C&O / GAP Forum

A large rock slide occurred Sunday at MM 136.8. The trail is completely blocked with large rocks, debris and fallen trees. I expect it will take some time to clear this area for the trail to be clear. Efforts to clear the trail will likely require some time and may render the trail impassable during that time. Watch the GAP website for more information.

Thank you for the information!!

The local trail council volunteers cleared a portion of the blockage last evening to provide a narrow riding path around the debris to enable riders to get through. Big thanks to them for their prompt efforts to reopen the trail to riders. A lot of work still remains to completely remove all the remaining material on the trail but it is open to bike traffic at this time.

Although much of the rocky rubble remains, the local trail council has cleared enough to reestablish two-way traffic on the trail at that location.

Will be doing the GAP Cum-Pit in a few days and have some time after getting to Pit before catching the N bound train. Would like to walk about the area and was wondering if anyone has any experience (or advice) on locking my bike near (or at) the Pit Amtrak station. Seems the Pit garages - and there's one nearby - have bike racks - just not sure of the safety. Thanks in advance for any tips.

The Pgh Amtrak station is tucked in off the street (Liberty Avenue) with not much pedestrian traffic other tha train riders. So, locking a bike up there is not the worst option to avert theft. Perhaps a better/safer option might be to lock the bike up at one of the nearby hotels assuming they had a bike rack in front of them. I’ll try to ride through that area of town tomorrow and see if there my be better options. I’ll let you know.

If you are departing Pgh by train, you might even be able to look/leave you bike inside the train station itself if you speak to the agents there.

I’d be hesitant to leave my bike in one of the parking garages.

The Pgh Amtrak station is tucked in off the street (Liberty Avenue) with not much pedestrian traffic other tha train riders. So, locking a bike up there is not the worst option to avert theft. Perhaps a better/safer option might be to lock the bike up at one of the nearby hotels assuming they had a bike rack in front of them. I’ll try to ride through that area of town tomorrow and see if there my be better options. I’ll let you know.

If you are departing Pgh by train, you might even be able to look/leave you bike inside the train station itself if you speak to the agents there.

I’d be hesitant to leave my bike in one of the parking garages.

So, I rode into Pgh today in and around the area of the Amtrak Station looking for potential places to lock up your bike for a few hours after arriving in Pgh and before taking the train northward.

First, the thought of parking your bike inside the Amtrak station isn't feasible as the waiting area at the station is only open from 6:00pm until 7:45am. So if you arrive before 6:00pm the station is not open. That said, there is a bike rack in the parking area just beyond the waiting area entry door. It is under roof so not susceptible to rain. There is little, if any, pedestrian traffic there albeit some construction workmen nearby. There was a bike locked there today.

Another option would be to lock your bike up on the south side of Penn Avenue west of Tenth Street. (See Google Maps of downtown Pgh area.) There are several outdoor restaurants and bars along the street in that area where you can lock your bike with a fair amount of people dining there.

Of the hotel entrances, there is a place to lock a bike near the entry to the AC Hotel by Mariott on Smallman Street just a couple of blocks from the train station.

Assuming you remove your bags with their contents from the bike, I think the first two options above are your best bets for leaving your bike for a few daylight hours.

Perhaps other forum lurkers familiar with the downtown area will have some other suggestions.

my son and i have done the GAP, we now want to do the C&O looking to do it mid OCT,what kind of weather should we expect ??

According to historical climatological data provided at weatherspark.com, the "average" daily temperature in Cumberland MD (the northernmost end of the C&O) ranges from 70 to 50F at the start of October to 60 to 40F at the end of October. Less probable extreme temperatures range from 80 to 40F at the start of the month to 73 to 28F at the end of the month. These temperatures generally increase a few degrees as you proceed toward Washington DC. As you can see, the temperatures you may encounter vary broadly both by time of the month and statistical probability.

The daily chance of rain ranges from 20 to 25% which is generally the lowest of all non-winter months.

