THIS PAGE CONTAINS UP TO DATE INFORMATION ON TRAIL AND TOWPATH CLOSURES AT THE CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.
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For more information, contact the C&O Canal National Historical Park at (301)739-4200.
Temporary Closure of Parking Facilities, Restricted Access near Anglers (Through 2012)
The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park is pleased to announce a contract for the repair of the towpath breach near Angler's (Mile 12) has been awarded to Classic Site Solutions. Work is expected to begin in late-November 2011 and be completed in the fall of 2012. This much needed repair will restore water flow in the canal after the 125 foot breach in the towpath is rebuilt. This work will require a closure of all parking areas across from the Old Angler's Inn, as well as the lower kayak drop off lot.
While the park regrets this inconvenience to the public, it is necessary to assure visitor safety. Vehicular traffic will be prohibited from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for most of the contract duration. Every effort will be made to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists using the area; however, all visitors are asked to obey posted closure signs and stay on the designated detour routes for their safety. Please obey flagmen and regulatory signs and do your part to assure that construction proceeds as quickly and safely as possible.
Visitors seeking parking facilities and access to the park are encouraged to try nearby C&O Canal locations of Great Falls and Carderock, either are within a few miles of Anglers. Click here for Anglers reroute directions.
Anglers Breach Progress Update (February 2012) - Repair work of the towpath breach near Angler's continues. Currently, the contractor is excavating the canal and breach area to facilitate installation of drainage improvements between the Angler's Bridge and Widewater. Masonry stones which are recovered during the excavation operation are being sorted and stockpiled for future reconstruction of the historic stone wall. Both the excavation and sorting operations are expected to continue for the next several weeks. Repair work continues to require periodic closures of all parking areas across from the Old Angler's Inn on MacArthur Boulevard, as well as the lower drop off lot. The middle entrance to the parking areas remains closed and vehicular traffic is prohibited at Angler's from 5:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. daily. Limited parking will be available after 5:00 p.m. weekdays, on weekends, and holidays. Alternative parking is available at Carderock (2 miles east) and Great Falls (2.2 miles west). While the National Park Service recognizes this inconvenience to the public, these closures are necessary to assure visitor safety while construction is continuing. Every effort will be made to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists using the area. All visitors are asked to obey posted closure signs and stay on designated detour routes for their safety. Please obey flagmen and regulatory signs and do your part to assure that construction proceeds as quickly and safely as possible. The expected completion date for the work remains fall 2012.
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Towpath Detour at Big Slackwater (Through 2012)
The C&O Canal towpath is closed from Dam 4 (Mile 85.4) to McMahon's Mill (also known as Cedar Grove Mill at Mile 88.1), requiring a short detour, click here for Big Slackwater Detour map.
Big Slackwater Progress Update (February 2012)- Restoration of the C&O Canal Towpath at Big Slackwater continues. Most of the pier footings and all abutments have been placed for the elevated walkways, and installation of concrete columns on top of the footings is ongoing. Masons are also continuing to rebuild the historic stone wall along the river. Off site, the production of concrete skirt wall panels and deck panels was initiated, and delivery of these to the project site is expected to begin in the next several weeks. Together, the concrete footings, columns, caps, deck panels, and skirt wall comprise a series of eight (8) elevated walkways which will be located along the river within the limits of the project. Work on the all concrete elements and the stone masonry is expected to continue in the coming weeks.
Directions for Detour
From McMahon's Mill (Mile 88.1) traveling west: Turn left from the C&O Canal towpath. Pass the old McMahon's Mill, onto Avis Mill Road. Turn right onto Dellinger Road. Turn right onto Dam 4 Road. Road is narrow and becomes steep as you near Big Slackwater. Please use caution. Access the towpath via the dry canal bed at the bottom of the hill. Turn left onto the towpath to continue east.
From Dam 4 (Mile 85.4) traveling east: Exit the towpath and turn right onto Dam 4 Road. Road is narrow. Please use caution. Turn left onto Dellinger Road. Turn left onto Avis Road. The towpath is past the mill. Access the towpath just pass the mill. Turn right onto the towpath to continue west.
History of Big Slackwater
Dam 4 ponds the Potomac River, creating a 13-mile slackwater lake, or stillwater lake with little current, that could be navigated by boat, without requiring a canal. A guard lock at either end of the slackwater section allowed boats and water to pass from canal to river and back again. The towpath continued and followed the river, allowing mules to pull canal barges along the slackwater section. Imagine the freedom canal boatmen experienced as they left the confined banks of the canal prism to navigate the wide Potomac River.
Throughout the life of the C&O Canal, floods, ice, low water and other hazards made the transportation route vulnerable to interruptions in business and trade. The power of the adjacent Potomac River made the location of the canal both desirable and fragile. After the canal closed operations in 1924, years of inactivity and weathering took its toll on the historic structures, canal prism and towpath. Still today, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park experiences damage and debris when the Potomac River overflows its' banks.
The Big Slackwater section of towpath is now unsafe or completely missing due to erosion and damage caused after many years of flooding. In 2010, a project began to restore the missing stretch of towpath and is anticipated to be complete in 2012. Once complete the Big Slackwater Restoration Project will allow park visitors to experience the entire canal, uninterrupted, from Georgetown to Cumberland.
