Chesapeake & Ohio Canal

Spend the day exploring life along the C&O Canal.

Ferry Hill (Point B), Dam 4 (Point C), Williamsport Visitors Center (Point D),
Four Locks (Point E), Paw Paw Tunnel (Point F)

THINGS TO DO:

8:30a - Drive to Ferry Hill, Sharpsburg, MD (72 miles, 1 hour 29 minutes)

9:00a - While on the road, call Williamsport Visitor Center (301-582-0813) to reserve a free ranger tour at 1:15p

10:00a - Arrive at Ferry Hill

• Explore Ferry Hill Plantation, learn about families that lived there and how their lives were intertwined with the C&O Canal
• See exhibits
• Check out "hands on area" for kids

Ferry Hill

11:30a - Drive to Dam 4, Sharpsburg, MD (13 miles, 26 minutes)

12:00p - Arrive at Dam 4

• Get out of car and enjoy the scenery along the Potomac river
• Eat a quick picnic lunch

One of the Dams on the Potomac River

12:30p - Drive to Williamsport Visitors Center, Williamsport, MD (9 miles, 17 minutes)

12:50p - Arrive at Williamsport Visitors Center

• Explore the visitors center
• Take the 1:15p ranger tour, which includes a boat ride, lock demonstration, and history of the area
• Walk around and enjoy the area 

C & O Canal Ride

Lockhouse 

3:00p - Drive to Four Locks, Clear Spring, MD (9 miles, 17 minutes)

3:20p - Arrive at Four Locks

• Take the self-guided walking tour of the locks
• Enjoy the Potomac River

A view of two of the Four Locks

4:00p - Drive to Paw Paw Tunnel, Oldtown, MD (45 miles, 1 hour 12 minutes)

• Walk the tunnel
• Hike surrounding paths

Entrance of Paw Paw Tunnel

End of the Tunnel

When you go, see if you can find the dollar bill I left in the middle of the tunnel

6:00p - Head home (115 miles, 2 hours 11)

THINGS TO KNOW:

The C&O Canal National Historical Park is almost 185 miles in length, beginning in Washington, DC and ending in Cumberland, MD.  There are a lot of things to see and do along the C&O Canal.  In our research, we were looking for highly rated places, which would be of most interest to our family and at the same time be fairly close together.  We loved what we came up with, but you may find other things on the park website which better suit you and your group.

You can stop and see Ferry Hill any time of the year; however, it is only open with interactive exhibits between Memorial Day and Labor Day (Friday-Sunday, 10:00a-3:00p).  If you choose to visit the C&O Canal outside of summer, just be sure to modify your itinerary.  You will not need more than 10 minutes to drive up to and walk around the house.  If you want to stick with your itinerary, there are some Canal sites (lock and towpath) on the other side of the road.  Just follow the signs on the road.

If you are interested in taking a free boat ride on the C&O Canal in Williamsport, you will need to call the Visitors Center as soon as it opens at 9:00a to make a reservation.  Space is limited and reservations are only accepted same day.  Like Ferry Hill, boat rides are only offered Memorial Day through Memorial Day and only on the weekends at 10:30a, 12:15a, 1:30p, and 3:00p.  Because boat rides fill-up, you will need to be flexible with you itinerary--depending on the time of your ride.  We recommend shooting for 1:30p.

There are several dams on the Potomac River, which are beautiful.  We recommend either stopping at Dam 4 before Williamsport Visitor Center or Dam 5 afterwards.  Both are picturesque, but similar, so choose whichever works best for your schedule.

The Williamsport Visitors Center is a great place to get a good understanding of what life was like on the canal.  Ranger-led tours take visitors back in time, giving them first hand experience floating the canal, opening a lock by hand, and walking the quarters of those who worked the canal.  There are trails for walking, picnic tables for eating, grass to allow little children to run and amazing views.  The visitor center includes exhibits and a gift shop.  There are also restrooms and water fountains, which come in handy after time in the car and three stops.  The visitor center is open all seasons, but only on Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00a-4:30p.

