C&O Canal Towpath: Georgetown to Cumberland
Maryland and Washington, DC, United States
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath follows the Potomac River from Georgetown in Washington, DC to Cumberland, Maryland. Lock houses, aqueducts and the Paw Paw tunnel recall the canal's working life, and the trail is managed as a national historical park. Together with the Great Allegheny Passage it forms a continuous car-free link between Washington and Pittsburgh.
- Location
- Maryland and Washington, DC, United States
- Length published by the National Park Service
- 184.5 miles
- Managed as
- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
- OSM track distance
- 289.8 km
Before you go
The National Park Service manages 184.5 miles of canal and towpath. The surface is mostly dirt and crushed stone, muddy after rain, so wider tyres are advisable. Hiker-biker campsites are spaced along the route; check current water availability, trail closures and detours on the park's website. Carry a light for the Paw Paw tunnel and slow down on the shared sections close to Washington.
The route
The saved OpenStreetMap track is the Maryland relation of the towpath and measures about 290 km in one continuous piece between the District line and Cumberland. The short Georgetown section is offered separately in the catalogue as the DC relation; together they approach the 184.5 miles managed by the National Park Service.
View this route in the catalogue
Places along the route
- Georgetown
- Great Falls
- Harpers Ferry
- Williamsport
- Hancock
- Paw Paw tunnel
- Cumberland
Sources and updates
- National Park Service: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Information checked on .
Track extracted on . © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0.