C&O
C&O Canal Towpath
Cumberlandto the Capitol.
184.5 miles of historic towpath beside the Potomac River. We've shuttled C&O riders' bags since 2019 — every lock, every lodging, all the way to D.C.
184.5Miles
184.5 miles of historic towpath beside the Potomac River. We've shuttled C&O riders' bags since 2019 — every lock, every lodging, all the way to D.C.
The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath follows the Potomac River for 184.5 miles between Cumberland, Maryland and Washington, D.C. — the original mule path that towed canal boats from 1828 to 1924, now preserved as a National Historical Park.
It's flatter than the GAP, shadier in summer, and rich with lock houses, aqueducts, and 19th-century history. The towpath surface is mostly hard-packed dirt and crushed stone — slower going than the GAP but every bit as memorable.
GAP Junction
Narrow Point
Aqueduct
Across the Potomac
Three States Meet
Railroad Town
River Bluffs
Last Cable Ferry
Cascading Potomac
Georgetown
The entire 184.5 miles sits inside Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park — preserved, signed, and well-cared for by the NPS.
Hard-packed dirt and crushed stone the whole way. Slower than the GAP — best ridden on a hybrid, gravel, or fat-tire bike.
74 lift locks, 11 stone aqueducts, and the 3,118-foot Paw Paw Tunnel. The trail is essentially a 184-mile museum.
"From the Eastern Continental Divide to the Capitol Mall — the C&O is the slow ride, the one you remember most."— Why we've shuttled it since 2019
At Cumberland the GAP becomes the C&O — 335 continuous off-road miles from Pittsburgh to D.C. We shuttle the full route, end to end.
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