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Trail Facts
- Distance: 4.9
Waypoints
SWG001
Location: 39.03125, -77.2435607910156
Go L across C&O Canal footbridge and head S on C&O Trail past Lock Keeper’s House and boat launch. This waterway was once the transit line for coal, lumber, and grain
SWG002
Location: 39.0286712646484, -77.2417831420898
Peer through the trees to the placid waters of the Potomac River on R
SWG003
Location: 39.0230102539062, -77.2375411987305
Pump station feeds a reservoir that serves as the Capital’s water cache
SWG004
Location: 39.0190086364746, -77.2377700805664
Continue S; the masonry of the canal stretches ahead
SWG005
Location: 39.0096702575684, -77.2431106567383
Mile 15 marker (noting distance from start in DC)
SWG006
Location: 39.006763458252, -77.2448501586914
Light runoff of Limekiln Branch comes in from the E
SWG007
Location: 39.0010108947754, -77.2487564086914
Keep straight @ bridge to Great Falls Tavern across canal lock 20; pass the Great Falls Tavern, long a DC landmark spared damage during Civil War-era skirmishes and once a lively saloon/hotel for canalgoers
SWG008
Location: 38.9985504150391, -77.2481994628906
Canal Boat and Lock 19
SWG009
Location: 38.9966812133789, -77.2482299804688
Turn R @ 3-way for Great Falls Overlook Trail
SWG010
Location: 38.9967384338379, -77.251953125
Olmstead Island gives a bird’s-eye view of jagged bedrock @ Great Falls, a series of several cascades. More: Download other dayhikes along the canal at backpacker.com/hikes