Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
Cumberland Basin at C&O Canal in 2013
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is located in Maryland
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is located in the United States
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
LocationBordering the Potomac River from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland, U.S.
Coordinates38°53′59″N 77°03′28″W / 38.89972°N 77.05778°W / 38.89972; -77.05778
Area19,586 acres (7,926 ha)
Built1828 (1828)
Visitation4,286,185 (2022)[2]
Websitewww.nps.gov/choh
NRHP reference No.66000036[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated NMON1961
Designated NHPJanuary 8, 1971

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is located in the District of Columbia and the state of Maryland. The park was established in 1961 as a National Monument by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to preserve the neglected remains of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and many of its original structures.

The canal and towpath trail extends along the Potomac River from the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Maryland, a distance of 184.5 miles (296.9 km). In 2013, the path was designated as the first section of U.S. Bicycle Route 50.[3][4] With over four million visitors in 2022, it is the most-visited unit that is designated a national historical park of the National Park Service.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "Annual Park Ranking Report for Recreation Visits in: 2022". National Park Service. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  3. ^ Vitale, Marty (October 28, 2013). "Meeting Minutes for October 17, 2013, and Report to SCOH October 18, 2013 (Addendum October 28, 2013)" (PDF). Denver, Colorado: Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 5, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  4. ^ "New U.S. Bicycle Routes Approved in Maryland and Tennessee". adventurecycling.org. Missoula, Montana: Adventure Cycling Association. November 5, 2013. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2013.