May 2026

NEWS FROM THE PARK

Well water for C&O Canal hiker-bike campsite has been turned on for the season! These water wells are one of the many amenities that help create an accessible and comfortable experience for visitors traveling to the park for an extend period of time. As a reminder, well water in hiker-biker campsites is non-potable so be sure to treat water before use.

Photo credit: Paul Graunke

C&O CANAL TRUST NEWS

Lockhouse 8 to Join Canal Quarters Interpretive Program

In honor of Preservation Month, the Trust is pleased to announce that we have begun to rehabilitate Lockhouse 8 in Cabin John, MD. Lockhouse 8 will be the eighth lockhouse in the Canal Quarters Interpretive Program, depicting an era of canal history during the 1960s.

Photo credit: Vinod Thomas

Volunteers Make a Difference at Great Falls

The Trust kicked off our 2026 Canal Community Days season at Great Falls where over 60 volunteers joined us to make a difference in the park. Volunteers painted fencing and tables, washed the Tavern windows, filled 14 potholes on the towpath, mulched the picnic area, removed 100 pounds of trash, and removed 475 pounds of overgrown and invasive vegetation. Thank you for your hard work and dedication! We are so excited to grow our impact in the C&O Canal this year!

Thank you to Deloitte, German International School Washington D.C., Kite Pharma, Exelon, AC&T, Patagonia, and Tri-State Stone and Building Supply Inc., for you support of Canal Community Days!

Photo credit: Trust Staff

Allegany College of Maryland Students Clean Up Cumberland

Photo credit: Trust Staff

Students from the Allegany College of Maryland joined the Trust in Cumberland for a service project on April 24. They removed 125 pounds of trash around mile 184.5! The students are currently enrolled in an Environmental Science class and participate in a trash clean-up every semester. Service projects provide an opportunity for students to learn about environmental issues in their community first hand and help protect the park. Thank you all for a great day of stewardship!

Potomac Interceptor Sewer Overflow Update

DC Water is managing a sanitary sewer overflow from the Potomac Interceptor in Montgomery County.

Remediation is currently underway, and DC Water contractors are making progress on the first steps toward environmental rehabilitation. For more information, please visit DC Water’s website.

Learn More

Photos From the Field

Our Canal Community was busy in April! Check out some of photos from projects that took place across the park.

Photo Credits: Trust Staff

EXPLORE SOME MORE

May is Preservation Month

Photo Credit: Alissa Rosenstein

Canal Community Story - Eva Andersen

Photo Credit: Eva Andersen

Save the Date

Frederick County Canal Community Days

Come out to Frederick County on Saturday, May 16 for a day of projects at Monocacy Aqueduct and Point of Rocks! Volunteers will help with a variety of hands-on projects, including painting and staining, trash cleanup, and invasive vegetation removal at both event locations.

Volunteer With Us!

Photo Credits: Trust Staff

Book a Stay in History with Canal Quarters

Book Your Stay Here

LOVE THE PARK? HELP THE TRUST!

For nearly 200 years, the C&O Canal has stood as a testament to ambition and resilience. Today, its legacy continues to serve millions of visitors each year as one of the most popular national park sites — offering a place to learn, to reflect, and to reconnect with both history and the natural world.

As we look toward the United States of America’s 250th anniversary, we have a unique opportunity — and a shared obligation — to honor our past while actively shaping the future of this national treasure. The choices we make now will determine how this place is experienced not just today, but 50, 100, and 250 years from now.

Preserving and sustaining a place of this scale and significance requires more than admiration — it requires commitment. This spring, please consider committing to a monthly or one-time donation to support the C&O Canal's legacy. Your generosity sustains the canal today and safeguards its future for tomorrow, by investing in the enduring power of place to connect us to one another and to our history. Thank you for being a part of this important work

Make a Gift

Photo Credit: Leigh Scott

A250 on the C&O Canal

Celebrate 250 years of History on the GAP and C&O Canal Trail

Plan your trip today with the new 22nd edition TrailGuide! This guide is packed with mile-by-mile trail descriptions, town maps and directories, and itineraries for day trips, weekends, and thru-rides. The TrailGuide includes the official maps for the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath, printed on weatherproof paper and removable from the rest of the book.

$15.00

Buy Now

Creature Feature

Each month, we'll be giving out clues about a creature that lives in the park! Guess which creature we are highlighting below and check out next month's Canal Connection for the answer.

Clues:

This reptile is very common in the park and frequents sections of the canal the hold water. Its body varies in color and patterns but is generally brown. This creature feeds on fish and crayfish and often swims with just its head out of the water. What is this creature?

Last Month's Answer:

Scarlet Tanager

Photo by Felix Kong

Guess here!

Northern Red-Bellied Cooter

Gray Treefrog

Northern Water Snake

Eastern Ratsnake

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Congratulations to Leigh Scott, our April photo contest winner! The winning entry this month was "Golden Glow at Harpers Ferry". Be sure to vote in our May Photo Contest on Facebook!

Vote Now

Enter Now