
To anyone who is afraid of the dark, take note, you can see both ends of the tunnel 100% of the time. 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. Every so often you could see, if you have a flashlight, survey markers anchored into the walls. And as we traversed through the over 3000 foot long tunnel, we noticed that it was constructed entirely of brick. The tunnel entrance is straddled by stone stairs on both sides. If you wear tennis shoes, you will likely have water soak through and you may end up with blisters before you finish. Which leads me to my next suggestion, bring hiking boots. There are some uneven spots and ankle deep puddles of water. When you are in the middle of the tunnel, you will not be able to see your feet. I would suggest you bring some sort of small flashlight. If you plan on going to the Paw Paw tunnel, here are a few words of advice. 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. In other words, you can’t plant one paw paw tree and expect the offshoot trees that may grow from the tree’s suckers to cross-pollinate. Programs are offered Thursday and Friday. However, the trees must be genetically different from each other to pollinate. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Parks West District (Cumberland to the Paw Paw Tunnel) offers K-12 field trips in the spring and fall. In about 1/2 a mile or so you will see the West Entrance to the tunnel. Yes, paw paw trees are generally not self-pollinating and at least two trees are required for fruit production in most cases. There is a trail head just off of the parking lot. This will lead you into a parking lot where you can leave your car and head out on foot. 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.
PAW PAW TUNNEL FREE
The easiest way to access it is to go to the free parking area. With it being so close to where we are, we had to go explore it. The Paw Paw Tunnel is a 3,118-foot long canal tunnel on the C&O Canal in Allegheny County, Maryland. The Paw Paw Tunnel, at times referred to as one of the 'Wonders of the World,' is one of the major features of the canal. And it is the single largest structure along the length of the C&O Canal. This tunnel took 14 years to build, by hand. 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 was built near Paw Paw, West Virginia and so the tunnel was aptly named The Paw Paw Tunnel. 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 was a 185 mile long canal built from Washington DC to Cumberland, Maryland to primarily carry coal from the Allegheny Mountains. The towpath narrows inside the unlit tunnel, so it’s best for bicyclists to dismount and travel slowly. In 1828, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, also called the C&O Canal, began construction. At 3,118 feet, the Paw Paw Tunnel is the longest man-made structure on the C&O Canal Towpath, and on the entire Pittsburgh -to- Washington, D.C.
PAW PAW TUNNEL HOW TO
How to Comment: Public participation is vital to our planning process, which is conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).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. The Paw Paw Tunnel is one of the most significant engineering features along the canal. To save building six miles of canal along the river, the C&O Canal Company decided to construct a tunnel through a steep ridge now called Tunnel Hill. The 3,118-foot tunnel took 14 years to complete and first opened in 1850. Today, visitors come to the tunnel to view this engineering feat and hike the Tunnel Hill Trail, a two-mile trail that traverses the top of the mountain where laborers lived during the construction period. Replace the wooden pedestrian boardwalk.Stabilize the rock faces on both sides of the towpath and boardwalk.Remove rocks and debris from a landslide in 2016. Its funny because on the Great Allegheny trail and the C and O Tow path we are all so spoilt that a simple climb out of a parking lo.

The National Park Service (NPS) invites public comment through July 25 on a proposal to improve visitor safety near the Paw Paw Tunnel Hollow in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. This section of the park, between mile marker 155 and the downstream portal of the Paw Paw Tunnel, has experienced rockfalls and landslides that present a safety hazard to park visitors.
