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Violetts Lock
Canoe/Kayak Access Point
Gravel parking lot has space for up to 20 vehicles. Access to the river is across the canal. This is a popular take-out point for kayaks and canoes coming down the Potomac. It is also a starting point for a round-trip across the river above the dam, down the old Patowmack Canal on the Virginia side, then back across the river and return via the canal.
Violette's Lock, located at Mile 22.1 of the C&O Canal, carries the name of Alfred ?Ab? Violette, a 19th?century lockkeeper whose family tended the site for decades and became part of its identity. Built in the 1830s as part of the canal's push toward the Potomac's upper reaches, the lock served both commercial boats hauling coal from Cumberland and local traffic moving farm goods toward Washington. The adjacent lockhouse, perched above a scenic stretch of the river, became a small community hub where travelers paused, exchanged news, and sometimes waited out high water.
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Contact Information
National Park Service
Violettes Lock Road
Darnestown MD 20874
301-739-4200
Website