The best way to explore Four Locks is by taking the self-guided walking tour.  The locks and canal no longer have water in them; instead they are covered with grass.  Our kids had a blast running around on the grass and exploring the locks.  While Four Locks previously was a thriving community, it now has only a few buildings.  Of interest, those wanting the full canal experience can register to stay at Lockhouse 49.  Next to Four Locks is a boat launch for the Potomac River.  The boat launch has public restrooms and a great picnic area.  If you have little ones, this is a good place to prepare for the 1 hour 15 minute drive to Paw Paw Tunnel.

We loved Paw Paw Tunnel.  After a long day, it was great to stretch our legs and go for a hike.  The hike rather flat and not strenuous, but it is dark and can be wet in the tunnel, so be sure to bring a flashlight and appropriate shoes.  Our family only walked through the tunnel and back.  The tunnel itself is only two-thirds of a mile long, but there is a little bit of walk from the parking lot to the tunnel (round trip was around 2 miles).  If you want something more challenging, follow the additional 2 mile Tunnel Hill Trail over the top of the mountain to see where the tunnel builders lived during construction.  There are portable restrooms, drinking water (seasonally), and picnic tables at the parking lot.  For those interested, there is also primitive camping for a fee.

Cedar Run Falls (Natural Water Slides)

Enjoy slipping and sliding down Cedar Run Falls in Shenandoah National Park.  Hiking to these natural water slides is a great workout and tons of fun.  Definitely a spot to check out!

Trailhead for Cedar Run Falls (point B)

THINGS TO DO:

1.  Drive to Whiteoak Canyon Parking Area (97 miles, 1 hour 58 minutes)

2.  Hike a couple miles (round trip) to Cedar Run Falls:

• Enjoy sliding on the natural water slides
• Have a picnic
• Hike to other water falls in teh area if you have time and energy

Our favorite natural slide

The view when you realize the hike was worth it! 

Smaller natural slide (the youngest kids enjoyed this), first falls found about a third to half of the way to our favorite slide

Other waterfalls in the area (youtube videos show some daredevils sliding down)

 

Hiking the trail

THINGS TO KNOW:

We began our hike at Whiteoak Canyon parking area (near Syria, VA).  While this parking area is not off of popular Skyline Drive, it is still a part of the Shenandoah National Park.  Be sure to pay the fee at the trailhead (it is free if you buy and bring an annual National Parks pass for $80).

To get to Whiteoak Canyon parking area, either: 1) follow Google maps' directions to "Whiteoak Canyon, Robertson, VA" or, if that doesn't work, 2) follow your GPS to Syria, VA, take Route 643 in Syria (about .8 miles) to Route 600, and stay on Route 600/Weakley Hollow Road (about 3.6 miles) until you reach the parking area.

There are portable restrooms at the parking lot, but there are not any good places to change into swimsuits.  Some of us changed into swimsuits in the van, while others wore their suits the whole time.  Personally, I didn't feel there was enough privacy to change, so I recommend wearing your swimsuits during the entire trip.

We carried towels to dry off, flip flops (in addition to our shoes, which were nice for playing in the water and drying off), bottled water, cameras, etc. in a backpack.  We put bug spray and sunscreen on the kids, but I was fine without it.  The next time we go, I plan to take a life vest for our youngest, who is still learning to swim.  This will allow him to have more fun on the slides, on his own.

The round trip hike to Cedar Run Falls is a couple of miles.  Don't be fooled by the fun, small slide found at the first waterfall area you come to on the hike; there are better slides up the mountain.  That first waterfall is only about a third to half of the way to our favorite natural slide.  The trail leading to the first waterfall was fairly flat.  After crossing the river, the trail became much more steep and strenuous, but everyone made on their own (even our 4 year old!).  We did give ourselves enough time to go as slow as necessary, to ensure everyone made it to the top (and it was worth it).

There are a number of waterfalls along the trail between the parking lot and Cedar Run Falls.  Depending on your group, I recommend you take time to explore the falls and see if you can find better natural slides than we found (see youtube video above).  Most of the other falls were well off the trail and difficult to get to with kids in tow.  That said, we didn't feel we missed out by not visiting them.  The two natural slides we found on the trail were plenty of fun for our family.

If you have more time and energy (which our family did not have), I recommend you back track to Cedar Run Link Trail (or do the entire loop found on the map) and visit Lower and Upper Whiteoak Falls.  My research tells me these falls are much more picturesque; however, they are not natural slides.