C&O / GAP Forum

I know there has been much discussion regarding the Paw Paw tunnel, so please bear with me. We are riding a part of the C&O canal next week and will be approaching the tunnel from the DC side. One of our stops is the Canal Cabins on Wednesday. We're assuming that we have to take the detour and the tunnel is still closed. I thought I heard about an alternative to the "up and over" detour with the 375 ft elevation change. Possibly the Tunnel Hill Road and route 51? Has anyone gone to the tunnel (from the DC side) in the last week or so? Any current, accurate information would be appreciated. Thanks!

Rick from Florida on 09/21/2021 07:15 AM
I just rode the Paw Paw Bypass option (Sulphur Springs Rd, to Oldtown to Malcolm Rd to Tunnel Hill Rd) on Sunday the 19th. This connects with the Tunnel Hill Bypass Trail at the top of Tunnel Hill. You then have to take the Tunnel Hill Bypass Trail down to the C&O path. The option of going on these roads works well going from Cumberland to Little Orleans, however if you are going from Little Orleans to Cumberland you have no option to pushing your bike up the Tunnel Hill Bypass Trail. If you are going this direction you are probably better off staying on the Bypass trail to get back to the C&O. Just an FYI there are a couple if steeper sections on Sulpher Springs Rd and Tunnel Hill Road. They are ridable though. These are also public roads with no shoulder, so beware of traffic, especially on Oldtown Rd. (51).

I will probably come across as a bit of a jerk (story of my life) but if you have the luxury of navigating this trail on a bike I kind of chuckle at the lamentations over taking the detour.

My wife and I just walked the 185 miles and every 1/10 of a mile mattered. There were times I would have carried a bike (instead of my 40 lbs pack back) a mile up hill for the convenience of sitting on it for the next 30 miles.

Lol…for what it’s worth, we snuck around the tunnel barriers and were damned relieved to be able to do so.

Enjoy!

I really enjoy riding the C&O and Gap trail. We normally do a 3-4 day trip in the Spring and then in the Fall. I am 72 years old and have a very rare type of Muscular Dystrophy that is somewhat limiting, but not nearly as disabling as many other folks deal with. So, I use an electric bike and normally ride on pedal assist which allows me to enjoy the outdoors and still ride decent daily miles. My reason for trying to get the latest information on the tunnel, is the conflicting stories-sometimes it's open and sometimes it isn't and all sorts of other scenarios. If we have to take the detour, I'll (we'll) deal with that. I appreciate all the input and should have explained my situation in my earlier post. Enjoy the ride!

Understood!

I can tell you that the tunnel is definitely closed and blocked off, so the only alternative are the detours. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

Thanks Art!

We are planning to hit the trail in the coming week and it looks like there's a good detour bypassing the trail at Little Orleans (from the DC side) and heading up Oldtown Orleans Rd to Malcom Rd then hitting 51 back to the trail.

It looks like some nice gravel riding. Anyone done this? Don't feel like being chased by dogs...

Well, we did the Paw Paw Tunnel detour (DC side) on Wednesday and somehow managed to avoid heart failure. It was anything but easy (for me), but I made it. I want to highly recommend the "Canal Cabins in Paw Paw." Really great, clean accommodations. Also had a unique cultural experience at "Big & Tiny's" wings in Paw Paw. Food was terrific. Loved the folks that were there and hope to go back next ride. Paw Paw has a paved bike path to the edge of town and it looks like they are hoping for more business from the C&O riders.

I traversed the Paw Paw Tunnel bypass trail on 10/20. As I recalled from doing so a few years ago when the tunnel itself was closed, it is steep with poor footing even in dry weather particularly the uphill climb going downriver. That said it did not take me as long as I had reported from memory a few years ago. It took me about 20 minutes to push my loaded bike up the hill stopping frequently to take a breather and 10 minutes to ride all but the first, say, 50 steep downhill yards which I also pushed. Given that you would normally walk through the long tunnel itself when the towpath is passable, the net additional time that the detour adds to the trip is rather modest. Maybe 15 or 20 minutes.

That said, less physically able or experienced riders would do well to find a shuttle around the Tunnel or to the top of the fire road at the top of the tunnel bypass. It was reported that a shuttle service to do so was available for $50 which might be well spent money for some casual tourers.

