We are going to take you back to a time when the rail and the river were directly competing on a regular basis as the preferred mode of transportation. In 1828, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, also called the C&O Canal, began construction. This was a 185 mile long canal built from Washington DC to Cumberland, Maryland to primarily carry coal from the Allegheny Mountains. In an attempt to save 6 miles of the journey through 5 horseshoe bends in the Potomac, a tunnel was built through a mountain.
This tunnel was built near Paw Paw, West Virginia and so the tunnel was aptly named The Paw Paw Tunnel. This is funny because the canal is actually located in Maryland, although it is walking distance from the West Virginia State Line with the City of Paw Paw being just across the river. This tunnel took 14 years to build, by hand. And it is the single largest structure along the length of the C&O Canal.
The Paw Paw Tunnel is a 3,118-foot long canal tunnel on the C&O Canal in Allegheny County, Maryland. With it being so close to where we are, we had to go explore it. The easiest way to access it is to go to the free parking area. If you go to Paw Paw, West Virginia and head north on Highway 9, you will cross the Potomac River and within about 1/4 of a mile, there is a turn off on the right. This will lead you into a parking lot where you can leave your car and head out on foot.
There is a trail head just off of the parking lot. Walk up and head to the right. In about 1/2 a mile or so you will see the West Entrance to the tunnel. At this point you can choose to go forward through the tunnel or head to the right, which is a path that goes up and over the mountain. We chose to go on through, of course.
If you plan on going to the Paw Paw tunnel, here are a few words of advice. I would suggest you bring some sort of small flashlight. When you are in the middle of the tunnel, you will not be able to see your feet. There are some uneven spots and ankle deep puddles of water. Which leads me to my next suggestion, bring hiking boots. Do not try this in flip flops. If you wear tennis shoes, you will likely have water soak through and you may end up with blisters before you finish.
The tunnel entrance is straddled by stone stairs on both sides. And as we traversed through the over 3000 foot long tunnel, we noticed that it was constructed entirely of brick. Every so often you could see, if you have a flashlight, survey markers anchored into the walls. At some points you could hear water coming through the bricks overhead and, at some points, it even lightly rains water on you if you walk on the wrong side of the path. To anyone who is afraid of the dark, take note, you can see both ends of the tunnel 100% of the time.
When we exited the East Entrance, we were met with a wooden boardwalk with tall rock walls which had water running down them and bright green moss growing. Eventually this boardwalk led back on to a regular trail. We continued on until we saw one of the canal locks. We explored it, took some time off and skipped a few rocks in the canal and headed back. This time, we chose to go over the mountain instead of through it.
The journey over the mountain is much, much more strenuous than going through. There are steep hills and rocky terrain. Interestingly enough, we came upon signs that said the workers who built the canals lived along this path with their families and it notated one spot where a schoolhouse was built.
After we crested the top, we began to head back down. As we did, we came upon a spot with a beautiful view of the Potomac River and the Town of Paw Paw. We stood there and took the view all in for a moment, watching a hawk soar and swoop over the river and the trees. We finally made our way all the way back to the parking lot and we were ready to head home. What an interesting journey through the past this was. If you like tunnels, canals and history, this is a must see. Just don’t forget your flashlight. Safe Travels.
