The C&O, Part 3: Canal Towns

Another day on the trail. The canal was an impressive feat of engineering but most of its segments have either been completely drained or are stagnant ponds. The locks are mostly still there, though, as are the aqueducts. Any time a large enough river or creek enters the Potomac on the same side the canal runs, they had to build an aqueduct to carry the canal over that river, and today these serve as bridges for the trail. A few had to be reconstructed or repaired for this purpose, but you can still see most of the original stonework.

I was a bit slow to head out in the morning, again. I’ve decided to split the remainder of the trail over three days to let Cumberland be mostly a rest day, but I still wanted to cover a good distance today.

The river is calmer and flatter here (helped by a couple dams) and there’s actually a fair bit of recreational boating that happens, mainly on the West Virginia side of the riverfront.

I stopped into Williamsport, a small town close to the canal, and got a bite to eat. I didn’t find it a super pleasant town, but the food was adequate and cheap. I also stopped into Sweet Notes Bakery and got a treat for myself from the nice woman working there.

At some point the trail starts running parallel to I-70. This area has a lot of features that make it nice for highways, in addition to canals and railways.

I stopped into the town of Hancock and found it nicer. It is perhaps most notable for its location at the narrowest point of Maryland: from the border with Pennsylvania down to the river is less than 2 miles, and the town, the canal, and the interstate all thread this needle. I got groceries and headed to the next campsite down.

Cooked dinner for myself with the food I got in Hancock, and managed to finish before nightfall this time. There were a couple other guys at the campsite with their dogs, but they seemed like they wanted solitude so I left them alone.

Route Map

Gallery