Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park
District of Columbia, Maryland, West Virginia
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
6.6 h fully dark
Hikes
Easy
🟢
Crowds
very high
Entrance
$20
Closures: Detours; Towpath; Points of Interest
Multiple items are closed due to hazardous conditions or maintenance. See below for more details.
Official NPS alert →DC Water Sewer Overflow
DC Water is managing a sanitary sewer overflow from the Potomac Interceptor near Lock 10. Anyone with questions or in need of support can reach out to DC Water’s 24-Hour Command Center at (202) 612-3400 or visit https://www.dcwater.com/about-dc-water/media/potomac-interceptor-collapse.
Official NPS alert →Equestrian Traffic Temporarily Prohibited - Mile 124.5 to 155
Horses are prohibited between Little Tonoloway (mile 124.5) and Paw Paw (mile 155) due to recent and ongoing towpath resurfacing. See more for details.
Official NPS alert →Hiking in Gold Mine Tract
Visitors are restricted to the designated trails within the Gold Mine Tract in the Great Falls area. This location is generally defined as that area bordered by MacArthur Boulevard and Berma Road and depicted on the Great Falls Maryland Hiking Map.
Official NPS alert →Preserving America's early transportation history, the C&O Canal began as a dream of passage to Western wealth. Operating for nearly 100 years the canal was a lifeline for communities along the Potomac River as coal, lumber, and agricultural products floated down the waterway to market. Today it endures as a pathway for discovering historical, natural, and recreational treasures.
Activities
Topics
Entrance fees
$20.00 — Entrance - Private Vehicle
$15.00 — Entrance - Motorcycle
$10.00 — Entrance - Per Person
$100.00 — Entrance - Non-commercial Groups
$100.00 — Commercial Entrance - Motor Coach
$40.00 — Commercial Entrance - Van
$40.00 — Commercial Entrance - Mini-bus
$25.00 — Commercial Entrance - Sedan
Hours & seasons
The towpath is open 365 days a year.
Hours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 301-739-4200
✉ CHOH_Information@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Feb, Dec
Typical crowds: very high
Weather now: ⛅ Partly cloudy, 89°F
🌦️ 92°/75°
🌦️ 92°/74°
🌦️ 97°/72°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
51%
Feb
53%
Mar
75%
Apr
94%
May
95%
Jun
97%
Jul
96%
Aug
94%
Sep
100%
Oct
97%
Nov
75%
Dec
56%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Things to do
Multi-Park Loop · 10 mi
Skiing and Snowshoeing the C&O Canal Towpath
Take a Boat Ride on the Canal · Boat tours usually last 45 minutes.
Wildlife Watching - Oldtown C&O Canal
Hike Along the Towpath Through the Paw Paw Tunnel
Bike the C&O Canal Towpath · To travel the length of the Towpath, depending on ability, time spent at various towns and historic sites, and conditions.
Explore the C&O Canal Williamsport Visitors Center · <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-005ad8a3-06a6-42a5-65d3-05e6a471bec7"><span>Duration will vary depending on how long you spend looking at the video, exhibits, displays, etc. Allow for approximately 20 minutes to an hour. </span></span></p>
Explore the Georgetown Waterfront
Campgrounds
Antietam Creek Campground ↗ · 20 sites
Bald Eagle Island Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Big Woods Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Cacapon Junction Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Calico Rocks Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Chisel Branch Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Cumberland Valley Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Devils Alley Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Evitts Creek Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Fifteenmile Creek Campground ↗ · 10 sites
Horsepen Branch Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Horseshoe Bend Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Huckleberry Hill Hiker-Biker Campsite
Indian Flats Hiker-Biker Campsite
Indigo Neck Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Irons Mountain Hiker-Biker Campsite
Jordan Junction Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Killiansburg Cave Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Leopards Mill Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Licking Creek Hiker-Biker Campsite
Little Pool Hiker-Biker Campsite
Marble Quarry Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Marsden Tract Group Campground ↗ · 6 sites
Mccoys Ferry Campground ↗ · 13 sites
North Mountain Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Opequon Junction Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Paw Paw Tunnel Campground ↗ · 10 sites
Pigmans Ferry Hiker-Biker Campsite
Potomac Forks Hiker-Biker Campsite
Purslane Run Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Sorrel Ridge Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Spring Gap Campground ↗ · 14 sites
Stickpile Hill Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Swains Lock Hiker-Biker Campsite · 5 sites · first-come
Town Creek Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Turtle Run Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
White Rock Hiker-Biker Campsite · 1 sites · first-come
Visitor centers
Brunswick Visitor Center
Cumberland Visitor Center
Georgetown Visitor Center
Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center
Williamsport Visitor Center
Accessibility
134 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Parking
Anglers · 100 accessible spacesaccessible
Carderock
Great Falls · 486 accessible spacesaccessible
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park — each spans a cross-park journey.
