Hike Information

There are two series hikes which Pack 271 is working on completing.  Each of them have a number of segments, have individual patches for segments completed, and a trail medal for completing the entire set.  These are official B.S.A. patches and medals, and thus may be worn on Cub Scout, Webelos, Boy Scout, Venture, and Adult Scout uniforms.  Earn it now and wear it forever.

Below is information on C & O Canal Towpath bike hikes.  For information on the the Gettysburg Heritage Hikes, CLICK HERE.  To return to the general Hikes page, CLICK HERE.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Historical Trail

The C & O Canal runs 184.5 miles along the Potomac River from Georgetown in Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, in Western Maryland.  The towpath is a beautiful, scenic, and historic trail, with many beautiful and interesting things to see along the way.  It is also open to bicycles as well as pedestrians.  It is a National Park (Chesapeake and Ohio National Historical Park,) maintained by the National Park Service.

The B.S.A. C & O Canal patch set is a central round patch (yellow with blue thread,) surrounded by five "rocker" patches that make a larger circle around the central patch.  The central patch is earned by hiking or biking at least a mile of the towpath, anywhere.  The rocker patches are earned by completing the five sections of the towpath.  Once the entire set has been earned, the Scout is also eligible for the trail medal.

Like the Gettysburg patch set, these patches and medals are official B.S.A. patches and medals, and thus may be worn on your official Scout uniform, as a Cub Scout, Webelos, Venture Scout, or Adult Leader.  They are recognized by Scouts all over the world as a significant accomplishment.

The segments can be completed in either direction and in any order, and do not have to be completed all at once (i.e., you can complete a segment in smaller chunks.)

We have noticed that the central patch comes in two slightly different sizes, so be very careful when attaching rocker patches.  If you have the larger central patch, you will have to space the rockers out slightly around it.  Get the smaller central patch if you can.

The five rocker segments and some pack trip reports are:

Capitol Dome.  This pale blue rocker with the U. S. Capitol Dome in it goes on the top of the central patch, and is administered by the National Capital Area Council.  It is earned by covering the section from the beginning of the towpath in Georgetown (Mile Marker 0.3) to Sandy Hook, MD, at Mile Marker 60.2 (~60 miles total.)  (Note that there is no parking at the actual boundary of this section, so we count it from Brunswick Maryland, which is actually five miles shorter, and count the next section to Brunswick, which is five miles longer.)

July, 2006 (Great Falls to Georgetown -- 14 miles):  This section is in excellent shape, with easy riding the entire way.  It's a good introductory distance.  See the note at the bottom about parking, and don't forget to check out Great Falls before you leave.

November, 2006 (Brunswick to Great Falls -- 40 miles):  This section is beautiful and in very good shape, although when we went through the section just downstream of Brunswick, they had just resanded the path and had not packed it yet.  Riding in soft sand is hard work!  The Monocacy Aqueduct had been fully restored, as had the Antietam Aqueduct.  The Catoctin Aqueduct is still in ruins, but as we passed it, there was a Park Ranger measuring the collapsed stones to begin the restoration.  On our trip, we saw raccoons (one from a distance of less than a foot, which is too close,) a beautiful Red-Tailed Hawk which perched by the trail as we rode past, a large raptor of some kind, which we THINK was a Barred Owl, several Great Blue Herons, a fox, lots of other birds, deer and squirrels, and very few people.  On this trip, we combined two of the sub-sections below for a total distance of 40 miles.  For Cub Scouts, it was simply too much for one day.  Hats off to Mark and Trad, who hung in there for the entire distance, but given that experience, we will limit future distances for Cubs to under 30 miles, and under 20 miles for any boys who haven't done one of these before or who don't have multi-speed bikes. 

Crossed Flags.  This deep blue rocker with white crossed flags goes in the upper right, to the right of the Capitol Dome rocker, and is administered by the Mason-Dixon Council.  It is for completing the section from Sandy Hook, MD (MM 60.2) to Hancock, MD (MM 124.1), for a total distance of ~64 miles. (See the above note about Sandy Hook.  To complete this section, you must go five miles farther, to Brunswick. 

Canal Aqueduct.  This green rocker with a white aqueduct (bridge for water) on it goes in the lower right, with its left edge at the center line under the S of "B.S.A." on the bottom of the central patch. It is administered by the Baltimore Area Council, and it is for completing the section from Hancock, MD (MM 124.1) to Little Orleans, MD (MM 140.8,) for a total distance of ~17 miles.

Paw Paw Tunnel.  This red rocker with a gray tunnel on it goes in the lower left, with its right edge at the center line under the S of "B.S.A." on the bottom of the central patch.  It is administered by the Shenandoah Area Council, and is for completing the section from Little Orleans, MD (MM 140.8) to Paw Paw, WV (MM 156.2) for a total distance of ~15 miles.

Canal Lock.  This deep blue rocker with a red canal lock on it (see the image, but it is a cross-section of two chambers of water, one more full than the other) goes in the upper left, with its right edge touching the left edge of the Capitol Dome rocker.  It is administered by the Potomac Council, and is for completing the section from Paw Paw, WV (MM 156.2) to Cumberland, MD (MM 184.5) for a total distance of ~28 miles.


Due to logistical issues in doing these bike hikes with Cub Scouts, we will not be doing the hikes quite like the above.  The short segments that earn patches are a long ways away, so we will continue doing some shorter pieces closer to home.  When we get to doing the farther segments, we'll probably do a couple of them at once, to make the logistics easier.

There are three important resources used in completing this project.  The first is 184 Miles of Adventure: The Hiker's Guide to the C & O Canal, published by the Mason-Dixon Council of the Boy Scouts of America (18600 Crestwood Drive, P.O. Box 2133, Hagerstown, MD 21742.)  This booklet and the central round patch can be purchased at most of the National Park Service Visitors Centers along the towpath, or at the Mason-Dixon Council Headquarters in Hagerstown -- the only place we've seen the rocker patches and medals sold.  The booklet contains instructions on how to qualify for the rocker patches and the medal.

The second is the National Park Service website on the C & O Canal NHP.  This contains, among other things, announcements about work and activities on the trail and detours, as well as maps.

The third and most important resources is the online C & O Canal Bicycling Guide.  This wonderful guide by Bike Washington contains detailed information needed for biking the towpath, including trip packing lists, detailed maps, and things bikers need to know before starting out on various sections of the trail.  This site has so much information that we won't even try to duplicate it; go there for what you need.  There is even a specific section for Scout leaders.

Here are the rocker patch segments, split into smaller sections for our Cub Scout hikes.  Even in these smaller sections, these hikes are for Bears and above only.  A multi-speed bike is also strongly recommended.  All trips will be downhill, going from Cumberland East to Georgetown.  Note: You must complete ALL sections within a rocker patch segment to earn that rocker patch.  All stopping points here have parking, with the exception of Sandy Hook.