I would plan to travel as early in October as you can. As I prefer to make the trip and will do so this year in mid to late September, I made the trip the third week of October last year and awoke in my tent to temperatures just above freezing on a couple of mornings. Such a wide variability can cause you to have to carry a broad range of clothing for all possible conditions. i recommend you watch the weather forecasts along the C&O as your departure date approaches to reduce the range of conditions you will expect during your specific trip and, hence, the amount of gear you carry.

Note the amount of daylight hours is 11.1 hours in October if you are planning to ride long miles each day.

From the GAP website:

Crews deployed by the staff at Canal Place in Cumberland will close the small trestle bridge and walkway that crosses a basin between the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath, starting July 31 for approximately one month, in order to perform repairs. This short detour adjacent to the project will be put in place for the duration of the work; please dismount and walk your bikes along the posted detour as a courtesy. Neither the GAP nor the C&O Canal Towpath will be closed.

At the same time the bridge repair is going on, crews will be making repairs to the brick walkways and parking lots in front of the restored Western Maryland Railway station which houses the Cumberland Visitor Center. Active work zones will be cordoned off for everyone’s safety. Please proceed with caution.

looking to go on my first overnight bike trip (going solo). Thinking about going to Harpers Ferry and spending the night in hotel then back to staring point. I will need to leave car at starting point any suggestions where should start from?

Williamsport

Thank you

Given that White's Ferry is indefinitely closed (and has been), this lodging option in Leesburg doesn't make sense as a recommendation anymore :-/

Seven GAP/CO riders are looking for a lodging venue between Harper's Ferry and end of the Trail in DC. Non-operational White's Ferry lets out Leesburg for the night. We have not found anything on the MD side somewhere near the Poolesville area...
Has anyone found a place to stay in that area, or should we just expect a 55+ mi ride on last day? Thanks for any comments or clues! We have talked about possibility of staying at Lockhouse 25, but really want showers, heat and a flush toilet! Asking too much??

I haven't done any searching myself so don't know if you'll find anything but have you checked vrbo or airbnb?

I'll be biking in the vicinity of the Pinkerton Tunnel with my daughter. I've heard there's no lighting in the tunnel. Do we need lights for our bikes if we're going through the tunnel? Any other thoughts are welcome.

Hello
The short answer no.
The Pinkerton tunnel is only 849 foot long.
Enjoy the ride.

I agree with Wiily that a light is not required to ride through this tunnel. With large openings on either end, daylight enters both ends of the tunnel. If you were to feel uncomfortable riding through the tunnel, there is a bypass trail you can ride around the tunnel without adding much distance.

Thanks for the input. We didn't quite make it to the Pinkerton Tunnel, but I'm looking forward to going back to the area, if not this season, then next.

I must say that the Gap trail from Connelsville to Confluence is so enjoyable. I've always loved every part of the Gap Trail that I've ridden on, but this was so comfortable, shaded, along the river, great views of the river. I can't wait to return.

Here's a report on our trip:

Wednesday, July 12, we drove from Pittsburgh to Connelsville and had a delicious lunch at the Kickstand Kitchen in Connelsville. Then my daughter and I biked to Ohiopyle. My husband met us there then drove us to our hotel, the Historic Summit Inn in Farmington. We loved the hotel. If you ever have a chance to stay at the Historic Summit Inn, I highly recommend it. Our evening meal and breakfast were excellent and the rooms were quite comfortable. The staff were great. Wednesday we watched a beautiful sunset on a large veranda. Thursday we biked from Ohiopyle to Confulence. We had a delicious lunch at the River's Edge Cafe in Confluence. We then drove home.

It was a wonderful little trip.

Does this campground generally fill up? I am looking do this ride the end of July and planning where to stay.

Thanks!

There is plenty of space. It does sometimes get busier, but there are additional areas slightly upriver where you could set up your tent if the hiker-biker area is too crowded.

