C&O Canal NHP - Cumberland Visitor Center

Friday, September 23, 2016

Well, we are on our way back from the Outer Banks, first successful passport trip of many more to come. In North Carolina, we got 4 Lighthouses, 3 NPS Sites and 2 USFWS sites. Anyway, living close to the Potomac Heritage NST, but in Pennsylvania, I knew that the C&O Canal was a part of that. Additionally, in Cumberland, MD, it switches from the C&O to the Great Allegheny Passage. On the way to the OBX, we seen signs for the C&O, but we were there at nighttime, Therefore, we decided to stop at the Cumberland Visitor Center of the C&O Canal, as it was easy off and easy on of I-68 after a long week of the OBX (Although we stopped at a Goodwill Store in Grantsville, MD and a Convenience Store on the way home.) 

Parking is difficult in Cumberland, especially coming from the East and if you want to make it jiffy, We parked probably where we shouldn't (in the town's newspaper parking lot.) Anyway, we made it to the Visitor Center which is dully staffed by the county there (Allegany) and the park service. I was i need of a comfort facility, and sadly we all had to take turns as they only have a single unisex toilet. Anyway, I digress.

After doing the stamp thing, I was amazed of the plethora of information provided at this location, maybe because it was part park service and there was non-NPS material there. You had your state parks of Maryland, different state highway maps, different historical guides, the list goes on and on.I hope to come back to Cumberland someday.

Following collecting as much information as I could possibly not know what to do with,  the ranger gives me TWO tote bags to put them in. We take a minute and explore the Paw Paw Tunnel Replica (yes, I will visit this someday, as it is on my bucket list,) we depart and head what we thought was towards Fayettenam.

Park Synopsis

Preserving America's early transportation history, the C&O Canal began as a dream of passage to Western wealth. Operating for nearly 100 years the canal was a lifeline for communities along the Potomac River as coal, lumber, and agricultural products floated down the waterway to market. Today it endures as a pathway for discovering historical, natural, and recreational treasures.

The visitor center features a spacious exhibit area full of interactive and educational displays about the history of the C&O Canal and Cumberland. Pass through a model of the Paw Paw Tunnel and step back into the hey day of the canal. Awaiting you is a life size section of a canal boat. View exhibits on the canal's construction, cargo, mules, locks, and crew.

If You Go

The Allegany Tourism and the C&O Canal Visitor Center is open 7 days a week. From January-March, it is open on Sundays and Mondays from 10am-4pm and on Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9am-5pm. From April-December, it is open 9am-5pm daily. The Visitor Center is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, and Easter Sunday, with reduced hours in the winter.

Floods are a defining part of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal's history. A major flood in 1924 caused the canal to cease operations. However, good things can come from adversity; this potentially devastating force is largely responsible for the extraordinary biological diversity of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park. 

Also to note that the Potomac Heritage NST follows ALL of the C&O Canal Towpath and has many of the same cancellation stations as the C&O Canal NHP.

Accessibility

For those with a mobility impairment, the Unisex Comfort Facility is accessible. The orientation videos are closed captioned for the deaf and hard of hearing. Service animals are permitted everywhere visitors go at the C&O Canal. For a definition of a service animal please visit www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm. The C&O Canal is a trash free park. All animal waste must be picked up and taken with you.