The C&O Canal is popular in many places; expect hikers and bikers passing by your site at all hours of the day. Some people worry that their belongings are easily accessed by others while they're, say, out on the river. This is a legitimate concern. However, I’ve never spoken to one camper who has had an experience of thievery while camping along the C&O Canal.
Officially, swimming is prohibited in the canal, as well as in the Potomac where it borders D.C. and Montgomery County. This means everything south of the Indian Flats hiker-biker site—for this entry, that covers Swains Lock, Horsepen Branch, Chisel Branch, Turtle Run, and Marble Quarry—so if swimming in the river is your primary goal in camping along the canal, head farther northwest. These sites include Indian Flats, Calico Rocks, Bald Eagle Island, Huckleberry Hill, and Killiansburg Cave in this entry and all the other sites in the following two entries in this book. The National Park Service doesn’t recommend swimming anywhere in the river, as currents can be deceptively strong. However, swimming near the shore and taking due caution is usually safe.
Generally speaking, each hiker-biker site is just one cleared area where folks can pitch a tent. The amount of cleared space corresponds to the popularity of the area. The first hiker-biker site is at Mile 16.6, at Swains Lock. This is a very popular area, with phones, food, and bike and boat rentals nearby. There’s a lot of camping space here, as this could be the most heavily trafficked area on the entire canal. A major reason for that is Great Falls, 2.5 miles downstream. Great Falls is beautiful and the best place to see the Potomac at its most awesome as it roils through serrated rocks. It’s also popular with hikers taking on the Billy Goat Trail and exploring Mather Gorge. To get to Swains Lock, take I-495 to River Road West (Exit 39) and then turn left about a quarter mile past Piney Meetinghouse Road onto Swains Lock Road.
Horsepen Branch hiker-biker (Mile 26.1) sits on the edge of the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area (2,000 acres) and is just north of Seneca Creek State Park (6,300 acres), so hikers have it good. From I-270, take MD 109 south, and then take West Willard Road until it ends at Sycamore Landing. You can park at the boat launch there and then walk south (downstream) for 1 mile.
At Chisel Branch (Mile 30.5), things begin to feel a bit more remote; the day crowds dry up and there’s a sense of wildness. Follow the directions above to Horsepen Branch; but, on West Willard Road, take a right toward Edwards Ferry and park there. The hiker-biker campsite is 0.3 mile upstream. The lockhouse (1791–1836) just upstream at Edwards Ferry is still in great condition.
Turtle Run (Mile 34.4): This area is studded with culverts (no less than seven of them within a 2-mile span). Things go, temporarily, back to feeling a bit like they did closer to D.C. Because White’s Ferry is still operating, this area attracts a lot of visitors. Take MD 109 to a right onto MD 107 North. Turtle Run is 1 mile south of MD 107. MD 107 leads to a toll ferry across the river to Leesburg, Virginia. You can park at the ferry and then walk downstream 1.1 miles to Turtle Run. Marble Quarry (Mile 38.2) is similar to Turtle Run, only upstream instead of down. To get there, park at White’s Ferry.
Indian Flats hiker-biker (Mile 42.5) is the first campsite where you are legally allowed to swim in the Potomac. Indian Flats sits roughly equidistant from two boat launches at Monocacy downstream and Nolands Ferry upstream. Take MD 109 south to MD 28 and head northwest toward Monocacy. Park at the Monocacy Aqueduct. Indian Flats is 0.3 mile upstream. Monocacy Aqueduct is the largest of the canal’s aqueducts and is considered an engineering marvel and must-see.
Calico Rocks hiker-biker (Mile 47.6) is next. A word of warning about this site: An operable railroad is nearby, and it can get noisy, even during the night. From Frederick, take US 340 to US 15 to Point of Rocks. Calico Rocks hiker-biker is 0.5 mile downstream. The same issue with rail noise plagues the next hiker-biker site: Bald Eagle Island (Mile 50.3). Follow the same directions for Calico Rocks, but take MD 464 west to a left on Lander Road and park there. Bald Eagle Island hiker-biker is 0.6 mile downstream. Both Calico Rocks and Bald Eagle Island are near Frederick and Brunswick, so it’s a quick and easy trip to civilization.
Between Bald Eagle Island and the next hiker-biker site, there’s a big gap; this is filled by the city of Brunswick, the Appalachian Trail as it heads down South Mountain (in fact, the AT and the canal towpath are one and the same between Lock 31 and 32), and the river crossing for Harpers Ferry, where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet. At mile 62.9, you’ll find Huckleberry Hill hiker-biker. This, like Seneca to the south, is a popular spot, mostly because of its proximity to Harpers Ferry. A word of warning: If you’ve come for boating, the waters just downstream, between Locks 32 and 34, are considered hazardous. Take MD 34 from Boonsboro to a left on Harpers Ferry Road crossing through Antietam, and follow the river south to Dargan. Park at Dargan Bend, and then walk 2 miles downstream.
Last is Killiansburg Cave (Mile 75.2), so called because of the small caves in the rock where locals sought shelter during the battle of Antietam. (In between is the Antietam Creek Drive-in Campsite.) Proximity to Antietam National Battlefield and a ranger station just downstream make Killiansburg a nice camping spot. Take MD 34 from Boonsboro, cross MD 65 at Sharpsburg, and take the first right toward the boat launch at Snyders Landing. Killiansburg Cave is approximately 1 mile downstream.
:: Getting There
Varies; see text.
GPS COORDINATES
Swains Lock: N39°01'52.8" W77°14'37.8"
Horsepen Branch: N39°04'12.0" W77°23'59.5"
Chisel Branch: N39°05'25.8" W77°27'47.4"
Turtle Run: N39°08'22.3" W77°30'56.0"
Marble Quarry: N39°10'46.6" W77°29'32.8"
Indian Flats: N39°13'50.3" W77°27'28.1"
Calico Rocks: N39°15'51.4" W77°31'19.6"
Bald Eagle Island: N39°17'56.3" W77°33'25.4"
Huckleberry Hill: N39°20'10.0" W77°44'45.8"
Killiansburg Cave: N39°27'26.5" W77°47'45.4"
6
C&O Canal: Hiker-Biker Campsites from Horseshoe Bend (Mile 79) to Cacapon Junction (Mile 133)
North Mountain is nicely wild, with little evidence of humanity, either modern or historical.
:: Ratings
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:: Key Information
ADDRESS: C&O Canal NHP Headquarters, 1850 Dual Highway, Suite 100 Hagerstown, MD 21740-6620