Henry Kyd Douglas
— Maryland CampaignJustice William O. Douglas
— Buffalo River, Buff 50, William O. DouglasPassport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Brunswick Visitor Center
🎫 C&O Canal Lockhouse 10 Canal Quarters
🎫 C&O Canal Lockhouse 21 Canal Quarters
🎫 C&O Canal Lockhouse 22 Canal Quarters
🎫 C&O Canal Lockhouse 25 Canal Quarters
🎫 C&O Canal Lockhouse 28 Canal Quarters
🎫 C&O Canal Lockhouse 49 Canal Quarters
🎫 C&O Canal Lockhouse 6 Canal Quarters
🎫 C&O Canal Park Headquarters
🎫 Cumberland Visitor Center
🎫 Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center
🎫 Williamsport Visitor Center
Places to see
Abner Cloud House
audio
Abner Cloud Mill
audio
Antietam Aqueduct
audio
Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area
Appalachian Trail Trailhead at The Point
audio
Big Slackwater Boat Ramp
Billy Goat Trail Section A Trailhead
audio
Bollman Bridge
Brunswick Boat Ramp
C&O Canal Entrance Station
audio
C&O Canal Ferry Hill
C&O Canal Incline Plane
audioAudio & media
🎧 Sounds Along the Canal: Rushing Water Near Lock 4 ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 Sounds Along the Canal: Cars Under Key Bridge ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 Sounds Along the Canal: Flowing Water through Lock 3 ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 Sounds Along the Canal: Walking Over 33rd Street Bridge in Georgetown ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 Sounds Along the Canal: Lockhouse 49 Stairs ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 Sounds Along the Canal: Bike Bell at Big Pool ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 Sounds Along the Canal: Lockhouse 49 Door ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 Sounds Along the Canal: Insects and Birds in Georgetown ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎬
🖼
Learn more
Six people and programs received the 2015 Harzog Award for their exceptional volunteer service. Check out their amazing contributions!
Meet the national and regional winners of the 2017 Freeman Tilden Award; the National Park Service's highest award for excellence in interpretation.
The National Park Service is pleased to congratulate the recipients of the 2022 George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service.
The National Park Service congratulates the regional recipients of the 2023 Excellence in Volunteerism Awards. These nominees embody the values of service, engagement, and stewardship fundamental to our national parks.
Honoring Excellence in Management and Administration The 2025 Director’s Awards celebrate outstanding contributions in management, administration, IT, and information management. These awards recognize individuals and teams whose innovation, service, and impact strengthen the National Park Service’s mission.
A lot of articles have been written about the history of the National Park Service (NPS) arrowhead emblem. Many recycle the same content and outdated information that has largely come from the NPS itself. Challenging the traditional story has revealed new sources of information—and two previously overlooked arrowhead designs—that rewrite the arrowhead origin story.
The chance at freedom was on the minds of all enslaved people in the United States during the Civil War. Through efforts of Harriet Tubman, and others like her, those enslaved could escape to free lands. Also the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal was a route out of slavery and into freedom.
What if your office were the woods? Your break room a mossy log? This is the reality for members of the Inventory & Monitoring forest vegetation crew. The team has collected data on forest health in NCR parks every year since 2006 and recently completed the fourth cycle of forest vegetation monitoring (2018-2022). Learn what staff biologists and technicians have to say about their experiences in the field these past five years.
Ranger School
Park-grounded courses you can learn with the Ranger.
A Journey on the C&O Canal
Open →
Let's Learn About Seeds
Open →
The Building of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Open →
The C&O Canal, A Place of Refuge, Recreation, and Reflection: 4th Grade Lesson
Open →
How Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
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