Primitive Campsites

Plan Like A Ranger

A trip to Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park offers you an opportunity to discover historical, natural, and recreational treasures. While preparing for your visit please be aware of closures and current conditions, weather forecasts, and review the safety tips.

 

NPS Photo

Want to spend a night under the stars at the C&O Canal? Then you've come to the right place! The C&O Canal is a 184.5 mile long linear park stretching between Washington, DC, and Cumberland, Maryland. It is about a 4 hour drive end to end.

The park offers two different types of campsites: Primitive Campsites for hikers and bikers, and Reservable Campgrounds for individuals and groups. There are no RV hookups in the park. Read more below to find out which type of campsite will work best for you.

Private accommodations are available in many canal towns or stay in a refurbished lockhouse operated by the C&O Canal Trust.

Download the Recreational Guide by Milepost (pdf).

Well Water

Well water is generally available in across the park from mid-April (around the 15th) to mid-November (around the 15th).Since spring 2023, the well water in hiker-biker campsites have been signed non-potable. Water from wells at paid campgrounds remains potable and safe for drinking, cooking, or washing. This change occurred to ensure a more reliable water source for visitors in the park. Due to testing and treatment requirements, the park can maintain potable water in a targeted number of wells in fee campgrounds.

Current state of potable water in the park:

• Drive-In Campgrounds: Well water within the drive-in campgrounds is potable and treated with iodine - do NOT drink if you have any iodine allergies or if you are on medication for an overactive thyroid. In general, well water is clean and able to be used without additional treatment. However, as a general precaution for wells located in a flood zone, you are advised to boil or treat the water before use for your own protection.
• Hiker-Biker Campsites: Non-potable water is available in hiker-biker campsites. Please plan to filter, chemically treat, or boil the water before use for your own protection.
• Park Buildings: Visitor Centers, park buildings, and comfort stations water is potable. Water in all these areas is provided by the nearby municipality and does not require drinking water sampling by the park. Please note that the Swains Lock campsite draws on the same municipal water as the Swains Lockhouse and will remain potable. 

Winter Well Conditions: Typically around mid-November, water faucets in all camping areas throughout the park are turned off for the season. This gives the pipes a chance to dry out and prevents water inside the pipes from freezing, expanding, and causing the pipes to crack or burst in the cold. Campsites are still open to the public, but visitors should plan to bring their own water supply. Faucets are turned back on in the spring.

Water availability is subject to change. Always bring plenty of water with you as a backup option. Please plan your trip accordingly.

Overnight Parking

Parking overnight is allowed in designated parking areas anywhere in the park without a permit. If you choose to park overnight in the Washington, DC or Montgomery County, MD sections of the park, you should submit your license plate number, description of your car, and when you expect to return to [e-mail]. If you park outside of Washington, DC and Montgomery County, you do not need to submit this information.

Parking lots are not patrolled regularly, so do not leave any valuables inside your vehicles. The National Park Service is not responsible for cars or their contents; parking is at your own risk.

Trash

This is a trash free park; take all trash away.

 

Camping allows you to enjoy the tranquility of the C&O Canal at night. Pictured here is Indian Flats hiker biker campsite.

NPS Photo

Hiker-Biker Campsites

• No fee; first-come, first-served; no reservations.
• Stays limited to one night per site, per trip.
• With the exception of Swains (Mile 16.6), all campsites are located anywhere from 1 to 5 miles from the nearest parking area. Use the Recreation Guide by Milepost above to determine the nearest parking area to your campsite of choice. Please plan accordingly.
• All sites have: chemical toilet, picnic table, firepit, and non-potable well water.
• Well water at hiker-biker campsites is non-potable. Water is not treated and not for drinking or cooking. If you use this water, you are advised to filter, chemically treat, or boil before use. Water is turned off from mid-November to mid-April each year.

 

List of Hiker-Biker Campsites

 

Camping Regulations

• Camp only in designated sites.
• This is a trash free park; take all trash away.
• Quiet hours: 10 pm and 6 am
• Pets must be leashed at all times.
• Bring only kiln fired or dried wood into the park; it may also be collected from grounded dead material in park and used in campgrounds only, do not remove wood. Bring handsaws to cut to size.
• Fires restricted to grills and fire rings provided or portable grills positioned off the ground. Coals must be extinguished and removed from the park.
• Single campsites at Drive-In campgrounds allow a maximum of two tents and eight people.
• Hiker-Biker campsites can fit a maximum of five to ten tents, depending on the campsite. Please refer to signage at the campsite for specific details.
• Do not tie ropes to trees and structures.
• The use of hammocks at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal NHP is permitted at designated hiker-biker campsites and within campgrounds where reservations are required. If attaching to trees, hammocks must have straps that are at least one inch wide. Plastic zip cords, nails or screws are not permitted for the purpose of anchoring a hammock.
• Do not wash dishes, bathe, or clean fish near wells.
• Draining or dumping refuse from trailers or other vehicles is prohibited.