Billy Goat A Trail map (click to enlarge)

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NOTE: Sections of the towpath, locks and other historical structures, trails, campgrounds, picnic areas, boat ramps, and visitor centers are constantly being closed due to damage and/or repair. When planning an adventure within Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, make sure that areas you plan to visit are open by checking the National Park Service’s official Current Park Conditions web page.

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Length: 3.9-mile loop starting at the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center
Time: 3 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous

The Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is wildly popular and bound to be packed at a time when you won’t run into a dozen people on the other trails in the park. While you might think that the wonderful views of Mather Gorge and the Potomac River are the draw, the real attraction stems from the fact that the National Park Service touts this as one of the most dangerous and strenuous trails on the east coast and gives all sorts of dire warnings on its website and on signage along the trail. That promise of danger is the draw, and though it is a difficult trail, if you can hike up a small mountain, you can hike the Billy Goat A Trail. I saw little kids hiking it, old people, fat people…if there’s a will, there’s a way. There is a lot of climbing over large boulders, so wear long pants to keep from getting scraped up. I also recommend hiking boots if you have them, otherwise at least wear some sort of athletic shoe.

Little kids who actually hiked the entire Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

You can start the hike either from the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center and walk downstream on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath to the northern end of the Billy Goat A Trail, or park at Anglers and walk upstream to the southern trailhead. Both trailheads are about the same distance from their respective parking areas. However, there is a charge to get into the park at Great Falls Tavern. It is free at Anglers, but on a nice day if you aren’t there first thing in the morning, you probably won’t get a parking spot except along MacArthur Boulevard, and I’ve seen the line stretch for close to a half mile in either direction from the parking lot.

I started my hike from Great Falls Tavern. To do so, walk downstream on the C&O Canal towpath for .6 mile. You’ll see what looks like a covered bridge over the canal—it isn’t, it’s a stop gate. The Billy Goat A trailhead is on the right.

Stop gate located near the northern trailhead for the Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Northern trailhead for the Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

The Billy Goat A Trail is C-shaped, so it works its way from the towpath to the cliffs above Mather Gorge, follows the Potomac River for a while, then heads back inland and comes out farther down on the towpath. The length of the actual trail is 1.75 miles. However, this does not take into account that you have over 2 miles of walking on the towpath to get from the end of the trail back to where you parked, unless you have a ride waiting at the end.

While the trail is strenuous, it is technically strenuous, not strenuous cardiovascular-wise. There are plenty of rocks in the way that you must step or climb over. Other than at a few steep hills up through the cliffs, I barely broke a sweat.

The trail is easy to follow without getting lost, plus it is marked with blue blazes. These are paint splotches on the trees or rocks that you follow like Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs. (In the photo below, notice the girl hiking the trail in sandals. This is just plain dumb, but thousands of people do it every year, and most make it to the end).

Blue blazes on the trees mark the route of the Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

If you look across the Potomac River, you are likely to see plenty of hikers on the Virginia side as well. This is Great Falls Park, another National Park unit, and it’s a mirror image of the Great Falls area of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park in the amount of visitors it gets—a lot. Its signature trail is the River Trail, but it is not nearly as difficult as the Billy Goat A Trail.

View of Great Falls Park on the other side of the Potomac River from the Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

About a half mile down the Billy Goat A Trail is a sign warning hikers about treacherous conditions ahead. There is also a post with MARKER 1 written on it, but I’m not sure what this refers to. It’s certainly not a mileage post, at least not when hiking in the downstream direction like I was. I’m guessing it is a reference to your position on the trail so when you call 911 after breaking your leg you can tell the rescue crew where you are.

Start of a treacherous section of the Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Up until this point there have been plenty of rocks, but nothing like what lies ahead for the next half mile. At the time, this was the second most difficult trail I had hiked in my life, with Zion National Park’s Angels Landing Trail being the hardest. Of course, I had not yet hiked at Acadia National Park where the trails make the Billy Goat A Trail look like kids’ play. Again, this is not huffing-and-puffing difficult, it’s slow going and try-not-to-break-an-ankle difficult. How those hikers in sandals and flip flops make it without injury is a mystery to me.

Hikers climb up on rocks along the Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park runs along Mather Gorge and the Potomac River

Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park passes through rocks 3-4 feet in height

All of this time the trail is gradually descending, and after about twenty minutes of walking through what might as well be a landslide, you come to a steep uphill climb. The National Park Service refers to this spot as a “40-foot cliff,” which sounds like you have a vertical climb to tackle, but that’s not the case. The main problem is that there is only one route up and down, so you have the people at the bottom facing off with the people at the top, and somebody has to yield. For the most part, the groups work it out and take turns, but every now and then you’ll hear some vulgar words hurled at each other when one side starts hogging the trail.

Hike up the 40 foot cliff is one of the highlights of the Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Here is a photo of the same spot taken from Great Falls Park. It looks like a human centipede going up the hill, that’s how packed this trail gets.

Hikers on the Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Not long after reaching the top of the cliff is MARKER 2. This sits at the intersection with an emergency exit, which is a cut-through back to the towpath for those who don’t want to continue…or who have to be carried out on a stretcher. A sign warns people hiking the trail in the upstream direction—which is where I just came from—about the rough terrain ahead. The logical assumption is that the tough part lies between here and Marker 1, and that things are about to get easier as you head south, but the reality is that the extreme rocky terrain continues.

Terrain along the Billy Goat A Trail between MARKER 2 and 3 on the southern end of the trail, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

About a tenth of a mile past MARKER 2 is Purplehorse Beach on the Potomac River. It is a side trip from the main trail, and you must climb down some steep rocks to reach it. It is illegal to swim, or even wade, into the Potomac River. Such actions are punishable by fines or death.

Hike down to Purplehorse Beach from the Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Purplehorse Beach on the Potomac River

There is a pond ten minutes past Purplehorse Beach (1-mile mark on the Billy Goat A Trail). Hikers must cross a stream that flows from the pond via an Indiana Jones bridge. These are single logs with a railing attached to one side, the kind bad guys will attempt to dislodge and send you to your death while you make your escape across a deep chasm. Hopefully there are no bad guys here.

Pond at the southern end of the Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

The Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park crosses a small creek via an Indiana Jones bridge

At the 1.4-mile mark on the Billy Goat A Trail (2.5 miles from the Visitor Center), the trail turns north and runs along a narrow branch of the Potomac that flows around Sherwin Island. When I hit a flat, sandy section of the trail I thought the rocks were done. However, no sooner did I turn the corner than there were more.

Easy section of the Billy Goat A Trail across from Sherwin Island in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

More rocky terrain at the southern end of the Billy Goat A Trail in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

The rocks do come to an end, but only once you are back on the C&O Canal towpath. Take a left to walk back to the Visitor Center 1.5 miles away or turn right and head down to Anglers .7 mile away.

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath near the southern end of the Billy Goat A Trail

The Billy Goat A Trail is well worth the fuss, and it is definitely one of the Top 10 trails within east coast National Parks. It is without a doubt the most difficult trail outside of Acadia National Park. There is a lot of climbing up and over rocks, but as I mentioned, it’s not heart-pounding difficult, just technically difficult. Unless you have some sort of disability, I highly suggest setting aside 3 hours for the hike.

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