One of the best preserved and least altered of old American canals, the Chesapeake and Ohio grew from Washington's vision of linking the valleys of the early west with the east by "ties of communication." The Potomac Company fostered by Washington to improve navigation of the Potomac transferred its rights in 1828 to the Chesapeake and Ohio Company organized to connect the Ohio at Pittsburg with Georgetown by a continuous canal. In October 1850 after 185 miles were built the construction ceased at Cumberland. Until 1924 trade continued on the old canal. Today, it is a memorial to national progress and the canal era.
Start at Mile o
By 10 Mile Sections
By Locks
Lock 0 - Tidewater Lock, where Rock Creek empties into the Potomac
Lock 1 - Georgetown
Lock 2 - Georgetown
Locks 3 & 4 - Georgetown
Lock 5 - Brookmont and Inlet Lock 1
Lock 6 - Magazine Lock
Lock 7 - Glen Echo
Locks 8, 9 & 10 - Seven Locks
Locks 11, 12, 13 & 14 - Seven Locks
Lock 15 - Six Locks
Lock 16 - Six Locks
Lock 17 - Six Locks
Lock 18 - Six Locks
Lock 19 - Six Locks
Lock 20 & Great Falls Tavern - Six Locks
Lock 21 - Swain's Lock
Lock 22 - Pennyfield Lock
Lock 23 - Violette's Lock and Inlet Lock 2
Lock 24 - Riley's Lock
Lock 25 - Edward's Ferry
Lock 26 - Woods Lock
Lock 27 - Spinks Ferry
Lock 28 - Point of Rocks Lock
Lock 29 - Catotcin Lock
Lock 30 - Brunswick
Lock 31 - Weverton
Lock 32 - Sandy Hook
Lock 33 - Harpers Ferry
Lock 34 - Goodheart's Lock
Locks 35 & 36 - Two Locks (Harpers Ferry)
Lock 37 - Mountain Lock
Lock 38 - Shepherdstown
Lock 39 - Snyder's Landing
Lock 40 - Horseshoe Bend
Locks 41 & 42
Lock 43
Lock 44 - Williamsport
Lock 45 - Two Locks (Dam 5)
Lock 46 - Two Locks (Dam 5)
Locks 47, 48, 49 & 50 - Four Locks
Locks 51 & 52 - Hancock
Lock 53 - Irishman's Lock
Lock 54
Lock 55 - Near Dam 6
Lock 56 - Sideling Lock
Lock 57
Lock 58
Lock 59
Lock 60
Lock 61
Locks 62, 63 1/3, 64 2/3, and 66
Lock 67
Lock 68 - Crabtree's Lock
Lock 69 - Twigg's Lock
Lock 70 - Oldtown
Lock 71
Lock 72 - The Narrows
Locks 73 & 74 - North Branch
Lock 75 - North Branch
By Towns
Georgetown
Great Falls
Seneca
White's Ferry
Point of Rocks
Brunswick
Harpers Ferry
Sharpsburg/Shepherdstown
Williamsport
Hancock
Little Orleans
Oldtown
Cumberland
By Aqueducts
Seneca Creek Aqueduct
Broad Run Trunk (Wooden) Aqueduct
Monocacy Aqueduct
Catotcin Creek Aqueduct
Antietam Aqueduct
Conococheague Aqueduct
Licking Creek Aqueduct
Tonoloway Creek Aqueduct
Sideling Hill Creek Aqueduct
15 Mile Creek Aqueduct
Town Creek Aqueduct
Evitt's Creek Aqueduct
By Feeder Dams
Dam 1 - Mile 5.6
Dam 2 - Mile 22.12
Dam 3 - Mile 62
Dam 4 - Mile 84.4
Dam 5 - Mile 106.8
Dam 6 - Mile 134
Dam 7 - Proposed for Mile 164.9 but was never built
Dam 8 - Destroyed as part of a flood control project in the 1930's
By Inlet Locks
Inlet Lock 1 - Below Little Falls Dam
Inlet Lock 2 - By Dam 2 and below Seneca Creek
Inlet Lock 3 - Near Dam 3 in Harpers Ferry
Inlet Lock 4 - Big Slack Water, above Feeder Dam 4
Inlet Lock 5 - Same location as Dam 5
Inlet Lock 6- Same location as Dam 6
Click on the Tidewater Lock link (below the map) to start the tour.
