Cumberland Area Field Trips

 

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park's West District (Cumberland to the Paw Paw Tunnel) offers K-12 field trips in the spring and fall. Programs are offered Thursday and Friday. To make a field trip reservation please e-mail us at [e-mail].

Home on the Canal: Students will develop an understanding of the C&O Canal and early transportation in America. Students will differentiate between man‐made and natural features. Students will compare the past and present to understand what life was like for a child on the C&O Canal. Program may include one or more of the following activities: Guided Tour of the C&O Canal Visitor Center and Museum; Guided Tour of the C&O Canal Replica Canal Boat at Canal Place; Guided Hike around the watered canal basin to the Potomac River Overlook at the start of the C&O Canal Towpath; Hands-on Activities in the C&O Canal Classroom. Offered in the spring (March-May).
Audience: Recommended for Grades PreK-1.

Location: C&O Canal Cumberland Visitor Center & Museum, and adjacent area at Canal Place (including: C&O Canal Replica Boat, Classroom and Towpath).

Length: 1.5-3 hours.
Availability: Offered in the spring (March-May).


Tunnels Rock: How Humans and Nature Change Earth. Students explore the history and engineering of the C&O Canal as they consider manmade and natural changes to the environment. Includes a guided tour of the Paw Paw Tunnel, a 2-mile hike, and an archeological/fossil activity. Offered in the spring (March-May).

Audience: Recommended for Grade 2 and up.

Location: in Maryland along Route 51 and near Paw Paw, West Virginia (30-minute drive south of Cumberland).

Length: 3.5 hours.
Availability: Offered in the spring (March-May).

Time in a Tree. Students enjoy a 1.5-mile hike along the C&O Canal between Lockhouse 75 and Spring Gap, observing the natural and historical resources of the C&O Canal. This program includes a dendrology activity as students conduct tree observations, measurements and data collection. Students will tour Lockhouse 75 and participate in a guided discussion of canal life, 1850-1924. Students will learn about the technology of the lift lock design and the engineering features of the C&O Canal. Offered in the fall (September-November).

Audience: Recommended for Grade 3 and up.

Location: C&O Canal at Spring Gap (15-minute drive south of Cumberland).

Length: 4 hours.

Availability: Offered in the fall (September-November).


Riddle Me History: The Oldtown Settlement. Students will explore the layers of Maryland history at the C&O Canal's Oldtown location. From the Shawnee Indians to early settlers, to the building of the C&O Canal until today, students will learn and practice their navigation skills during a 2-mile hike. Students will learn about archeology as they participate in an activity to observe artifacts and place them on a timeline respresenting early 1700s to present. Offered in the fall (September-November).

Audience: Recommended for Grade 4 and up.

Location: C&O Canal at Oldtown (20-minute drive south of Cumberland).

Length: 3.5 hours.
Availability: Offered in the fall (September-November).


Around the Bends: A Case Study of the Paw Paw Tunnel. Students form an opinion on whether or not building the Paw Paw Tunnel was worth the costs of construction as they hike the mountain trail over Sorrel Ridge and follow the towpath through the Paw Paw Tunnel. During the 4-mile loop hike, students learn the stories of different canal people and see interesting natural and historical resources including geological features, the former site of canal builders camp and school house, and diverse animals, insects and plants in the forest habitat. Offered in the spring (March-May).

Audience: Recommended for Grade 5 and up.

Location: in Maryland along Route 51 and near Paw Paw, West Virginia (30-minute drive south of Cumberland).

Length: 4 hours.
Availability: Offered in the spring (March-May).