decemBER 2022

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal

Where: Nevada/California border

Directions: I-80 east and west; US 395 north and south

Good to Know:  

* Dogs are not permitted the Billy Goat “A” Trail around Great Falls

* Dogs are not allowed on the boardwalk trails on the Olmstead Island Bridges

Why so good:   

“A LONG STRETCH OF QUIET AND PEACE”

A canal that could connect the Potomac River to the Ohio River in Pittsburgh would provide a continuous water link from New Orleans to the Chesapeake Bay. That canal, dubbed the “Great National Project” by President John Quincy Adams, was finally started on July 4, 1828. It would take 22 years to complete - actually construction just stopped since the canal route never made it out of Maryland with only 184.5 of the planned 460 miles dug. The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal lasted for 75 years floating cargo from Cumberland, Maryland to Georgetown. The ditch survived filling in through the efforts of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas who championed the canal as “a long stretch of quiet and peace.”

THE GREAT FALLS OF THE POTOMAC.

At Great Falls Tavern the packed sand and paw-friendly towpath is one of the most scenic of its ilk - the canal section around the Great Falls opens wide and the boulder-edged water calls to mind the Canadian Rockies rather than suburban Washington. Away from the Potomac a trail system penetrates the wooded hills above the river. These wide dirt trails make for easy dog walking through an airy, mature forest. The park staff even maintains a watering bowl for pets at the Visitor Center drinking fountain.

GOLD!

During the Civil War, a Union private camped at Great Falls discovered gold-bearing quartz while tending to his chores. After the war he returned to Great Falls and began mining operations that triggered a mini-gold rush to the area. Although the Maryland Mine was active from 1867 until 1939, it yielded less than $200,000 of precious metal. The Falls Road Spur takes you to the ruins of the mine and diggings can be seen at several places on the trails. The key route here is the Gold Mine Loop that pushes out from behind the Visitor Center. Various short spur trails, some marked and some not, radiate off the 3.2-mile loop.

THE LOCKS AND AQUEDUCTS.

As you follow the canal westward any crowds fall away as the towpath marches away from civilization. Access roads bring you to assorted locks and aqueducts where you can begin long, solitary hikes with your dog and explore historic infrastructure remaining from the frenzied canal age of the early 1800s. The heavy stone Monocacy Aqueduct carried the towpath across the water at the confluence of the Monacacy and Potomac rivers and is a worthy destination for your dog in the part today. The River Trail above the Washington Aqueduct Dam takes canine hikers along river’s edge for about one mile. Even though the water can seem placid at this point, beware of unpredictable currents in the river if your dog wants a swim - the Potomac River has claimed scores of lives over the years.

THE TUNNEL.

The prime attraction for canine hikers at the western end of the canal route is Paw Paw Tunnel at Mile 155. Bring a flashlight for the 15-minute dog walk on the towpath through the 3,118-foot tunnel which is long enough to put you in complete darkness. It took 14 years and six million bricks to construct this tunnel and bypass the six mile stretch of the Potomac River known as Paw Paw Bends. The return trip can come via the orange-blazed Tunnel Hill Trail, a sporty two-mile haul to a ridge 362 feet above the tunnel or plunge back into the tunnel.