Rise and Fall of the C & O Canal
From Washington D.C. to Cumberland Maryland, the C & O Canal was originally intended to ship goods from D.C. to the Ohio Valley (near Pittsburg). Construction began in 1828 and was completed up to Cumberland by 1850. The canal was subject to flooding, labor intensive to build, operated at a loss for many years and finally was outdated by the Baltimore and Ohio railroad which was built along the same route. The railroad took over the canal in 1902 but its financial liability and damage from the 1924 flood finally lead it to suspend operations.The Feds Take Over
184 miles of level right-of-way would be a great place to build a federal highway and so the federal government bought the canal from the railroad. At first they made some attempts to restore it until another flood in 1942. They tried to decide between a park and a parkway and considered how to fix all the flooding problems until 1971 when President Richard Nixon designated it a National Historical Park. Since then it's been a major recreational area for residents of the Washington DC area.| Mile | Landmark | Facility | Comments |
| 0.1 | Thompson Boat Center | Phones, Food, Bike Repairs, Parking | |
| 0.4 | Georgetown | Phones Groceries, Food, Bike Repairs, Parking, Visitor's Center | |
| 3.1 | *Fletchers Boathouse | Phones, Bike Repairs, Food, Boat / Bike Rentals, Picnic Tables, | |
| 10.5 | Carderock | Parking, Picnic Tables, Fee Charged | |
| 11.0 | Marsden Tract | Tent Camping, Fee Charged | Group campground; permit required. Parking 3.3 mi upstream at Great Falls |
| 14.3 | *Great Falls | Food, Phones, Parking, Picnic Tables, Visitor's Center, Fee Charged | |
| 16.6 | *Swains Lock | Tent Camping, Phones Food Boat / Bike Rentals Parking | |
| 22.8 | Seneca | Boat Ramp, Phones, Parking, Picnic Tables | |
| 26.1 | Horsepen Branch | Tent Camping | Parking 1mi upstream at Sycamore Landing |
| 27.2 | Sycamore Landing | Boat Ramp, Parking | |
| 30.5 | Chisel Branch | Tent Camping | Parking 0.3 mi upstream at Edwards Ferry |
| 30.8 | Edwards Ferry | Boat Ramp, Parking | |
| 34.4 | Turtle Run | Tent Camping | Parking 1.1 mi upstream at Whites Ferry |
| 35.5 | *Whites Ferry | Boat Ramp, Phones, Groceries, Food, Bike Repairs, Parking, Boat / Bike Rentals | |
| 38.2 | Marble Quarry | Tent Camping | Parking 2.7 mi downstream at Whites Ferry |
| 42.2 | Monocacy Aqueduct | Boat Ramp, Parking | |
| 42.5 | Indian Flats | Tent Camping | Parking 0.3 mi downstream at Monocacy Aqueduct |
| 44.6 | Nolands Ferry | Boat Ramp, Parking, Picnic Tables | |
| 47.6 | Calico Rocks | Tent Camping | Parking 0.5 mi upstream at Point of Rocks |
| 48.2 | Point of Rocks | Boat Ramp, Phones, Groceries, Parking | |
| 50.3 | Bald Eagle Island | Tent Camping | Parking 1 mi upstream at Lander Rd. |
| 50.8 | Lander | Boat Ramp, Parking | |
| 55.0 | Brunswick | Boat Ramp, Phones, Groceries, Food, Parking, Picnic Tables, Visitor's Center | |
| 60.0 | Sandy Hook | Phones, Groceries | Parking 4.9 mi upstream at Dargan |
| 60.8 | Harpers Ferry | Phones, Groceries, Food | Parking 4.1 mi upstream at Dargan |
| 62.9 | Huckleberry Hill | Tent Camping | Parking 2 mi upstream at Dargan Bend |
| 64.9 | Dargan Bend | Boat Ramp, Parking, Picnic Tables | |
| 69.6 | Antietam Creek | Tent Camping, Parking, Fee Charged | |
| 72.7 | Lock 38/Sharpsburg | Phones Groceries, Food, Parking | |
