C&O / GAP Forum

Hello all! Looking for any info you can provide for latest trail conditions. I will be biking from Cleveland, OH to Chesapeake VA starting 10Apr22, and will be taking the the GAP + C&O. Is the Big Savage and PawPaw tunnels open? are Water pumps unlocked yet for the season? thanks again for your insight!

It has been reported that the Big Savage Tunnel will be opened on April 1. I've not seen any indication that the exit of the Paw Paw Tunnel has been reopened obviating the need to take the bypass up and over the tunnel.

The C&O website that all the pumps at hiker/biker campsites along the C&O are currently off.

Remote Water Faucet List

On Fletcher's Cove (MM 3.21)
Off Lock 5 (MM 5)
Off Lock 10 (MM 8.8)
Off Carderock Recreation Area (MM 10.5)
Off Marsden Tract (MM 11.5)
Off Anglers Access (MM 12.2)
On Great Falls Tavern Restrooms (MM 14.3)
Off Swains Lockhouse (MM 16.64)
Off Swains Campground (MM 16.7)
Off Seneca Creek/Rileys (MM 22)
Off Horsepen Branch Campsite (MM 26)
Off Chisel Branch Campsite (MM 30.5)
Off Turtle Run Campsite (MM 34.4)
Off Marble Quarrry Campsite (MM 38.2)
Off Indian Flats (MM 42.4)
Off Calico Rocks Campsite (MM 47.7)
Off Bald Eagle Island Campsite (MM 50.3)
On Lock 34 (MM 61.5)
Off Huckleberry Hill Campsite (MM 62.9)
Off Antietam Creek Campground (MM 69.6)
Off Killiansburg Cave Campsite (MM 75.4)
Off Horseshoe Bend Campsite (MM 79.7)
Off Big Woods Campsite (MM 82.4)
Off Opequon Junction Campsite (MM 90.8)
Off Cumberland Valley Campsite (MM 95.2)
Off Cushwa Basin Restrooms (MM 99.7)
Off Jordan Junction Campsite (MM 101.2)
Off Four Locks Picnic Area (MM 108.9)
Off North Mountain Campsite (MM 109.2)
Off McCoys Ferry (MM 110)
Off Licking Creek Campsite (MM 116)
Off Little Pool Campsite (MM 120.7)
Off White Rock Campsite (MM 126.5)
Off Leopards Mill (MM 129.9)
Off Cacapon Junction (MM 133.6)
Off Indigo Neck (MM 139)
Off Fifteen Mile Creek Campground (MM 140.9)
Off Devils Alley (MM 144.5)
Off Stickpile Hill Campsite (MM 149.3)
Off Sorrel Ridge Campsite (MM 154.1)
Off Arbaugh (MM 155) - Out of Service until further notice.
Off Paw Paw (MM 156)
Off Purslane Run Campsite (MM 156.9)
Off Town Creek (MM 162)
Off Potomac Forks (MM 165)
Off Pigmans Ferry (MM 169)
Off Spring Gap (MM 173)
Off Irons Mountain Campsite (MM 175.4)
Off Evitts Creek Campsite (MM 180)
Off Cumberland Visitor Center (MM 184.5)

I am curious what bike route you are taking from Cleveland to Pittsburgh?

Solid feedback! thank you so much!

Cleveland to Bolivar OH via Ohio-Erie Towpath Canal Trail
--Zoar Valley Trail to Zoarville, OH
--Road/gravel roads to Bowerston OH
--Conotton Creek Trail to Jewett OH
--Road to Steubenville OH
--Pick up the Panhandle trail in WV to Montour trail in PA,
---Connect to Gap trail in Mckeesport.

thats the rough plan!

Thanks again for your help!

