Spring Gap Recreational Area
Even before the Canal came along, Spring Gap served as a shallow river-crossing accessing the Patterson Creek area of what is now West Virginia. It’s just as popular more than 250 years later. Giant sycamores and oaks shade the towpath. Wildflowers abound in the spring. And the Potomac provides the perfect backdrop. In fact, Chief Justice William Douglas chose Spring Gap as the starting point for his walk to Washington, promoting the idea of transforming the Canal into a linear park. Spring Gap is also the Canal’s westernmost access point to the Potomac for boaters.
Accessible from Rt. 51, the drive-in campground is available for $10 a night for up to 14 consecutive night stays and 30 nights in a calendar year.
Photo by: Brett Robinson