Great Falls/C&O Canal NHP- Potomac, MD

Fourteen miles upstream from Washington, D.C., the Potomac River dramatically drops in elevation. Falling 76 feet in less than a mile, the result is a stunning series of steep tiered cascades. The falls are best viewed from Olmstead Island, accessible by the C&O Canal tow path, where even high above the river, the water’s power is palpable.

The C&O Canal, which runs parallel to the Potomac River, was constructed between 1828 and 1850, for purposes of connecting the Chesapeake Bay to the Ohio River. Construction of the canal was an arduous task; only the 184.5 mile eastern portion to Cumberland, Maryland was ever completed.

Indeed, the rise of the railroad rendered canal transport obsolete almost overnight. Several reminders of this era remain at Great Falls NHP however, including several canal locks, lock keeper houses, and a tavern dating to 1830.