Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park Perfect ride By llopresto in 8/11/2010 8:49:20 AM | My family and I rode this trail at the end of July. We rode from Georgetown to the Great Falls of the Potomac. From our hotel in DuPont Circle it was approximately 30 miles round trip. My 10 and 8 year old sons rode the trail without any problems. The 8 year old only has 16 inch wheels on his bike-he peddled his heart out. The views were breath taking all the way along the path. Riding past the locks out to the falls was a great lesson in history. We missed riding the Capital Crescent trail on the way out but certainly caught in on the way back. It made it easier to finish the last few miles strong. As noted, the trail roughness is a 2-certainly not a path for slicks. We ran into trouble about 8 miles into the ride, my 10 year old son's chain froze. 2 passer-bys stopped to give us a hand. We didn't have any tools and thankfully one of the men had just what we needed to fix the chain. There are no stops to buy anything along the way so make sure you bring your tools and any food or drink you may want. The boathouse is so early on in the trip if you start in Georgetown, so that really doesn't count and the food and drink at the Falls isn't all that great. There is a bathroom and water fountain. The view of the Falls was breathtaking. I would love to see it full of rushing water. This is certainly a trip we will do again.