News Release

Four Locks Boat Ramp and Parking Area Closing for Repairs

Date: October 1, 2024
Contact: Christiana Hanson, 301-491-6265

CLEAR SPRING, Md. — This fall, the National Park Service (NPS) will close the Four Locks (mile 108.9) boat ramp and adjacent parking lot at Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park for repairs starting in October through the winter. The closures will not affect the towpath or access along the adjacent public roadways.

The boat ramp, built in the 1960s, is showing wear and tear from years of use and weather exposure. To fix it, the NPS will extend the ramp with durable concrete blocks and add a new floating dock with a sidewalk that is accessible from the parking lot. The NPS will also reinforce the sides of the ramp and the riverbanks with stones to prevent erosion, making the area more resilient to climate change. Additionally, the NPS will repair the parking lot and add accessible parking spaces.

Visitors can use other boat ramps upstream and downstream of the Four Locks boat ramp, including:

•       Upstream at McCoys Ferry (mile 110.4)

•       Downstream at Williamsport (mile 99.7)

Construction for this project was funded via grants from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Waterway Improvement Fund and a Boating Access Grant from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

For questions about boat ramp access, please call 301-739-4200, option 0, to speak with park staff, or check online for project updates. For park information visit the park website www.nps.gov/choh.

-NPS- 

Preserving America's early transportation history, the C&O Canal began as a dream of passage to Western wealth. Operating for nearly 100 years the canal was a lifeline for communities along the Potomac River as coal, lumber, and agricultural products floated down the waterway to market. Today it endures as a pathway for discovering historical, natural, and recreational treasures.