A Virtual Tour of the C&O Canal

What could be better in the dead of winter than thinking about an early spring hike along the canal towpath, that glorious National Historical Park that runs all the way from Georgetown to Cumberland, MD?

C&O Canal Reopens Towpath at Old Angler's

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place Saturday.

  Residents and C&O Canal park employees on Saturday will celebrate the opening of the canal towpath at Old Angler's in Potomac, after a year-long repair project of storm damage that washed out part of the path. The $3.3 million project was completed nearly a month ahead of schedule, repairing a 125-foot breach of the towpath caused by Tropical Storm Hannah in 2008, according to a news release. Funds to finish the repair were secured last year and announced at Park After Dark, a fundraiser benefiting the C&O Canal, in fall of 2010. Guests attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony may park at the Great Falls Maryland Visitor Center parking lot at 11710 MacArthur Blvd. in Potomac. Free shuttles will operate from noon until 3:30 p.m. The event …

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Update: Potomac River Flood Threats Pass At Little Falls

At Little Falls, the Potomac was estimated to rise five feet above flood stage by Thursday morning, the National Weather Service reports.

Updated, Thursday 4:30 p.m.: The flooding threat is over for the Potomac River near Little Falls. National Weather Service estimates show the peak flood stage of 10.33 feet on Wednesday to have passed. At 4:30 p.m. Thursday the river measured at 7.1 feet. Updated, Tuesday 11 p.m.: Minor flooding is still expected of the Potomac River near Little Falls, though National Weather Service estimates have decreased the peak estimated flood stage to 11.4 feet on Thursday, down from Monday’s estimate of 15.3 feet. At 11 p.m. Tuesday the river measured at 8.93 feet. National Weather Service estimates continue to show flooding in areas south of Little Falls. Updated, Tuesday 10 a.m.: Moderate flooding is still expected of the Potomac River near …

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C&O Canal Hosts 'Park After Dark' Encore

The second "Park After Dark" fundraiser benefiting the C&O Canal is coming up.

Our local national park again will host its largest fundraiser of the year, allowing visitors a chance to see the C&O Canal National Historical Park in a state few regular visitors have seen before. On Saturday, Oct. 13, the C&O Canal Trust will host "Park After Dark," an evening benefit that will allow those who purchase a ticket to enjoy the canal at twilight while supporting the C&O Park and the Canal Trust. Traditionally, the C&O Park closes at dusk. With nearly 250 guests in attendance, last year’s benefit was a sold-out event. This year, event organizers have upped the attendance to allow for 300 guests. According to Matthew Logan, president of the Canal Trust, the 2011 "Park After Dark" benefit raised around $60,000 to support park …

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NPS Emergency Call Boxes Going Out of Service Permanently

A call button near the site of a July sexual assault has been out of order for months.

The emergency call boxes that line the C&O Canal trail from Cumberland, MD through Georgetown in D.C. will no longer be used or maintained by the National Park Service (NPS). Instead, NPS will post emergency contact information signs for people to call from their personal cell phones.  The matter was first brought to Patch's attention by a reader who worried about a broken call box located very near to the site of sexual assault that occurred on the trail in July. In that incident a female jogger told police she was attacked from behind and placed in a chokehold that caused her to pass out. The incident took place around 9 p.m. on a week night on the trail north of the Three Sisters rock formation, near the vicinity of Water Street NW, …

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Canal Pride Days Kicks Off With C&O Clean Up

C&O Canal Pride Days continues Saturday with projects at Big Slackwater near Dam #4 in Washington County, Md.

  Nearly 125 volunteers turned out Saturday at the C&O National Historical Park to kick off the 5th Annual C&O Canal Pride Days, helping to restore and revitalize the park and local campgrounds. The volunteers spent a combined 400 hours painting historical buildings, laying sod, polishing the canal boat and cleaning up trash and debris from the most heavily-visited areas along the 184.5-mile long park. “The work of the [C&O Canal] Trust’s Canal Pride Days volunteers has a significant impact on the visual quality of the park and the experiences of its visitors,” said park superintendent Kevin Brandt. “By getting their hands dirty on a Saturday morning, they’re making a substantial investment in their local national park.” Saturday's …

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C&O Canal Awarded Top Honor

The C&O Canal National Historical Park's Canal Quarters Program has been honored by the state for its conservation efforts.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to experience the C&O Canal as it might have been in the 1800s with business at its prime? Time travel may be impossible, but you can get an experience that is pretty similar with the C&O Canal National Historical Park's Canal Quarters program, recently awarded one of 14 Maryland Preservation awards. The Outstanding Stewardship of Historical Properties by a Government Agency award, one of the highest honors for historic preservation projects in the state, recognizes a unique opportunity found in the Canal Quarters program. The following statement is from the Maryland Historic Trust on the award: "Since the National Park Service acquired the 184.5 mile-long Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in 1938, …

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