Big Slackwater – Big Slackwater View loop from Martinsburg

Routes

Bike touring routes & trails

Big Slackwater – Big Slackwater View loop from Martinsburg

Hard

4.0

(3)

101

riders

Big Slackwater – Big Slackwater View loop from Martinsburg

10:43

143km

840m

Cycling

Hard bike ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 27, 2026

Tips

Includes a segment in which cycling is not permitted

After 59.7 km for 61 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

15.7 km

View of the Potomac River from the Shepherdstown Bridge

Highlight • Viewpoint

Scenic views from the bridge crossing the bridge from West Virginia to Maryland. The MD-side of the bridge offers access to the C&O Canal tow path.

Tip by

34.8 km

Dam No. 4

Highlight • Monument

Dam No. 4 is located around mile 84 of the C&O Canal Towpath. Built in 1856, this dam was crucial for maintaining water levels for canal operations and remains an …

Tip by

39.0 km

Big Slackwater

Highlight • Cycleway

Ride in the morning or weekday, if possible. can get busy on weekends.

Tip by

39.9 km

Potomac River Trail

Highlight • Trail

40.6 km

Big Slackwater View

Highlight • Trail

Big Slackwater is a deep, smooth area of the C&O canal. It is the place that canal boats used to be launched into the canal.

After a flood destroyed the …

Tip by

59.3 km

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Lake

59.7 km

Cushwa Basin

Lake

71.4 km

Dam Number 5

Highlight • Monument

Dam No. 5 is located along the C&O Canal Towpath near mile 106, between Williamsport and Hancock, Maryland. Constructed between 1833 and 1835, it was built to raise water levels …

Tip by

82.0 km

Big Pool

Highlight • Lake

Big Pool is located near mile 113 along the C&O Canal Towpath. Unlike the man-made sections of the canal, Big Pool is a natural body of water that was incorporated …

Tip by

99.8 km