Great Falls Tavern
The start of the loop: a former locktender’s house and canal hotel
The story
The loop starts at Great Falls Tavern on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The canal ran 184.5 miles, almost 300 kilometers, from Georgetown in Washington to Cumberland, Maryland. Digging began on the fourth of July, 1828, and the canal was finished in 1850. It carried coal, lumber and farm products. Soon after construction began, a locktender’s house went up here. The canal company added a three-story wing, and in 1831 a hotel opened in the house. It was named Crommelin House, after the canal’s Dutch investors. From the tavern, head south on the towpath, the path along the canal where mules once pulled the boats.
Visiting
There is an entrance fee in the tavern area, and only cards are accepted. The start of Section A is about half a mile south along the towpath.
On the trail
- Billy Goat Trail, Section A — 3.7 miles (6 km), loop, 2–3 h on the rocks, plus about 40 min on the towpath
Sources
- National Park Service — Crommelin House: the locktender’s house, a hotel from 1831
- National Park Service — Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
- Wikipedia (EN) — Chesapeake and Ohio Canal: 184.5 miles, 1828–1850, 74 locks, closed in 1924
- National Park Service — entrance fees: only in the Great Falls Tavern area, cash not accepted
- National Park Service — C&O Canal current conditions: Section A open (October 27, 2026), the tavern at mile 14.3, the start of Section A at mile 13.8
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