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Maryland | Washington County / Western Maryland
Potomac River
Big Pool / Fort Frederick Campground to Williamsport River Bottom Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Potomac River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
A bounded Western Maryland Potomac moving-water reach from the Big Pool/Fort Frederick campground to the Williamsport River Bottom Park ramp. The Class I corridor has multiple C&O access options, hiker/biker camping, a mandatory Dam 5 portage, and downstream power-dam hazards that make the Williamsport endpoint a hard commitment.
Plan a shorter segmentOptional
Access planner
Pick a shorter segment
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Big Pool Campground / Fort Frederick State Park Potomac accessThe Big Pool coordinate is the American Whitewater route access anchor at the Fort Frederick park/campground area. The C&O/NPS and Maryland DNR public-access rules control current entry, parking, fees, hours, and carry conditions; do not occupy a campground site for vehicle staging without permission.
Take-out
Williamsport River Bottom Park / Potomac Park boat rampMcCoy’s Ferry and Four Locks are useful documented intermediate access points, but access availability, road condition, parking, and shoreline carry must be reconfirmed before treating either as a bailout.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The Big Pool coordinate is the American Whitewater route access anchor at the Fort Frederick park/campground area. The C&O/NPS and Maryland DNR public-access rules control current entry, parking, fees, hours, and carry conditions; do not occupy a campground site for vehicle staging without permission.
- McCoy’s Ferry and Four Locks are useful documented intermediate access points, but access availability, road condition, parking, and shoreline carry must be reconfirmed before treating either as a bailout.
- The Williamsport coordinate is the American Whitewater take-out anchor at the Conococheague confluence, corroborated by the C&O Canal Trust’s Riverbottom Park boat-ramp description. Confirm the current ramp and parking; do not substitute a private shoreline or an unrelated canal launch.
- The Hancock station is a direct same-river gauge but is upstream of this reach. Local tributaries, rain, releases, debris, dam hydraulics, and wind can differ materially from the instantaneous station reading.
Watch for
- USGS 01613000 stage, discharge, and trend
- 2.22 ft low-runnable planning context, recent rain, fast rise, cold water, wind, floating wood, strainers, and bridge hydraulics
- Dam 5 mandatory portage, Williamsport power-company dam, C&O/NPS closures, campground staging rules, intermediate access, and River Bottom Park parking/ramp status
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Potomac River at Hancock, MD |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| Discharge | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 2.22 ft |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | American Whitewater Big Pool/Fort Frederick to Williamsport flow correlation |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Named moving-water corridorBig Pool/Fort Frederick Campground to Williamsport, 16.7 miles, Class I
American Whitewater names the reach, exact route endpoints, intermediate C&O accesses, hiker/biker camping, Dam 5 portage, Hancock gauge, and the route-specific low-runnable flow correlation.
- Federal public access and hazardsC&O/NPS Potomac access; Dam 5 and Williamsport power-company dam warnings
NPS identifies the park’s Potomac ramps, required PFDs, Dam 5, and the Williamsport power-company dam as material boating hazards.
- Williamsport endpointRiver Bottom Park boat ramp at the Potomac/Conococheague confluence
The C&O Canal Trust documents the Riverbottom Park Potomac boat ramp and the C&O access inventory lists the Williamsport Boat Ramp.
- Direct flow evidenceUSGS 01613000 Potomac River at Hancock; American Whitewater 2.22 ft low-runnable context
USGS supplies live direct same-river stage/discharge context; American Whitewater supplies the route-specific planning screen and the station correlation.
- Camping postureBig Pool Campground plus North Mountain and Jordan Junction hiker/biker sites
American Whitewater identifies the endpoint and along-route camping sequence; confirm current NPS and state-park status separately.
- Live gaugeUSGS 01613000, Potomac River at Hancock, MD
This is a direct same-river station. Readings are provisional and must be combined with trend and visual conditions.
- Approved route imageryRights-cleared public-agency or public-domain corridor image
Wikimedia Commons public-domain C&O/Potomac corridor image used as route context; it does not certify current flow, dam, portage, campground, or ramp conditions.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- American Whitewater Big Pool to Williamsport
- NPS C&O boating and whitewater warnings
- C&O Canal Trust boat-ramp inventory
- C&O Canal Trust River Bottom Park
- C&O Canal Trust Williamsport access and camping context
- Maryland DNR Fort Frederick State Park
- USGS Hancock current conditions
- USGS 01613000 monitoring location
- USGS 01613000 current conditions
- Approved corridor image
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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Keep exploring
More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
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Quick answers
Potomac River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Potomac River?
Paddle Today watches Potomac River at Hancock, MD and uses 2.22 ft as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Potomac River route start and end?
This route starts at Big Pool Campground / Fort Frederick State Park Potomac access and ends at Williamsport River Bottom Park / Potomac Park boat ramp, about Approximately 16.7 river miles, American Whitewater Potomac reach 0.4 on the water.
Is this Potomac River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.