Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: December 3, 2025

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Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

931 m

Start of the Great Falls Foot Trail

Highlight • Trail

Beautiful overlooks of the Potomac River Gorge and Great Falls. Visitors center nearby with water, restrooms, info. Good hiking in this area too- home to the Billy Goat Trail (Section A makes for good hiking, but can be very crowded)

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3.23 km

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Highlight • Trail

This towpath is as much about the journey as the destination. Cruise past historic locks, aqueducts, and shady woodlands along a trail with gentle grades and rich history. Pause at scenic river overlooks or old lockhouses for a quick rest.

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5.16 km

Swains Lock water fountain

Highlight • Rest Area

These are hard to come by along the C&O canal and usually hidden. Always nice to know where to get water.

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5.20 km

Swains Lock

Highlight • Historical Site

Lock 21, aka Swains Lock, is a lock house and campsite. It was built in the 1830s and transported items such as grain and coal between Georgetown and Cumberland. It …

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11.4 km

Dierrsen Wildlife Management Area

Nature Reserve

15.5 km

Seneca Quarry Stone Mill Ruins

Highlight • Historical Site

Built in 1837 by the Seneca Sandstone Company, this mill was created to process the distinctive red sandstone quarried nearby. Today, the ruins, easily spotted by their red sandstone walls, …

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20.8 km

Horsepen Branch Primitive Campsite

Highlight • Rest Area

The Horse Pen Branch campsite is a hiker/biker campsite not accessible by car. Amenities include a chemical toilet, water, picnic table, and grill.

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27.1 km

Inlet Lock

Lake

31.1 km

Pennyfield Lock

Highlight • Monument

Lock 22, aka Pennyfield Lock, was built between 1829 and 1831, and the name came from the misspelling of the Pennifield family name. It has been restored and offers overnight stays to recreate the rustic feeling from that period.

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39.6 km

Washington Aqueduct Observation Platform

Highlight • Viewpoint

Washington Aqueduct was constructed back in the mid-1800s by the Army Corps of Engineers to provide water to Washington, D.C., and is still used today. The observation platform for the …

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40.2 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

38.5 km

1.00 km

542 m

156 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

39.2 km

647 m

391 m

< 100 m

Elevation

Weather

Today

Saturday 13 December

7°C

-4°C

44 %

If you start your activity now...

Max wind speed: 11.0 km/h

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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

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Swains Lock – Pennyfield Lock loop from Charred Oak Estates

Start of the Great Falls Foot Trail

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Swains Lock water fountain

Swains Lock

Seneca Quarry Stone Mill Ruins

Horsepen Branch Primitive Campsite

Pennyfield Lock

Washington Aqueduct Observation Platform

Nearby routes

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