I agree with Andy. There is generally a large enough area to accommodate the overnight campers at the Cedar Creek Park H/B campground. In the unlikely event that it were full there is a pay-to-stay campground with showers in West Newton just 3 to 4 miles away.

Note however there is a Family Funfest planned at the park for Sunday August 6. If your plans were to slip into this date, you may find things a little more congested in the park that weekend.

Just finished our 10 day bike trip on the C&O and GAP trails. Left our car at the Hampton Inn in Pittsburgh near the AMTRAK station for free. Took the train to DC. Stayed at Chisel Branch the first night. The C&O was wet and muddy and had a hard fall. The EMT’s met us at the Nolan’s Ferry trail head and did a great job patching me up. Stayed at the YMCA in Cumberland. Decided to stay at the Super 8 in Hancock to rest up and got a great meal at Buddy Lou’s. Camped at the Maple Festival CG in Meyersdale and had a very nice breakfast at Donges Drive in diner. Had a nice meal at the Falls Market in Ohiopyle. Final camp was the Adirondacks in Connellsville. Overall a very nice trip. Thanks for all the info we received from this site.

Great story, Wayne. Thank you so much for sharing it ! I truly appreciate and admire your desire to keep going. As one cyclist told me, "If you go looking for adventure, don't complain if you find it." I did not find an inkling of complaint in your post.

Traveling from out of state to ride the GAP/C&O and wondering if anyone has a recommendation of where to rent a gravel bike for the ride. Decided it might be easier than bringing mine.

If you are starting in Pittsburgh, consider Golden Triangle Bikes at (412) 600-0675.

They are located right on the GAP Trail about 1/2 mile from Point State Park which is the terminus of the GAP Trail in downtown Pittsburgh. You may be able to rent a bike from them in DC as well, but I don’t have any specific information to do so.

PS: I have no personal stake in this shop whatsoever.

Can you leave your vehicle at the trailhead for the duration of your trip? We plan on camping on a Thursday night and then returning on either Sunday or Monday.

From the GAP website:

"This parking lot in West Newton is adjacent to the West Newton Visitor Center, and there is additional parking on the opposite side of PA-136. There is room for about 20 cars, although as a busy trailhead, it can be quite congested on a summer or fall weekend. Free to park. Overnight parking allowed."

6/12/23 The snack shack here looks like it has not been open in quite a while. We started this day in Brunswick, MD and with it being Monday, the grill in white's Ferry was closed, as well as, this snack bar, so no food until Georgetown/DC. there was a restroom were were able to fill water bottles.

For future reference, if you take a detour at Billy Goat Trail. You can then get a bite to eat at Anglers Inn across from the trail and return to the C&O Canal Towpath Trail. However, if you are tired of the C&O canal, you can ride on MacArthur Blvd, which has a paved bike lane. About 3.5 miles down, you will come upon MacArthur Plaza where you can find several places to refuel. And less than half a mile from the plaza is a convenience store, Captins Market. And about 1.7 miles from there is Glen Echo Park, which contains an Irish pub and a bakery.

After about 7 miles riding on paved road, you will do a short climb. This is where you will need to take the crosswalk to get over to the paved Little Falls Stream Valley Trail in order to connect to the paved Capital Crescent Trail, which will take you directly into Thompson's Boat Center. If, for whatever reason, you wanted to get back onto the C&O Canal Towpath Trail, there are several opportunities for you to do so while riding the Capital Crescent Trail.

6/12/23-This grill is def closed on Mondays. No water to be had. there are2 derelict drink machine , but only 1 is working. no prices listed, but got soda after scrounging up a dollar bill. Only drinkable water from here to Great falls is at the Lock house at Seneca. do not miss your opportunity.

Too bad they were closed during your stop. The place has really good, fresh food.

