C&O Canal Towpath: Little Orleans to Paw Paw

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (Little Orleans to Paw Paw, mileposts 140.9 to 156)

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal runs 184.5 miles along the Potomac River to Cumberland, and its towpath has a free, first-come hiker-biker campsite every 5 to 7 miles, according to the National Park Service. That makes the whole canal a possible backpacking route.

This page covers one stretch the NPS singles out: Little Orleans to Paw Paw, which its 2015 Potomac Heritage Trail hike guide calls “the wildest, most beautiful and remote section of the Towpath.”

The hike

The NPS hike guide starts at Fifteenmile Creek, near Little Orleans, where parking and a campground sit at about milepost 140.9; the park’s current conditions page says the Fifteenmile Creek bridge replacement is complete and the campground, parking, and boat ramp are open. Right away the towpath crosses the Fifteenmile Creek Aqueduct, and at 2.5 miles it reaches the first of nine Western Maryland trestles between here and Cumberland.

At 3.1 miles, Lock 58 marks where the Green Ridge Hiking Trail heads north into Green Ridge State Forest, according to the 2015 guide; it rejoins the towpath at Lock 67, past Paw Paw, making a roughly 36-mile loop through Green Ridge possible. The Great Eastern Trail also leaves the towpath at Lock 58 on its western route through Maryland.

The towpath then follows the river past Devils Alley (3.7 miles), Stickpile Hill (8.6), and Sorrel Ridge (13.3) campsites. The 2015 guide notes that beaver activity has left many miles of the canal holding water here.

The finish is the Paw Paw Tunnel, 3,118 feet long and lined with bricks “six deep,” according to the NPS. It took nearly 14 years to build, and the canal opened to Cumberland in 1850. The NPS says to bring a flashlight. Rock scaling and boardwalk work at the tunnel finished in August 2023, and the towpath through it is open. The steep Tunnel Hill Trail, about two miles, goes over the ridge instead. The hike ends at the MD 51 parking area across the river from Paw Paw, West Virginia, where the 2015 guide says a convenience store and restaurant are about 0.75 mile away.

Little Orleans has limited supplies and meals, the 2015 guide says, so plan to carry most of your food. If you extend the trip east toward Hancock, the park’s conditions page lists a detour at Polly Pond (milepost 134.3), where the bridge over Polly Pond Creek is closed; hikers leave the towpath at Lock 56 and follow the Western Maryland Rail Trail about 2 miles.

Tips

Carry a flashlight for the tunnel, and expect cyclists, who must dismount inside it.
Treat all well water. The NPS signs hiker-biker wells as non-potable.
Bring water in winter. Wells are typically shut off mid-November to mid-April.
Pack out all trash. The park is trash-free.
Use wide tree straps if you hammock; the NPS requires straps at least one inch wide.

Camping

Hiker-biker campsites are free, first come, first served, with no reservations, and limited to one night per site per trip, according to the NPS. Each holds five to ten tents, depending on the site; check the signs. Each has a chemical toilet, picnic table, fire pit, and well water that must be filtered, treated, or boiled. Camp only in designated sites. Fires are limited to the provided grills and fire rings or portable grills raised off the ground. Quiet hours run from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., pets must be leashed, and ropes can’t be tied to trees or structures.

Fifteenmile Creek at the start is a reservable campground on Recreation.gov, and the park planner lists Paw Paw as a reservation-only group campground.

Inside Intel: No camper accounts recommending a specific campsite on this section were found. Sorrel Ridge, at 13.3 miles, is the last hiker-biker site listed before the tunnel in the 2015 guide.

Trail facts

Distance: 15.4 miles (NPS hike guide, 2015)
Route type: Point to point
Difficulty: Easy; flat towpath
Campsites: Devils Alley, Stickpile Hill, Sorrel Ridge (hiker-biker); reservable campgrounds at Fifteenmile Creek and Paw Paw
Water: Well pumps at campsites mid-April to mid-November; non-potable, treat it
Permits: None for hiker-biker sites
Fires: Provided grills and fire rings only
Dogs: Allowed on leash
Trailheads: Fifteenmile Creek near Little Orleans; MD 51 at Paw Paw
Last verified: October 7, 2026

The Lowdown

Towpath miles to the Paw Paw Tunnel:

Between Little Orleans and the Paw Paw Tunnel, the towpath strings together hiker-biker camps like Devils Alley and Sorrel Ridge. If rain moves in, see whether the Arc'teryx Beta SL is worth it over two cheaper shells.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.