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The longest national park?
I've been to Washington DC more than a few times now, but I can still be surprised. And it happened again this weekend.
It turns out that DC is the ending point for a very special national park: the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, where it dumps into the Potomac River.
Unbelievably, the canal starts near the Pennsylvania border, in Cumberland, MD, more than 185 miles away, and ends here in DC, in the Georgetown neighborhood. And, yes, you can bike or run the entire length.
The C&O Company formed in 1825, started digging three years later, and finished the canal twenty-five years later, at a cost of $11 million. By the 1920s, the traffic had ceased, a victim of competition with the railroad. It uses 74 locks because of the 605 foot elevation change over its length, and it had up to 500 boats regularly operating on it, mostly moving coal in the 1870s. [Check out Quick Road Trip: Washington, D.C. Part Two for a first person account of a ride on the canal boats.]
Next time you're in Georgetown, head down to the canal and take a stroll. Just don't forget to turn around before you end up in Pennsylvania.
Filed under: Biking, Hiking, History, Paddling, North America, United States
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jhgassler Oct 27th 2007 9:32AM
Actually - the longest National Park is the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, at over 2,100 miles long. It is a unit in the National Park system, and is overseen by the National Park Service. It is maintained, however, by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, a volunteer organization with the authority from the National Park Service to maintain and improve it. Incidentally, the Appalachian Trail crosses the C&O Park in Maryland and hikers travel on the C&O for about three miles.
Irvin Baker Oct 27th 2007 10:06AM
Let's not forget the Natchez Trace Parkway starting in Natchez, MS and ending west of Nashville, TN for a distance of 444 miles. At any given point it's usually less than 1/4 mile wide, or less. It follows a foot/wagon trail (or trace) that was used by Native American Tribes, Trappers and Merchants in the 18th and 19th centuries. A two lane highway now runs the entire length and it is a beautiful drive with historical stops at various locations throughout, including actual parts of the actual trail. One stop is at the Meriweather Lewis Monument and gravesite near Hohenwald, TN.
Dawson Oct 27th 2007 11:01AM
I know the lower part of the park well because I went to University in DC. About 15 miles upstream from Georgetown is Falls Park where the Potomac river has a set of water falls. It features several working locks, a lock keepers house and, of importance only to my family, is where I proposed to my wife.
If you are in DC and have the ability to get out the Maryland side of Falls Park there is enough natural beauty and canal history to make it worthwhile.