JLacho49:

Thanks for that route info from Cleveland especially the Ohio portions as I am quite familiar with the Panhandle and Montour Trails as well as the GAP and C&O. FYI, there are no campsites on the Panhandle Trail aside from stealth camping and only a couple on the Montour Trail in route to McKeesport. Aside from purchasing water, there are virtually no pumps/faucets along the Panhandle and Montour Trails that you will be taking. The first campground on the GAP would be at Dravo Landing which normally has potable well water there. There may also be city water in McKeesport and Boston, PA if it has been turned on by then.

What date do you think you'll hit the GAP at Pittsburgh?
I'll be starting my thru trip to DC 4/17/22.

Kim,
I should be through and into Cumberland by Monday. I’ll report back the trail conditions once I’m done. Good luck!

Thanks. That would be really helpful.
Looking at the 14 day weather forecast, it looks like rain for my first 3 days.
Enjoy your trip.

What’s the latest and greatest with the Paw Paw tunnel? Can you bike through? Or do you still have to bike-a-bike over the mountain? I’ve visited the website, but it doesn’t seem like it’s been updated lately. Anyone been through this year yet?

Thanks I’m advance!
-Jake-

If you don’t hear from a rider that’s been through that area recently you should be able to get confirmation of the status of that area by contacting the National Park Service at 301-739-4200 itself or one of the local lodging options in Paw Paw.

I just heard back from a C&O employee and there are no changes in 2022. The tunnel status is the same as last summer. It’s technically “open” but the downstream side is closed and they recommend the detour up and over the hill to bypass the bad parts of the rock fall.

That said, many have gone through and carefully negotiated the debris after you exit the tunnel, most of which you will be walking your bike over. The risk, besides rocks falling on you, is that it’s so muddy and impassable that you have to do a 180 and go back through the tunnel to reach the detour. That will at be an hour of wasted time minimum. You can attempt it but be prepared to have to turn back. Like Rivnuts said, as you are 10 miles or so from the tunnel, ask approaching riders what they did. Did you ride through or take the detour? If the majority say they went though then you know its a relatively easy pass. That’s what I experienced last summer when I went through.

The person that I spoke to added that they are hoping the project gets completed by the end of 2022 but no guarantees so this whole summer riding season will see the detour question appear again.

Good luck.

The GAP Trail website added the following two new trail alerts today:

Slope Repair Near Frostburg (GAP Mile 11) Partially Obstructed: Work will begin in early April and is scheduled to last for two or three weeks, depending on weather conditions.


Resurfacing in Ohiopyle State Park (GAP Mile 86) Partially Obstructed: The GAP remains open during resurfacing, but travel cautiously and watch for construction vehicles. Be prepared to stop.

Trying to help put together a trip on the C&O for a Boy Scout Troop.

They have done it before, but I can not remember the name of one of the camp sites that you can drive to.

As I recall it has like 6 camp sites and a small bridge to walk over to get to the sites. You did need to pay to use the sites.

Plan:
Cumberland (YMCA)
Paw Paw campsite
????
Brunswick Family Camp Ground
Swains Lock

Thanks;

Gary

There are reservable, pay-to-stay camp sites that you can drive to between Paw Paw and Brunswick at Fifteen Mile Creek, Fort Frederick, McCoys Ferry and Antietam Creek. The latter two are roughly mid way between Paw Paw and Brunswick. However, I’m not certain that either match your description. Perhaps, locate them using the satellite view in Google Maps to see if either look familiar.

Today the GAP website reports:

The resurfacing and culvert repair project between Connellsville and Whitsett (GAP Mile 90) is complete and a new trail surface welcomes travelers.

Is the trail to Dravo open now?

As far as I know it is open. It was late last year when I last rode out that way. The trail to Dravo Landing was closed for a major sewer replacement for several months but was reopened last spring.

I rode from Homestead, PA to West Newton today passing through Buena Vista and by Dravo Landing in route. Indeed the trail is open following the adjacent sewer line replacement project completed last year. The trail was in good shape especially given the time of year and recent rainfall.

I rode from Homestead, PA to West Newton today passing through Buena Vista and by Dravo Landing in route. Indeed the trail is open following the adjacent sewer line replacement project completed last year. The trail was in good shape especially given the time of year and recent rainfall.

