| Great Falls National Park along the Potomac River on the Virginia side and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park directly across in Maryland make up one of the more unusual national parks. The Maryland side, seen here, is the preserved part of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. It was started in the early 1800’s and was supposed to go all the way from DC to the Great Lakes. During the long construction railroads came into existence and after the canal made it 180 miles to Cumberland, Maryland, the project was stopped. The canal was still used until the 1920’s, and the path is still preserved for hiking and biking for the whole distance. This has always been one of my favorite spots in the DC area. One slightly chilly Sunday Afternoon Beth and I hiked the Billy Goat Trail, a 1.7 mile rocky path that involves a bit of climbing. I’ve always meant to bike the whole trail to Cumberland, maybe this spring… |
 |
