Washington Canoe Club

Competition. Community. History.

Preserving, promoting and engaging in paddlesports on the Potomac River for more than a century

Established in 1904, the Washington Canoe Club is a community of volunteers dedicated to preserving, promoting, and engaging in paddlesports on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. WCC’s boathouse, over a century old, is an iconic historic landmark serving as a base for its members to train for competition, paddle for recreation, and host community, educational and charitable groups.

High Kneeling Hooked Summer Campers

by Liz Pennisi

“I was pretty amazed how many boats there were.” That was Ava Zahler’s first impression of the Washington Canoe Club when she showed up for summer camp two years ago. Her mother had signed her up for a Sidwell program run here on the Potomac to fill Ava’s mornings. She was spending afternoons at Rock Creek Park Horse Center where she is a summer camp CIT (counselor in training), as riding is a long-time favorite activity. She knew little about canoeing but liked being on the water enough once she tried the camp that she came back this past summer for a week of all-day paddling. And this fall, she joined the aquatics program. Talk about jumping in with both feet. more..