Books and Maps

Looking for a guide to trails in Western Maryland? How about loding along the C&O Canal? Or a water trail map?
Below is a list of some of the many resources to help you find yourself in the outdoors or on the river. For armchair travel, or for books to take on your travels, the list below includes a number of books that explore the history, nature and culture of the watershed.

Books

184 miles of adventure: Hikers Guide to the C&O Canal
Mason-Dixon Council Boy Scouts of America
Hagerstown, MD

A Guide to Food and Lodging along the C&O Canal
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Association, Inc. (1999)
Glen Echo, MD

A Hiker's Guide to the Laurel Highlands Trail
Sierra Club, Pennsylvania Chapter (5th ed., 1991)
Pittsburgh, PA
412-561-0203
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Pittsburgh, PA
412-288-2777

A Passage through Time and the Mountains: The Story of the Great Allegheny Passage
Great Allegheny Press/Shaw-Weil Associates (2002)
419 College Avenue
Greensburg, PA 15601
888-ATA-BIKE

Appalachian Trail Guide to Maryland and Northern Virginia with Side Trails
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (1h ed. 2000)
118 Park Street SE
Vienna, VA 22180
703-242-0315

City within a City: Greater U Street Heritage Trail
by Paul K. Williams and Kathryn S. Smith
DC Heritage Tourism Coalition, now called Cultural Tourism DC (2001)
202-828-WALK

Civil War to Civil Rights: Downtown Heritage Trail
by Richard T. Busch
Howell Press (2001)
Charlottesville, VA

Discovering the Tidal Potomac: A Cruising Guide and Boating Reference
Rick Rhodes
Heron Island Press (2003)

Commoners, Tribute, and Chiefs: The Development of Algonquian Culture in the Potomac Valley
Stephen R. Potter
University of Virginia Press (1993)

Great Little Walks: A guide to walks on the Great Allegheny Passage & connecting trails in the Pittsburgh Area
Yvonne Merril, A.E. Richardson & Mary Shaw
Great Allegheny Press (2003)
Shaw-Weil Associates
419 College Avenue
Greensburg, PA 15601
888-ATA-BIKE

Hikes in Western Maryland
Potomac Appalachian Club (1st ed. 1997)
118 Park Street SE
Vienna, VA 22180
703-242-0315

Images of America: Along the Potomac
Philip Woodworth Ogilvie and the Potomac Water Trail Association
Arcadia Publishing (1999; second printing 2003)
Charleston, SC

Leaning Sycamores: Natural Worlds of the Upper Potomac
Jack Wennerstrom, Sandy Glover
Johns Hopkins University Press (1996)
Baltimore, MD

Life on the Potomac River
Edwin W. Beitzell
Heritage Books (2003)

Linking Up: Planning Your Traffic-Free Bike Trip between Pittsburgh PA and Washington DC
by Mary Shaw and Roy Weil, with mapping by Bill Metzger
Shaw-Weil Associates (1999)
414 S. Craig St. PMB 307
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Allegheny Trail Alliance or 888-ATA-BIKE

The C&O Canal Companion
Mike High
The Johns Hopkins University Press (1997)
Baltimore, MD

The Grand Idea: George Washington's Potomac and the Race to the West
Joel Achenbach
Simon & Shuster (2004)
New York

The Great Allegheny Passage Companion: Guide to History and Heritage along the Trail
by William Metzger
The Local History Company (2003)
112 North Woodland Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15232

The Potomac
Frederick Gutheim
Johns Hopkins University Press
Baltimore, MD

Towpath Guide to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal: Georgetown Tidelock to Cumberland
by Thomas F. Swiftwater Hahn
Harpers Ferry Historical Association
Harpers Ferry, WV

Walk and Bike the Alexandria Heritage Trail: A Guide to Exploring a Virginia Town's Hidden Past
by Pamela J. Cressey, Ph.D., RPA for the Friends of Alexandria Archaeology
Capital Books, Inc. (2002)
22841 Quicksilver Drive
Sterling, VA 20166
703-661-1531

 

Maps

Tidewater Potomac Heritage Bicycle Route
Adventure Cycling Association (2004; map with interpretation)
Missoula, MT 59807
406-721-1776

Guide to Recreation Trails in Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia Regional Commision
703-642-0700

Potomac River Water Trail and the C&O Canal: Shepherdstown, W. Va. to Potomac Park, Md.
Jointly by Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources, C&O Canal National Historical Park, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, and West Virginia Dept. of Natural Resources (2002)
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
410-260-8778
Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin
301-984-1908

Potomac River and C&O Canal: Five Colorful Strip Maps
Georgetown to Opequon Creek
Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin
301-984-1908

Potomac River Water Trail: DC to the Chesapeake Bay - 6 Colorful Strip Maps
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
410-260-8778
Virginia Dept. of Conservation and Recreation
804-786-5046

Map D: Trails in the Potomac Gorge Area
Maryland and Northern Virginia and Cabin John Trail Maryland
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (2001)
118 Park Street SE
Vienna, VA 22180
703-242-0315