| 75.2 | Killiansburg Cave | Tent Camping | Parking 0.8 mi upstream at Snyders Landing |
| 76.6 | Snyders Landing | Boat Ramp, Parking | |
| 79.2 | Horseshoe Bend | Tent Camping | Parking 1.7 mi upstream at Taylors Landing |
| 80.9 | Taylors Landing | Boat Ramp, Parking | |
| 82.7 | Big Woods | Tent Camping | Parking 1.6 mi downstream at Taylors Landing ramp |
| 85.5 | Big Slackwater | Boat Ramp, Parking, Picnic Tables | |
| 88.1 | McMahons Mill | Phones, Parking | |
| 90.9 | Opequon Junction | Tent Camping | Parking 2 mi downstream at McMahons Mill |
| 95.2 | Cumberland Valley | Tent Camping | Parking 4.1 mi downstream at Williamsport |
| 99.8 | Williamsport | Phones, Groceries, Food, Parking, Picnic Tables, Boat Ramp, Boat / Bike Rentals, Bike Repairs, Visitor's Center | |
| 101.2 | Jordan Junction | Tent Camping, | Parking 1.4 mi downstream at Williamsport |
| 109.0 | Four Locks | Boat Ramp, Parking, Picnic Tables | |
| 110.0 | North Mountain | Tent Camping | Parking 0.4 mi upstream at McCoys Ferry |
| 110.4 | McCoys Ferry | Boat Ramp, RV / Trailer, Camping, Tent Camping, Fee Charged, Parking | |
| 112.4 | Fort Frederick | Boat Ramp, Phones, Food, Parking | |
| 113.8 | Big Pool | Phones, Parking | |
| 116.0 | Licking Creek Aqueduct | Tent Camping | Parking .7 mi upstream adjacent to Indian Springs exit ramp |
| 120.6 | Little Pool | Tent Camping | Parking 3.9 mi upstream at Little Tonoloway |
| 124.0 | Hancock | Boat Ramp, Parking, Visitor's Center | |
| 124.5 | Little Tonoloway | Phones, Groceries, Boat / Bike Rentals, Boat Ramp, Food, Parking | |
| 129.9 | Leopards Mill | Tent Camping | Parking 5.4 mi downstream at Little Tonoloway |
| 131.3 | Cohill Station | Boat Ramp | |
| 133.6 | Cacapon Junction | Tent Camping | Parking 6.8 mi downstream at Little Tonoloway |
| 139.2 | Indigo Neck | Tent Camping | Parking 1.6 mi upstream at Fifteenmile Creek |
| 140.9 | Fifteenmile Creek | Boat Ramp, Tent Camping, Fee Charged, Phones, Food, RV / Trailer Camping, Groceries, Parking | Drive-in campground |
| 141.0 | Fifteenmile Creek Group Campground | Tent Camping, Fee Charged, Parking | |
| 144.5 | Devils Alley | Tent Camping | Parking 3.7 mi downstream at Fifteenmile Creek |
| 149.4 | Stickpile Hill | Tent Camping | Parking 6.6 mi upstream at Paw Paw |
| 154.1 | Sorrel Ridge | Tent Camping | Parking 1.9 mi upstream at Paw Paw |
| 156.1 | Paw Paw Tunnel | Boat Ramp, Tent Camping, Phones Groceries Food Picnic Tables, Parking, Fee Charged | |
| 157.4 | Purslane Run | Tent Camping | Parking 1.6 mi downstream at Paw Paw |
| 162.1 | Town Creek | Tent Camping, Parking | |
| 164.8 | Potomac Forks | Tent Camping | Parking 1.9 mi upstream at Oldtown |
| 166.7 | Battie-Mixon (Oldtown) | Parking, Picnic Tables, Groceries, Food | |
| 169.1 | Pigmans Ferry | Tent Camping | Parking 1.4 mi downstream at Oldtown |
| 173.3 | Spring Gap | Boat Ramp, RV / Trailer Camping, Tent Camping, Phones, Groceries, Picnic Tables, Parking | |
| 175.3 | Irons Mountain | Tent Camping | Parking 0.2 mi upstream at North Branch |
| 175.5 | North Branch/Lock 74 | Boat Ramp, Parking, Picnic Tables | |
| 180.1 | Evitts Creek | Tent Camping | Parking 4.4 mi upstream at Western Maryland Terminus |
| 184.5 | Western Md. Terminus (Cumberland) | Visitor's Center, Picnic Tables, Bike Repairs, Phones, Groceries, Food, Parking | |
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