6/11/23
This day was our 100 mile day. We started in Paw Paw , WV and ended here in Brunswick, MD. After 102 miles we arrived in Brunswick. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR IF YOU ARE STYING IN BRUNSWICK, BOOK A ROOM IN TOWN, AT THE BOTTOM OF TOWN!!!!. We messed up and stayed at he Travelodge b/c of the connected diner, however, the diner is 2.5 miles STRAIGHT THE FUDGE UP!! Seriously, it was a brutal climb on loaded bikes and the Travelodge does not have an elevator, so if you are on the second floor and want your bike with you, you have to carry it up 2 flights of stairs. The Travelodge itself is nice, clean, and friendly, but you will exhaust yourself getting to it. Eat and stay at the bottom of the mountain/town.

There isn't a hotel or motel in town. The Travelodge and Holiday Inn Express are both uphill from the river. The only lodging at river level is the campground.

The least steep route is up Burkittsville Rd, which has a wide shoulder most of the way (unfortunately this is gone at the traffic light at the top of the hill).

If you use the Holiday Inn Express you can go through town and then take the paved Valley Trail uphill into the neighborhood where the hotel is.

You must have taken a weird route to get 2.5 miles between the tow path and the Travelodge. I used to live a couple blocks from there and was only a mile from the tow path.

6/10/23
updated to this location. It is now called the Inn on Main. The new owners Mo and Amber are super awesome. do not stay anywhere else in Meyersdale. This place is at the top of the hill, right next to the trail. It is a beautifully restored early 1900s house, and each bedroom has a bath. Secured bike shed outback, had wash station, and air pump. Great home cooked breakfast was perfect!, Fridge w/ beer, soda, water etc is accessible at all times.

you will not find a better pub/bar with great people and the best dang burger I have had in awhile. Refill your snacks and drinks down the street at the Sheetz gas station, b/c there isn't water of food for another 45 miles until Brunswick, MD

Hello everyone,
My first time on here and I am wanting to do both trails from Pittsburg to Washington D.C. My questions are where is there a safe place to leave my car should I decide to drive down to Pittsburg then take the train to D.C. and ride back?
Second, was thinking of going around the end of July, maybe August or even September am open to riding these trails either of these months and as anyone would I would like some really nice weather.
Hope this isn't asking too much. :)

Free, safe parking in Downtown Pittsburgh near he train station is tough thing to find. Depending on the date you finally decide to make your trip, you’re welcome to park your car at my house about nine miles east of Pittsburgh. The details would.have to ne worked out, especially since the train to DC leaves Pittsburgh at 5:20 AM for DC.

I’d be happy to shuttle you from/to my house to Downtown.

September is typically a very nice time to make that trip but note the later you take your trip, the shorter the days will be.

If you do the reverse, you can park in my condo's garage. I'm less than 3 miles from Mile 0 of the C&O, and you can take trails or bike lanes to get to / from there.

I seen a comment up dated back to last year, that Bill's Place was closed and up for sale. I was planning on stopping here for a resupply if needed, and a meal.

Is it still closed, or sold and reopened?

Any update would be appreciated.

Seems to be operating. As always, send a text or call to confirm.
https://www.facebook.com/littleorleans/

Unfriendly to bikers. Check out their Google reviews, tons of one star reviews from bikers.

Any known detours the first 15 miles from lock three up to lock 22 heading north due to construction on the Towpath causing to ride on loose dirt and sand?
Thanks in advance.

I've not heard anything about any detours in that section of the C&O Towpath and the NPS C&O website isn't reporting any although that website is not always current.

John W will be passing through there in three days. Perhaps he can provide any new information.

Maybe some resurfacing going on that hasn’t been compacted well yet? Just a guess.

Paw paw tunnel tomorrow 8/29. Anyone do it recently? Closed? Open?

The best plan of attack is to ask all passers-by as you approach the tunnel if they went through the tunnel or took the detour, they’ll have the latest. I must have had 10 people tell me to go through and ignore the detour back in June during my trip. There’s a thread below with this one with some recent updates. Plan on taking the detour unless others went through confirming that you can make it out the other end.