Looking for a good campground close to mile 0.

If you are referring to Mile Marker 0 of the GAP in Cumberland, I would recommend the YMCA there. It’s maybe a mile away from Canal Place in Cumberland where the GAP mile markers begin counting. It’s a pay-for-stay site but you have access to the YMCA facilities, notably the showers, and there is a small covered pavilion if you encounter inclement weather there.

If you are referring to Milepost 0 of the C&O in Washington, i am not aware of any campsites nearby. The last camp site on the C&O approaching DC is at Swain’s Lock which is around 17 miles from Milepost 0.

Perhaps someone local to DC can offer additional insight into camping areas around DC.

I hope this answers your question.

From the GAP website today:

"Somerset County will open the Big Savage Tunnel for the season the afternoon of Friday, April 1. Take caution while biking or hiking near the tunnel as the limestone trail surface will remain soft from melting snow and lingering winter temperatures at that altitude."

Last September my wife and I thru hiked the C&O towpath from Georgetown to Cumberland over a 10 day period.

This summer we are planning to do the GAP. Is the GAP AA easy to follow as the C&O? Other than a couple of detours for the tunnel and a rock slide the C&O is effortless to follow and hoping GAP is same?

Any feedback about hiking GAP v C&O is appreciated!

The GAP is very very easy to follow. You might reach for your map once or twice on your last day as you get into Pittsburg.

I concur with. Bill from Houston. It’s pretty much “follow the yellow brick road” from Cumberland to Pittsburgh. There are a couple twists and turns leaving Cumberland and the trail from Little Boston into McKeesport could be better marked. Once you reach McKeesport in route to Pittsburgh, it is pretty straight forward. There are several options entering Pittsburgh you can take but as long as you can see and follow the Monongahela River, you’ll make it to the end of the GAP in Point State Park.

Are you aware there is no hostel in Pittsburgh? For years, a volunteer organization raised money to open a hostel at the South Side Travelers Rest (SSTR) on South 6th Street. The SSTR opened, complete with bunk rooms, but management is using last year's Covid pandemic as an excuse not to let out individual beds in the dormrooms. So, a solo cyclist on the GAP must buy a full room with three beds. This is very pricey for someone traveling alone.
Of course, there is the Not-a-Hostel in Pittsburgh, but the arrangement there is informal and it is not located as conveniently to the GAP as the SSTR is.
The train arrives in Pittsburgh after dark so it would be nice to have somewhere not overpriced or ad hoc to stay for the night before beginning the GAP in the morning. Otherwise, I'll have to bypass siteseeing in Pittsburgh, travel in the dark, and trudge on to the first hiker/biker campsite. The volunteers who donated their time and money to SSTR saw the lack of a hostel in Pittsburgh as a problem. Unfortunately, after the work has been done, SSTR, no longer feels this is a problem.
As I noted, SSTR seems to have dorm bunk rooms and is aleady designed to be run as a hostel. They may be under the mistaken idea that they can make more money by forcing cyclists to rent an entire room that filling a dorm room with solo travelers. Having a forum on your site might be helful in convincing SSTR to offer its beds as a hostel for GAP riders for the upcoming season starting in May 2022.

Mr. Katz:

In March of 2018, the opening of the SSTR hostel in the Southside area of Pittsburgh was announced in the local paper. I sent an email to the proprietor offering some suggestions to improve its visibility and marketing to the cycling community. I ride by there frequently but haven't seen any obvious signs of success in its operation and, frankly, questioned whether it was still operating at all. I see that it now is being marketed as a 1-star hotel rather than a hostel.

If it is true that it no longer plans to operate as a hostel, and it appears that that is the case, then it is unfortunate for the reasons you note. I agree a hostel near the train station would be ideal given the time of departures from and arrivals in Pittsburgh. However, the train station is located at the edge of downtown Pittsburgh and the adjacent old produce terminal district which is undergoing a revitalization. Property values in that area are very expensive for the likes of a hostel.

