National Park Service Trails Days

sponsored by the George Washington Memorial Parkway

C&O Canal / Capital Crescent Trail
Saturday & Sunday, August 2 & 3, 11am–3pm
Look for us at Fletchers Cove at the junction of the C&O Canal and the Capital Crescent Trail — Visit www.nps.gov/choh for directions.

Stop by our trailside activity tent to learn more about the extensive network of National Park Service trails in the area, including the Mount Vernon Trail, the C&O Canal, and all our Greater Washington National Parks. We welcome you to join us at either of our upcoming events where you can learn about safe trail use and how to be prepared for your travels. Pick up trail maps and park brochures, earn a free bike bell, meet the volunteer patrols, and pick up your very own trail pledge card.

GEORGETOWN TO GREAT FALLS & beyond

Paralleling the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal amidst woodland and wildlife, the 184-mile C&O Canal Towpath serves both cycling and hiking interests in the Washington area. The C&O Canal played a part in the history of the national competition to open the western frontier (in the early 19th century the "frontier" was Wheeling, W. Va. on the Ohio River). On the same day that the C&O Canal Company began construction of its water route to Cumberland (which would then connect to Wheeling by road), the B&O Railroad began its westward push. The railroad ultimately won the race to the West.

The canal-building industry suffered from high land costs and persistent trouble in obtaining land titles. The B&O Railroad obtained land rights at Point of Rocks, Md., and secured an injunction against canal passage there for four years. The canal finally reached Cumberland in 1850, eight years after the railroad. Plans for further extensions to the west were abandoned.

The C&O Canal contains 74 lift locks and 11 stone aqueducts over Potomac tributaries. It was used until 1924, when a flood destroyed it for the second time. The Towpath is now surfaced with earth and crushed stone and ribbed with tree roots. Heavy rains can cause temporary washouts. Most of the Towpath is difficult on light touring or racing bicycles; a mountain bike or one-speed clunker with heavy-duty tires is recommended.

Connection between the C & O Canal Towpath and the Great Allegheny Passage (a 150-mile system of biking and hiking trails connecting Cumberland, MD and Pittsburgh, PA) in Cumberland, MD was completed in 2006, creating a continuous non-motorized corridor, 316 miles long, from near Pittsburgh to Washington, DC.

Goto map>>

POINTS OF INTEREST: Fletcher's Boathouse at 2.4 and 40.2 miles; Chain Bridge, with spectacular view of the Potomac River at 3.3 and 39.1 miles; Kirby Park at 7.4 miles; Fairfax County Courthouse at 12.6 miles; Freedom Hill Fort Park at 12.9 miles; Wolf Trap Barns at 15.5 miles; Filene Center at 15.6 miles; Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center at 15.7 miles; Great Falls Park at 19.9 miles

LENGTH: 19.9 miles to Great Falls (184.5 miles for the whole towpath)

TERRAIN: Level. Packed dirt and crushed stone surface, 6-8 feet wide. The surface may not be suitable for thin bicycle tires, particularly outside of the Capital Beltway.

C & O Map - The entire trail (PDF)

Report a problem:

C & O Canal National Historical Park's Safety Hazard Reporting System

STARTS: Rock Creek Trail at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue NW ramp and Rock Creek Parkway near Georgetown in Washington, D.C. The starting point is within the Capital Beltway.

METRO STARTS: : From Foggy Bottom Metro station (Orange and Blue Lines), go north one block on 23rd Street NW to Washington Circle, and go 270 degrees counterclockwise around Washington Circle to Pennsylvania Avenue NW toward Georgetown. Go three blocks to Rock Creek Parkway ramp, on left, before the Four Seasons Hotel.