This stretch of the C&O Canal is popular because of its unparalleled beauty.
C&O Canal
Biking the C&O Canal Towpath: 10 Delightful Miles from Williamsport
Pedal through history along the C&O Canal towpath!
Biking with the Hound at Edwards Ferry
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (more commonly known as the C&O Canal) runs 184+ miles in Maryland, stretching from DC to Cumberland along the Potomac River, passing many points of interest. With a variety of aqueducts, lock houses, and other buildings, sweeping views of the river in many places, and an almost entirely shaded towpath, […]
Falling in Love with the C&O Canal All Over Again
I’ve frequently biked portions of the C&O Canal (although this year, not as much as I’d hoped) and of course, any good weather entices me to bring the mutts for a satisfying walk along some of my favorite sections. The towpath is a go-to destination, over and over. I’m constantly impressed by the beauty of […]
Nine Places in Maryland You Don’t Want to Miss!
Summer is almost here, and that means, the peak of day trip season! If you’re getting ready for some day trips, then here are nine places in Maryland you don’t want to miss! Maryland offers astounding natural beauty, from its rivers to its mountains and forests, as well as history from its colonial past onward. Don’t check these […]
C&O Canal: Paw Paw Tunnel to Lock 56
Our destination on this lovely, late summer Sunday morning was 20 miles of the C&O Canal between the Paw Paw Tunnel (mile marker 156.2) and Lock 56 (mile marker 136.2), which is the terminus of the Western Maryland Rail Trail, which we’ve biked several times. The Paw Paw Tunnel cuts 5 miles length off of […]
C&O Canal: From Swains Lock to Seneca Aqueduct
It was one of those rare, incredibly gorgeous summer days: 75 degrees, low humidity. As any Marylander will affirm, those kind of days are to be treasured indeed. In fact, any beautiful summer day is likely to find me either biking on the C&O Canal or thinking about biking on the C&O Canal. I wish I […]
Taking Pride in the C&O Canal and a Couple of Recipes
This year the Blog officially volunteered for the Ninth Annual Canal Pride Days, a program sponsored by the C&O Canal Trust to work on projects, in coordination with the C&O Canal National Park, to improve or help the park. Projects such as pulling out invasive plants, planting gardens for the lockhouses, cleaning garbage and debris […]
Living History at Lander Lock House
From 1828-1924 the C&O Canal functioned as a transportation route for goods and passengers on the 184.5 mile route from Cumberland, MD to Washington, D.C. Now it’s a great day trip destination for millions of people each year. They come to bike or hike along the canal while enjoying the beauty of the Potomac River. Locks, lock houses, such as […]
The Lost Post
C&O Canal Between Monocacy Aqueduct and Catoctin Creek Aqueduct I call this the lost post because I had this article almost completely written — I was just feeding in the photos, when my beagle, Meeko, sat his big fat hairy butt on my little laptop and butt-erased most of the post. I was more sad and […]
My Top 5 Budget-Friendly Day Trips
Periodically I’ll post my top picks. This is the latest My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature! 6. Visit the National ZooWhether you take the metro or drive and park ($22 flat rate for parking), the Smithsonian […]
My Top 4 Maryland Bike Rides
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks on a Sunday or Monday; right now I’m aiming to post a Top Pick at least twice a month. This is the first of the My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know […]
Western Maryland Rail Trail: West from Hancock
The Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) still beckoned to us, even though we hadn’t liked the east-from-Hancock section of it very much (for that stretch, recommend sticking to the C&O Canal, which is further away from the highway and a little more pleasant, but read more about that here). The blurb about the western half […]
C&O Canal at Williamsport
Most of my blogs about the C&O Canal recently have been about biking the towpath — a great way to explore the canal, but sometimes you can see more if you slow down a bit and see it on foot. That’s what we did last Sunday. I hadn’t planned on going on a day trip […]
Hiking Maryland Heights, Part 1: Overlook Trail
Fellow blogger J. Hammer graciously agreed to guest blog for the Mid-Atlantic Day Trips Blog about hiking along Maryland Heights, near Harpers Ferry. This is part 1 of his two-part series. Worth a Voyage across the Atlantic Over 1400 feet high, Maryland Heights offers stunning views of the town of Harpers Ferry, WV, and the […]