John

Sorry to say, the Paw Paw tunnel closed Thursday.

I just completed an out and back on the C & O and utilized Rivnuts bypass route (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37572392). Worked fantastic in both directions. Heading east, the 2.4 mile climb on the bypass took me about 20 minutes. Minimal traffic even on the short stretch of Oldtown road. I had talked to people in my age group (I'm 61 yrs. old.) that it took them 75 - 90 minutes to climb up using the hiking trail from Cumberland.
Heading back to Cumberland took about 30 minutes to walk the bike up the dirt rock filled path to the top, stopping 3 times for a minute or so. I had already had 60 miles done that day. From there it was 5 minutes back down the bypass route to the trail.
A big THANK YOU to Rivnuts.
Worked out extremely well.

In fairness to others, I myself, did not create that alternate route in ridewithgps. Unfortunately, I don't recall who that rider was to be able to give them the credit for doing so. I simply provided the link to it.

I actually may have been the first to post it, but figured that it is a viable option by checking out the heat map on Strava. So yeah for technology! I do appreciate rivnuts turning it into a map.

Any known detours the first 15 miles from lock three up to lock 22 heading north due to construction on the Towpath causing to ride on loose dirt and sand?
Thanks in advance.

I rode from Harpers Ferry to Georgetown on 6/8/2023 and there were no detours from lock 3 to lock 22 that I can remember. However, when you get to Great Falls Park, they do have some construction going. There are no detours, but IIRC some portions of it were "sandy", so be cautious if you are going fast there.

We stayed here on 6/5/2023, coming from Rockwood. It's a chain, so you know what you're going to get. We did laundry and they had a hose in the back near the dumpsters to wash off your bikes.

If you do stay here, take note that it's about 1.2 miles from the trail and you will need to do some climbing. It averages about 3.5% over that distance with a max grade of 8.9%. Personally, I welcomed it after all that flat riding on the trail and especially the 22 miles downhill after the Continental Divide.

Thanks for your reports on lodging during this tour. This is a valuable contribution to the knowledge base for the rest of us and much more useful than the "evaluations" on something like Yelp. I especially appreciate your honest and dialectical comments on the "B&B" in Rockwood.

Thanks, Terry. I'm glad you found them useful.

I stayed here on 6/7/2023, coming from Hancock. It's your typical lower-end hotel but does the job. If you're facing the lobby, they have a hose to the right side of the building to wash off your bike. The place was clean.

It's about a mile from John Brown's Fort, so if you stay here, you will need to do some climbing. Don't take Washington St there unless you enjoy steep climbing. The climb for that route is 225' over 1.2 miles. If you take the Shenandoah St instead, the climb is only 78' over 1 mile and most of that occurs 3/4 of the way through. However, it will require you to ride 0.1 mile on the high-speed and busy William L Wilson Fwy. It's really not that bad since there is a very wide shoulder.

In the past, I stayed at the Light Horse Inn, which was great, especially their breakfast. However, you do have to climb up Washington St, which averages 4.1% over 1 mile and a max of 8.7%.

I stayed here on 6/6/2023, coming from Cumberland. It was the first motel I stayed at, and it will most likely be the last. There were stains on all of the chairs in the 3 rooms we booked.

On the plus side, they did have laundry facilities but someone changed the settings even though there was a sign that said only "these" settings worked. When I came back 45 minutes later, the light said that it was done but I checked my laundry and it was completely dry. The lady at the front desk was helpful and corrected it. Luckily, I didn't have to pay another $2.75 to re-do the load. The sign should have mentioned what "these" settings were. It turns out that only the hot water setting initiated water to pump into the drum. I also left the other setting at "heavy soil" but am not sure if that affects anything.

If you're facing the lobby, there is a hose out front to the left to wash your bike before taking it into your room. Note that there are no elevators, so if you stay on the 2nd floor, you will need to carry your bike.

