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CCA Reiterates Need for Sandy Beach, Anglers Improvements


The much-used Potomac River put-ins below Great Falls at Sandy Beach and at Anglers Inn should be designated by the National Park Service as "official river access points," according to comments filed with the NPS July 28 by CCA Chair David (Cotton) Cottingham on behalf of the club.


Great Falls planning

NPS project area, from June 26 presentation

The comments addressed a "Development Concept Plan" for the area from Anglers Inn upstream through Great Falls to Swains Lock. CCA paddlers who have been active on river access issues were surprised when the NPS's C&O Canal National Historical Park stated in a June 26 slide presentation that "there are no formally designated or maintained river access points" within this project area. This is despite the heavy use of the Sandy Beach and Anglers Inn put-ins for many decades. "I was told in a subsequent conversation with a person who works for NPS is one reason that NPS may not have devoted resources to improving or maintaining these access points is that NPS doesn’t consider them official trails or access points," Cotton's submission said.


The comments note that paths from the Towpath down to Sandy Beach and to the river at Anglers are steep and highly eroded, and the Anglers Inn three parking lots are often jammed, with deep trenches in the road to the lower lot. A separate, brief comment submitted by Alf Cooley on behalf of the club Access Committee emphasizes that with regard to Sandy Beach, CCA "has been submitting detailed suggestions to the Park for this project over the years, the most recent series starting in 2018."  


NPS has had two calls for comment on Great Falls area planning, the first in August-September 2023 and the second in June-July 2025 (just closed July 28). The Development Concept Plan "aims to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for visitors, while also protecting the park's resources." 


A point tucked away in the slide presentation could have implications for paddlers. Acknowledging the congestion at Anglers, NPS said that one strategy might be to impose an entrance fee. Another possibility mentioned is formalization of the parking layouts.


The recent call for comment notes how heavily the area as a whole is used, saying, "Visitation across Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park has steadily risen from approximately 3 to 5 million annual visitors over the past 15 years. The Great Falls (Maryland) area is the most heavily visited site within the park, reaching approximately 800,000 annual visitors. The Billy Goat Trail Section A can draw more than 2,000 visitors daily during the peak season and approximately 150,000 visitors annually."


Moreover, NPS said, "This area of the park also contains more than 100 rare, threatened, and endangered plant species, making this area one of the most biologically diverse in the national park system."


The slide presentation says a draft concept plan should be published in October 2025 and a final concept plan in January 2026.


For more information:

Second call for comment on the Great Falls Development Concept Plan (includes link to downloadable June 26 slide presentation)


CCA submission to NPS—best accessed from CCA Home Page (see "Great Falls Plan Comments" at mid-page)