C&O Canal—4 Great Stops Along the Route

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal is an National landmark that extends nearly 185 miles from Georgetown in Washington D.C. to Cumberland, Maryland. This fascinating collection of locks, tunnels and other historic remnants offer a glimpse of an America era before rail or highway travel. Here is a quick overview and few must-visit stops along the way.

Background

By 1830 a quarter of the United States population was located west of the Appalachian Mountains. The National Road connected the two halves of the country, but four horses could only pull a ton of goods 12 miles in a single day and two months for that freight to traverse the 620-mile route from Washington to the Ohio River at Wheeling. A canal boat, on the other hand, needed four mules to travel twice as far pulling ten times more cargo.

In an effort to stimulate commerce and reduce the cost of transporting goods, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland chartered the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Company in 1828. The canal was built in sections and reached Cumberland in 1850. From there it went no further. The Appalachian Mountains proved too great a barrier, but the canal continued to operate until flooding and competition from rail lines forced the C&O to close in 1938.

Today

The National Park Service purchased and began preserving parts of this national landmark in 1938. Along the 185-mile route, many of the historic canal features and numerous visitor centers are available to tourists. Today the entire tow path functions as a bike trail, but many of the historic sites are motor-vehicle accessible. There are at least four spots along the canal that are high-payoff stops.

Recommended Stops

Georgetown

Now a part of Washington D.C., Georgetown predates the capitol by 40 years and was an important port on the Potomac River. Today visitors will find a thriving and fairly upscale dining and shopping district near the waterfront. If you wander off the main thoroughfares and onto some or the charming backstreets, you will find well-preserved remnants of the C&O canal.

Great Falls, Maryland

Just 14 miles upstream from Georgetown, the first major obstacle to navigation was Great Falls. Here the Potomac is forced through a narrow valley, at a point where the elevation plunges 76 feet, creating a series of waterfalls and large rapids. On the Virginia side there are signs of the older Patowmack Canal commissioned by George Washington. On the Maryland side you will find a section of the C&O Canal. Both sides are worth exploring and offer dramatic views of the Great Falls.

On the Maryland side, in addition to the falls, you will find locks 17 through 20 and the old Great Falls Tavern, which houses the National Park Service Visitor Center. Once a stop for travelers on the canal, the tavern now offers an array of exhibits and even the possibility of meeting the park’s team of mules. The canal was dry when I visited, but canal boat rides are possible during some parts of the year. Check the NPS website for more information.

I have been to both sides of the falls. Each offers hiking and the views are equally remarkable. The Virginia side is easier to access, but the Maryland side offers a little more bang for the buck.

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Harpers Ferry sits at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers and was historically an important transportation and manufacturing hub. Both the Patowmack and C&O Canals converged on this settlement. It was of such strategic importance that multiple Civil War battles were fought over control of Harpers Ferry and those battlefields are preserved for visitors.

It is a lovely little town that is filled with points of interest. In addition to the battlefields, there is the old National Armory, which was the object of John Brown’s abolitionist raid. A short hike up to the nearby cliffs will offer a spectacular view of the town and the two rivers. Or if you are not feeling that adventurous, the shopping district is full of charming shops and places to grab a bite to eat.

Cumberland, Maryland

Labor shortages, cost overruns and the Allegheny Mountains were all responsible for termination of construction at Cumberland. Today the town is something of an homage to early transportation. It was connected by the first national road, then the C&O Canal and finally became a rail hub. Reminders of the past will be encountered throughout the town.

Today it is a hub for bicyclists starting or ending their 185-mile trip along the old tow path. The city caters to cyclists and visitors of all types. The downtown pedestrian mall and area around it are full of shops and restaurants. It is a lovely town on the edge of the mountains and totally worth a day to stop and explore.

I have visited each of these places and a few others along the C&O Canal, so I can heartily recommend all of them. If you only have time for one, I would probably point you to Harpers Ferry, because it us such a high payoff destination. Of course, I would make time to see them all.

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