View from Rock Creek of the downstream gate of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal’s Lock 1
Lock 1 is located in Georgetown at Mile .3 on the C&O Canal towpath. You can get to it either by using the Metro or by dealing with parking in a downtown area. See the Locks and Lockhouses web page for an interactive location map.
Locks 1 through 4 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal are all located within a tenth of a mile from one another. They are so close together that it’s almost as if the canal boats were climbing stairs in a residential house. However, once exiting Lock 4, the boats could travel on the “level” for nearly five miles before hitting Lock 5.
To find Lock 1 you must get to 29th Street between M and K streets. A bridge spanning the canal is the best place to view the lock. (During the era of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, 29th Street was called Green Street). If you turn around and look upstream from the 29th Street bridge, you can see Lock 2.
Downstream view of Lock 1 from the 29th Street bridge over the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
View of the upstream gate of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal’s Lock 1 (29th Street in the background)
Lock 1 is not, however, the official start of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The official 0 Mile point is the Tide Lock at the confluence of Rock Creek and the Potomac River. In fact, though you can’t see it from the bridge, Rock Creek is just downstream of Lock 1. To get there, take the brick sidewalk on the left side of the lock until you see the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway. Rock Creek flows from under the bridge and continues south for .3 mile until reaching the Potomac River.
Downstream gate of Lock 1 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal with Rock Creek and the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway in the background
If you continue on the brick sidewalk all the way until you come to the intersection with the paved Rock Creek Park Trail—which is just before the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway—you will see a memorial plaque commemorating the C&O Canal. This is where the towpath began.
Plaque near Lock 1 in Georgetown commemorating the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on June 10, 2024