I stayed there about 3 or so years ago when it was a hostel. The room that I stayed in was all bunkbeds and I think the rate was about $35 a night. It was a nice place to stay but I guess they decided the hotel route was better for them.

I am riding GAP/C&O starting May 1, 2022 and looking for information about detours. I was told that last year there were several detours around tunnels that were being repaired. Does anyone have information about closed sections of the trail? Thank you.

I road the GAP and C&O late last Fall and encountered only two detours. They were the well discussed detour around the Paw Paw Tunnel and the detour at McMahon’s Mill (~MP 88) on the C&O. You can find trail closure/detour announcements for the respective trails at the following web sites

https://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
https://gaptrail.org/updates/

The information there can sometimes be dated so I would recommend that you continue to watch this and other forums for any changes to the status of these trail closures.

Perhaps someone that has ridden the C&O more recently than I can confirm or deny my experiences last Fall.

Thanks to Rivnuts for sharing such detailed information, plus resources. It is folks like you that give a forum like this the life that it has. Contributors like you provide a great service to those of us who just do not know the trails so well. I want you all to know how much many of us appreciate your contributions.

Do the Capital Crescent Trail and the C & O intersect, or do they just run parallel to each other?

The Capital Crescent Trail crosses/intersects the C&O Towpath as it approaches Fletcher's Boat House located along the Towpath and then generally parallels the Towpath on into Georgetown for about 3.5 miles toward Milepost 0.

Fletchers Cove is at this coordinate in google maps: 38.9193546, -77.1016344.

It appears this is a motorcycle shop, not a bicycle shop

It is not clear what the original message was that spawned the beginning of this thread but there are at least two good bicycle shops in Cumberland. They are the Cumberland Trail Connection and Cycles & Things. I’ve been to both during my trips down the GAP and C&O and found them well stocked and very helpful.

Dear Friends, I am looking for comments on accommodations in Paw Paw, WV, and Shepherdstown, WV.

Refer to the Towns and Services tab in this website for lodging options in the various towns along the trail. There are few options in the towns you cite.

My son and I are biking the C&O to Georgetown at the end of March. I am torn between rushing the last day to catch the train home or dropping off my car in Georgetown before our trip so I can drive myself back. Any advice about biking to Union Station or where to cheaply park nearby for the weekend?

As I am not a DC local, I can’t offer any good info on where to park cheaply and safely near Union Station. I have, however, ridden from Milepost 0 to Union Station at the end of some of my trips. It takes about 20 minutes to ride the 3.25 miles. Google Maps’ recommended route across Constitution Avenue along the Mall is a nice and scenic route. Of course, it follows city streets but DC is pretty biker friendly. You don’t need to arrive particularly early at the train station as you can roll your bike right up to the departure gate/door just moments before it opens for boarding. Assuming you already have your tickets and have removed your bags from your bikes, there is very little lead time required at the train station.

I did this last fall when I rode the GAP/C&O. From the Thompson Bike Center I went up Virginia Avenue NW then right on 23rd St NW to the Lincoln Memorial. Then I rode along the Mall to the Capital. After the Capital I rode along Delaware Avenue NE to Columbus Circle and then over to Union Station. I did that section around 3:00 pm and there were no problems.

So we are thinking of riding the C and O Towpath in April. Is there any reason NOT to go from Georgetown to Cumberland?

In my opinion there is no reason NOT to ride the C&O from Georgetown DC to Cumberland. The condition of the trail and amenities along the C&O are independent of the direction you ride it. Your overnight destinations might be different depending on which direction you ride the Towpath. Just be aware of any trail closures and detours such as approaching Paw Paw that may influence your itinerary.

I rode that direction. Only issue is your return to your vehicle. Elevation and prevailing winds NOT a problem.

DC to Pitts means going against prevailing wind, but any weather system that comes through, passes quicker.
Thus Pitts to DC is exact opposite.

