Downstream gate of Lock 2 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Lock 2 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.

There are two places to get good views of Lock 2. One is from the 29th Street bridge between M and K Streets. Face the upstream direction and look down. The downstream end of Lock 2 begins at the bridge, and you have a nice view of the upstream end with the 30th Street bridge in the background. If you turn around and look downstream you can see Lock 1.

Upstream view of the upstream gate of Lock 2 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal with the 30th Street bridge in the background

For a better view, take the brick sidewalk that runs along the right side of the canal to 30^th Street. The sidewalk, by the way, follows the original Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath, though when the canal was in operation the path was dirt. The other major change is that buildings are now so close to the canal that you can spit on them while walking the towpath.

The gates of Lock 2 have been restored, but restoration on the lock itself only began in Spring 2024, and the project will take a couple of years to complete.  Lock 3 and Lock 4 have already been restored.