Good eats is at Krazy Rays Smokehouse. The hostess was a hoot, and they give you A LOT of food for not much money. It also tasted good, too.

Stayed here on 6/4/2023 after riding from Connellsville. For the price point ($150), I was very disappointed. The owners were not around and "managed" everything remotely. There were no instructions upon arrival except for the code to get into the house. There was no hose (or none offered) to clean your bikes. We found out from someone who was staying there for the night that you had to leave your bikes underneath of an unlocked porch. The rooms only locked from the inside, so basically you are relying on the honesty of small town America that no one steals your belongings and bikes when you leave for dinner.

The 2nd "B" was also apparently missing in the B&B. You have to cook your own breakfast or just eat what is available in the kitchen. With 9 cyclists staying for the night, the pickings were slim. They had no bananas, 6 small "cutie" oranges, and a few apples. There was a dozen eggs, some sausages, some bacon, a bottle of OJ, and enough coffee grinds to make your own coffee. In fairness, I did text the owner back to tell them that there wasn't enough eggs, and they restocked the fridge with 3 dozen eggs and more bacon and sausages. However, there were no bananas. I assume that was due to them not being to get any.

Another gripe is that the room I stayed in, Kayla's Room, had electrical outlets that are very high up on the walls. This is a problem if you need to charge your cell phone, GPS units, etc., for the night. I did notice that the kitchen had a bay of USB ports where you could charge your devices, but that means you will either have to leave it unattended or wait until it's fully-charged. I presume most of their bookings are from cyclists, so it would have been nice if they catered to cyclist needs like providing extension cords to charge our devices and the much-needed hose to wash our bikes.

For the positive... the cleaning service that they use does a very good job. I found that the place was clean but old. I guess everyone has different tastes in home styles. Although it was chilly that night, there was no heat or A/C that you can control in your room like you would at a hotel. The bar of soap was also on the small side. The two of us had to share that and move it between the shower and the sink. Again, at that price point, I thought it was kind of chintzy. However, the towels were the best ones I had on this tour. They were thick like you would have in your own home, and they smelled clean and fresh. The hot water was also sufficient. We didn't run out of hot water in the morning. I was afraid that might happen, assuming everyone took a morning shower.

Stayed here on 6/3/2023, coming from Pittsburgh. It was your typical lower-end hotel with hot breakfast included in the price. The hotel had a hose out front to wash off your bikes, and at the entryway into the lobby, they also provided rags so you can wipe off your bikes after hose down. There was a bin for clean rags and a bin for dirty rags. It was very bike-friendly.

My brother complained about a "funky" odor in his room, so he asked to check out my room. Same thing. He asked the front desk about it, and it was pervasive throughout the hotel. In other words, changing rooms would not have resolved the issue. I think the odor he was smelling were the cleaning chemicals that they used. It didn't bother me that much and actually gave me a warm and fuzzy that they cleaned the place.

excellent hosts and property, nice alternative to West Newton....property is literally 5 minutes off trail...short 'ramp' off trail to road, turn left on road/immediately cross river and coast into town!

I would like recommendations for safe and Economical lodging in or near DC.

Not really anything economical like a traditional hotel in the DC area. The cheapest after taxes might be $125.

If you’re comfortable sharing a room with others, there are a few hostels in DC that might meet your needs.

John

I recently stayed overnight at an Airbnb private room for one at a house about 5 miles from Union Station. It was in 16th Street Heights section of DC. It was one of the lowest price overnight locations I could find. The host was quite pleasant and the room was clean and private. There was a recently remodeled bathroom dedicated for my use. Not a lot to do in the neighborhood but fine if you are simply looking to clean up and rest.

You should try Warm Showers (https://www.warmshowers.org/). I have a couple of friends who host and have been hosted all over the world. They live in the DC area, so they may even host you! LOL