DC to Pitts means going against prevailing wind, but any weather system that comes through, passes quicker.
Thus Pitts to DC is exact opposite.

Thank you for the info, very much appreciated.

Would like information concerning a memorial bench to place along the trail. Appreciate any info you could provide.

Unfortunately I don’t have a specific answer to your question, but if no else has specific info I would recommend contacting the Youghiogheny River Trail Council at:

http://www.regionaltrailcorp.com/yough_river_trail/

Regional Trail Corporation
PO Box 95
111 Collinsburg Road
West Newton, PA 15089

724-872-5586


I expect they can give give information regarding acquisition and installation of a Memorial Bench along the trail in your area.

any suggestions on hotels to stay at reasonably near the Georgetown C & O terminus and Union Station as we will be taking Amtrak back to Pittsburg. Thank you

Prices there will likely be high. You could stay in Arlington and cycle the Mount Vernon Trail to get to C&O in Georgetown and begin your journey. I’ve never been able to find cheap accommodations in Georgetown.

A couple of thoughts come to mind regarding your question.

There are some hostels in DC that you could consider if you are a fan of such. They are less expensive than the hotels in the area and most are within easy riding distance of the train station.

Secondly, you might consider creating an itinerary/schedule wherein you could make it to the train station in DC just in time to take the train back to Pgh. Depending on where you make your last overnight stay before DC and what time you left there you could catch the 4:00 PM train back to Pgh and avoid staying overnight in DC altogether. Upon arrival in Pgh you could check in to one of the hotels near that train station to sleep and clean up. Just a thought.

Does anyone know the best way to get back to pittsburgh from dc? Me and my cousin doing the trip in June and having a tough time finding a way back. Amtrack is booked, Greyhound does not take bikes. Rental cars with bike racks are not easy to find.

Consider renting an full-size SUV or a van without a bike rack. I believe you could get both bikes inside these especially if you remove the wheels. I transport my bike for long trips in the back seat of my Lumina sedan by removing the wheels which is easy to do.

If you shop around the internet, there are several outfits that provide shuttle services. They are all going to be cheaper for larger groups. Four our group of 10, it ended up being slightly less expensive than the train, and will deliver us directly to where our cars are parked.

we rented a minivan and it worked just fine, but we booked months in advance. I hear there is a shortage of rental cars/ vans currently. I heard another trail rider recently comment that they had rented a u haul, having been unable to find a rental car. likely this is a little less expensive than a car as well. the train is super slow and the shuttles we checked into were quite expensive (understandably as it is a full days work for someone).

Glad the minivan worked! Yeah the shuttles are best when the cost is divided by 3-4 people.

Seems like everyone is gearing up to travel this summer so a rental shortage (and subsequent higher prices) doesnt surprise me at all.

I got my Amtrak Bike Ticket booked but I reserved it like 2-3 months ago.

Thanks for the input. Paying my son to come get me and bring me back to Pittsburgh. No rental cars available and uhaul is sold out.

We are trying to book Amtrak tickets for 2 people and 2 bikes for dates in May, DC Union Station to Pittsburg - getting a "Sold out" reply. We are confused as to whether there are other ways to do this? Is packing your bike in a box the only way? Can you check your bike as baggage?? Thanks for any help.

The first thing I would recommend, if you have not already done so, is to contact a real live reservation agent at Amtrak to confirm the unavailability of bike reservations. A few times in the past I have found that the on-line reservation system will report no available bike reservations exist for a given date, while a real live agent can find some or at least tell you if there are any available around your desired date. However, patience is a virtue as you will likely wait a fair amount of time to reach a real person as well as wait while they search their own system for available bike reservations.

All that said, I don’t understand why there are so few bike reservations made available since they just direct you to roll your bike into a regular baggage car which I rarely have seen much luggage. Amtrak is doing themselves a disservice by not making more bike reservations available during the touring season. They certainly are not customer-focused in this regard.

There are private parties/companies that will shuttle you back but they are rather costly.

