Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Byway

Maryland Scenic Byway 227 mi in Maryland.

Find camping along it Drive to one end Byway page on visitmaryland.org

About the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Byway

At the heart of this remarkable byway is the C&O Canal National Historical Park with its 74 unique lift locks and the 184.5 mile-long C&O Canal Towpath. Along the way you’ll find fascinating and informative visitor centers, convenient campsites, welcoming canal towns , and great recreational activities with guides offering everything from tire patches and picnics to whitewater adventures. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your C&O Canal Scenic Byway vacation today!

Begin your journey at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park's Georgetown Visitor Center, located at the mouth of Rock Creek on the Potomac River where the canal starts. Just outside D.C., visit Glen Echo Park , site of a turn-of-the-last-century amusement park and the preserved home of Red Cross founder Clara Barton . Glen Echo Park was the site of a Civil Rights protest in 1960 by Howard University students, which led to the integration of the Glen Echo Amusement Park in 1961. The park is now an arts and cultural center featuring galleries, classes, concerts, and events. Slightly off the byway, visit the Downtown Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District to enjoy museums, gardens, galleries, performing arts, and upscale shopping. Head to Carderock Recreation Area , where you can engage in amazing outdoor activities including top-notch rock climbing in this 100-acre parkland. At the Potomac-based C&O Canal’s National Historical Park Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center , marvel at the stunning Great Falls of the Potomac, a spectacular series of waterfalls and rapids that made the Potomac River unnavigable by ships, prompting the need for a canal. Arrange for an hour-long mule-drawn barge ride through one of the lift locks. For an extreme adventure, join Potomac Paddlesports for a whitewater rafting trip through nearby Mather Gorge! On your way to Brunswick, stop into the welcoming canal town of Poolesville and even take in 18 holes of championship golf . Then stop to view the historic postcard-perfect Point of Rocks Train Station . The station actively serves MARC and Amtrak trains today. In Brunswick, stop at the Heritage Museum , which displays artifacts and exhibits on railroad history and an amazing model train layout covering the entire third floor. The museum shares space with the C&O Canal’s National Historical Park Brunswick Visitor Center , featuring exhibits that showcase the town’s lively transportation past.

Maryland Office of Tourism, for the Maryland Scenic Byways program's own description, in its words. Byway page on visitmaryland.org.

Camping along the byway

on the roadAntietam Creek Campsite · National Park Service · 20 sites · reservable
on the roadMarsden Tract Group Campsite · National Park Service · 6 sites · reservable
on the roadSpring Gap Campground · National Park Service · 14 sites · reservable
on the roadTown Creek Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
on the roadEvitts Creek Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
on the roadFifteen Mile Creek Campsite · National Park Service · 10 sites · reservable
on the roadJoseph Hancock Jr. Primitive Park Camping · City, county or regional park · reservable
on the roadPaw Paw Tunnel Campsite · National Park Service · 10 sites · reservable
on the roadIrons Mountain Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service
on the roadChisel Branch Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
on the roadRohrbach Group Campground · National Park Service · 10 sites · reservable
on the roadBrunswick Family Campground · City, county or regional park · reservable
on the roadLicking Creek Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service
on the roadCacapon Junction Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
on the roadCalico Rocks Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
on the roadPurslane Run Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
on the roadTurtle Run Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
on the roadLittle Pool Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service
on the roadSwains Lock Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service · 5 sites
0.6 mi offFort Frederick State Park · State park · 29 sites · reservable
0.6 mi offDevils Alley Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
0.7 mi offWhite Rock Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
0.7 mi offHorseshoe Bend Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
0.9 mi offBald Eagle Island Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
0.9 mi offBig Woods Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
0.9 mi offPotomac Forks Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service
0.9 mi offMcCoy's Ferry Campground · National Park Service · 13 sites · reservable
1.0 mi offNorth Mountain Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
1.0 mi offIndian Flats Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service
1.0 mi offHuckleberry Hill Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service
1.1 mi offHorsepen Branch Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
1.1 mi offJordan Junction Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
1.1 mi offKilliansburg Cave Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
1.1 mi offMarble Quarry Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
1.4 mi offLeopards Mill Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
1.5 mi offIndigo Neck Hiker Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
1.5 mi offSorrel Ridge Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
1.5 mi offPigmans Ferry Hiker-Biker Campsite · National Park Service
2.2 mi offCumberland Valley Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
2.5 mi offSideling Hill Creek State Park · State park · 2 sites · reservable
3.0 mi offStickpile Hill Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
3.7 mi offOpequon Junction Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite · National Park Service · 1 sites
4.7 mi offLittle Bennett Campground · City, county or regional park · 91 sites · reservable
4.7 mi offLake Fairfax Park Campground · City, county or regional park · 136 sites

Public campgrounds within 5 miles of the road as the crow flies, nearest the road first (this stretch is in several separate pieces); each one's page has its facts, season and weather by month.

Every byway in Maryland Byways by state Maryland on the camping map

About this page's facts

The line is the Federal Highway Administration's scenic byways layer (HEPGIS, a snapshot of 2022-06-24, a US government work), cut at the state line and simplified for the map; the length is the line's. The designation is the program's own: the national tiers from FHWA's America's Byways roster, the rest from the layer's designation field. Road conditions, closures and seasonal gates change: check the agency's own page and the state's road conditions before you go.