Fall travelers looking for colorful scenery often turn toward Shenandoah, the Blue Ridge Parkway, or Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
But Jessica Bowron, the acting director of the National Park Service, has another suggestion for anyone hoping to get outside this season.
Bowron recently highlighted the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park as an under-the-radar pick to visit this fall during an interview with OutKick.
And for anyone in the D.C. area, it happens to be a national park that can be remarkably easy to explore without committing to a major road trip.
A 184-mile national park hiding in plain sight
The C&O Canal National Historical Park follows the historic Chesapeake & Ohio Canal along the Potomac River for 184.5 miles, beginning right in the District in Georgetown and continuing all the way to Cumberland, Maryland. The park includes portions of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, and Allegany counties in Maryland, while sections of the Potomac River corridor border West Virginia.
The park’s original towpath is now its main recreational trail, giving visitors opportunities to hike, bike, and walk alongside the historic canal.
There is also no single entrance to the park. Instead, visitors can access it at numerous points along its length, making it possible to plan anything from a short afternoon outing to a multi-day adventure.
Why the NPS director picked the C&O Canal
Bowron told OutKick that she had actually visited the C&O Canal the day before the interview, hiking there with her family.
She specifically pointed to the park’s over 100-mile towpath and the ability to hike, bike, and connect with other trails along the route making it particularly accessible and ideal for exploration.
“I don’t know that folks recognize what an incredible resource that is,” Bowron said.
That accessibility and proximity to the District makes the C&O Canal particularly interesting for Washingtonians who want an outdoor escape this fall without necessarily heading to one of America’s most famous (and potentially overcrowded) leaf-peeping destinations in the Shenandoah National Park.
There is plenty to see beyond the towpath
With all this in mind, the C&O Canal is far more than just a long trail.
The National Park Service says the park contains 74 lift locks, 11 aqueducts, seven dams, and the historic Paw Paw Tunnel, along with nearly 20,000 acres of parkland.
The canal was completed in 1850 after 22 years of construction and was in operation until 1924 before being preserved by the NPS as the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park in 1971.
For a fall day trip from the D.C. area, visitors can choose an easy section near Georgetown or Great Falls, while those looking for a longer getaway can head farther west toward places such as Williamsport, Hancock, Paw Paw, or even Cumberland.