And if you are still unable to reserve a bike ticket that is during your desired travel window, you can still purchase a bike box right there at Union Station. I think it’s $15-20. You will need to bring a tool that can turn your bike handles and a tool that can remove your pedals. Amtrak will not provide tools. Then your bike will fit in the box. The only downer is you will have to put your pedals back on and readjust your handlebars when get off at midnight in downtown Pittsburgh.

Like Rivnuts said, seems odd that they limit these bike tickets to what seems like 6-8 per train. They could comfortably double or triple the amount. They could easily do this for half the year to cover the touring season. I don’t think Amtrak realizes how many people pass up on Amtrak because they can’t secure a bike ticket.

Hello All,
We are planning a GAP ride in the fall 2022. We're planning on taking the train to Cumberland to start our ride back to Pittsburgh. Can you give any info on your experience if you've done this and also where did you park your car in Pittsburgh? Thanks so much! Enjoy the ride!??

I have taken the Amtrak Capital Limited from Pittsburgh to DC via Cumberland. The train leaves Pittsburgh at 5:20 AM if it is on schedule and arrives in Cumberland 4 hours later at 9:20. This arrival time would allow you to start your bike trip back to Pittsburgh and get a full day of riding depending on your travel date and the time of sunset at that time. If your dates are firm and you are bringing your bikes to take on the train, you need to get your train reservations early so you can get the requisite add-on reservations for your bikes. Bike capacity on the train is limited so bike reservations can be hard to get on short notice.

The train station in Pittsburgh is in close proximity to several downtown hotels. If you are staying at one of those hotels the night before your departure, the hotel often will allow you to park there for free until you return to Pittsburgh. Aside from that there is little free parking near the train station. There is a parking garage direct across from the train station but you may find it a little expensive for your taste.

Just starting my plans to bike the C&O this year and my first question is how long might it take to bike the entire length and possibly round trip to avoid needing roundtrip assistance.

The majority of riders take 6 or 7 days to make the full one-way, 334 mile trip between Pittsburgh and DC riding an average of 50 to 60 miles per day. By riding more or less miles per day you can make the trip in fewer or more days.

If you are only riding the 184 mile C&O itself, 3 or 4 days is most common.

Back in 2020 I was supposed to go hike the John Muir Trail in California. The pandemic shut down those plans with airfare prices skyrocketing. As Plan B, I convinced my wife to join me on a bike trip. We had tried and failed to bike the C and O once before. This time we had better gear and more experience. We planned to utilize the train system to shuttle us back to the start so we chose to ride uphill( Dc-Pitt). I’m no videographer or editor but I wanted to put these videos somewhere where they could easily be viewed so I have been creating YouTube videos from each day of our 8 day trip. I used this website to plan the trip so I thought I would post the video here as well. Check them out if your interested. You can hear the range of emotion in our voices. Especially day two where we felt like we bit off more than we could chew. Thanks to everyone who helped us plan this during an uncertain time in 2020. This board was invaluable to our trips success. More videos will be added as I finish editing them.

https://youtu.be/SZpVTeFGiPw

I’ve enjoyed watching the first five videos of your trip along the C&O and the GAP trails. These videos answer many of the most commonly asked questions about these trails such as what are the trail surfaces, trail conditions, campsite conditions and sites along the trail. I would/will recommend these videos to those planning their first trip along these trails from DC to Pittsburgh.

I’m curious how you faired riding up the GAP trail from Cumberland to the Eastern Continental Divide on your single speed bike.

The climb up to the Continental Divide on my single speed wasn’t bad. I was able to sit down the whole time but I did slide up onto the nose of the saddle. I also had to move at my own speed. My wife could gear down and spin up the hill. If I went her speed then I would have to mash instead of spin which burned my legs out. Once I started moving at my own pace things got comfortable again. If I had to do it again I wouldn’t change a thing. A single speed is perfect for this trail. If I was going east bound then I would change my hearing to 40:18