habitat that supports a wide variety of flora and fauna. River otters, beavers, deer, red foxes, wild turkeys, great blue herons, songbirds and a variety of waterfowl are fairly common. You have a good chance of spotting some of them on your ride. Less common are the black bear, bobcat and bald eagle. A good spot for wildlife and bird watching is the section of trail that passes through the McKee Besher Wildlife Management Area. You can also find Horsepen Branch, a lovely Hiker-Biker campsite located within easy access of the trail here.

At mile 58, the red brick Lockhouse 33 marks the junction of the Appalachian Trail (AT) with the towpath. The AT travels along the Potomac for a three mile stretch. At mile 61, the AT crosses over the river into West Virginia at Harpers Ferry. A footpath over the river on a railroad bridge provides easy access from the canal trail into Harpers Ferry at mile 60.2.

Around mile 70, the Antietam Visitors Center and National Battlefield is the last stop on this stretch of the canal towpath. Driving, walking, and biking are just a few of the ways to experience this piece of history.

C&O National Historic Park (South) Highlights:

Georgetown Visitors Center
Located at 1057 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW Washington, DC. Relive history with a canal barge ride along the Georgetown section of the C & O Canal, led by period-costumed guides from the National Park Service.

Great Falls National Park.
One of the most popular spots along the trail. Here, the Great Falls of the Potomac River descends from the Piedmont Plateau, spilling into the tidewater part of the river in a spectacular series of waterfalls and rapids.

Great Falls Tavern
Located at 11710 MacArthur Blvd., Potomac, MD. C&O National Park Visitors Center (originally a lockhouse) located at You will also find a working lock where living history interpreters bring the Canal Era to life, mule-drawn canal boat rides, and refreshments.

Clara Barton National Historic Site
Early headquarters of the American Red Cross and home to its founder Clara Barton.

Monocacy Aqueduct
Completed in 1833. At 516 feet and with 7 arches, this is the longest of the eleven aqueducts erected along the C&O Canal. It is described by many historians as one of the finest canal features in the United States. The stone for the Monocacy Aqueduct was quarried from nearby Sugarloaf Mountain. The C&O Canal National Historical Park and its partners restored the aqueduct to its original state in 2004-2005.

Harpers Ferry
The historic town of John Brown's famous slave revolt, is a hop and a skip across the river on the West Virginia side of the canal.

Antietam National Battlefield
Located bout 2.5 miles from the Towpath. On September 17, 1862, more than 23,000 men died here making it the bloodiest battle in US history.An interesting side trip can be taken around mile marker 76.6 to the site of the Civil War's bloodiest battle.

Tip: Just two miles from Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, there is a hostel lodge run by Hostelling International USA. It is situated high on a bluff, overlooking the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. The hostel is a perfect overnight stop for bicyclists wanting to visit Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, where sights include St. Peter's Church, Virginius Island, the shops along High Street, and John Brown's Fort. Bunkbed accomodations and camping is available.

Historical Note:

The Canal operated from 1824-1924 as a tranportation route. It played an important role in western expansion, transportation, engineering, the Civil War, immigration, industry and commerce. For communities and businesses along its route, the Canal was a lifeline bringing coal, lumber, grain and other agricultural products to market It provided a link between the growing west and the east. Devastating floods and competition from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad closed the canal trade by 1924. Some of the historic towns along the canal, with Visitor Centers, are Cumberland, Brunswick, Hancock, Williamsport, Great Falls Tavern and Georgetown.

For more information:

Trail Website: Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park

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