Pennyfield Lock – Great Falls Overlook loop from Kilgour Branch Stream Valley Park

Mountain biking trails

Pennyfield Lock – Great Falls Overlook loop from Kilgour Branch Stream Valley Park

Moderate

4.9

(1852)

16,350

riders

Pennyfield Lock – Great Falls Overlook loop from Kilgour Branch Stream Valley Park

03:45

55.6km

370m

Mountain biking

Moderate mountain bike ride. Good fitness required. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: September 3, 2026

Tips

Includes segments that go up or down a series of steps

You may need to carry your bike.

After 11.2 km for 9 m

After 17.1 km for 19 m

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

26.7 km

Bridge over Muddy Branch near Riley’s Lock

Highlight • Bridge

This is a very picturesque area, with the bridge, the creek, and the house up the hill beyond the field.

Tip by

27.5 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.

Tip by

32.3 km

Swains Lock

Highlight • Historical Site

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

Tip by

36.6 km

Great Falls Overlook

Highlight • Viewpoint

This is a spectacular waterfall on the Potomac River. Water gushes over a series of jagged rocks and flows through the Mather Gorge.

Tip by

36.7 km

Start of the Great Falls Foot Trail

Highlight • Trail

The Great Falls of the Potomac is a place with various rapids and small falls in the Potomac. The place marked here may only be entered on foot. Bicycles and dogs 😜 must stay outside.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

37.0 km

Viewpoint

37.5 km

Lock 15 and View of the Potomac River

Highlight • River

Lock 15 marks the beginning of the "Six Locks" series, which raises the canal 50 feet past Great Falls. Built from red sandstone boulders transported from Seneca, these locks differ …

Tip by

38.7 km