In case others are looking at this thread to decide how to navigate around this, I'll throw in another data point. As always, your mileage may vary.

My wife and I dealt with the bypass on October 17th, on the 5th of our 8 day journey from Pittsburgh to DC. The 17th was sunny, but the trail had a few wet spots from the rain the day before.

For calibration, my wife and I are in our 60s, and are in pretty good shape. (My wife had a knee replacement a little over a year ago.) We like to hike as well as bike, so climbing a hill is well within our comfort zone, at least without having to push a bike. Our biking is only on paved and dirt roads - we are not even remotely mountain bikers.

It took us about an hour to complete the bypass. We walked the entire way, and weren't in a rush so we'd stop to read historical signs, enjoy views, etc. We changed into walking shoes (sneakers) before starting. I also put the shoulder straps on my panniers and carried them (about 35 pounds) on my back rather than on the bike, since pushing the (top)heavy bike uphill with my arms stretched out enough that my legs didn't bang into the panniers was awkward and tiring. I put my wife's smaller and lighter (10-15 pounds) panniers on my bike, so she only had to push the weight of her bike. With a couple of breaks to enjoy the view we got to the top in about 25 minutes.

At the top, I put my panniers back on my bike, and carried my wife's instead, since the panniers don't get in the way much when walking the bike downhill. As mentioned by others, the path downhill (heading towards DC) is a rarely-used dirt road, so if you've got the right bike and practice you probably could ride it (at least after the initial steep part). On my 20-year-old Trek with smooth 35mm tires I didn't think it was worth the risk.

All in all, it was much easier than we had feared it might be, given the mixed messages we'd seen online about it. Even the NPS says to allow 1.5 to 2.5 hours to do it, which had us nervous since we feared we'd be more likely to be among the slower people attempting it.

One last thing: As we were considering our alternatives, we were put in touch with a man named Dan who runs a B&B in Paw Paw (WV), and who can shuttle riders around the tunnel. The price he quoted us was $30 per person to take you from about 1.5 miles before the tunnel (Sulphur Springs Rd) to the crest of the bypass path at Tunnel Hill Rd, or $60 to take you all the way to Little Orleans. We spoke to him, and he convinced us that we'd be fine on our own ... super nice and helpful guy!

Last week I encountered two resurfacing efforts in my trip from Pgh to DC. The first was approaching Ohiopyle where new, crushed stone was being placed and compacted. Heavy dump trucks and rollers were travelling along the GAP toward this effort. Where the placed stone had not been compacted, it was unrideable for a short distance.

Similarly resurfacing efforts on the C&O upriver of Shepherdstown continues. I encountered vehicles and loose stone around MM79 to MM75 where previous restoration efforts had been finished. You may have to walk around some equipment and loose stone in this area but it was not a significant impediment.

I was surprised by the detour at McMahon's Mill on the Towpath between mile markers 88 and 89 . It does appear among the list of detours and closures on the National Park Service C&O Towpath website. The particular detour is however clearly described (and I failed to read) at:

https://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/mcmahon-s-lock-42-towpath.htm

It is a combination of some grassy paths and country roads totalling about 3 miles and has a couple of short steep, gravelly sections which may require walking a loaded bike.

I rode from Cumberland to DC last week (Sept. 20-24th, 2021), and much to our group’s dismay, we found that many of the water pumps were not working. A lot of them had the handles removed, but even several of the ones with handles were not pumping water. Fortunately, we all brought filters because we had to pull straight from the Potomac when we found ourselves in a pinch.

I’m not sure if it’s pandemic-related (not enough staffing for maintaining the pumps), but it’s something to keep in mind.

I remember doing the C&O back in 2014 and nearly every pump worked. I’m glad I didn’t put my confidence in that prior experience!

We rode the C&O west to east on September 15-17. We also found many pumps not working. We did bring a water filter for an emergency, but did not have to use it. We were not camping, so we decided to each carry enough food and water to get us our 60 miles or so for the day. That worked out fine for us in the warm, but not hot weather. There are not many places to stop and get refreshments between Cumberland and Hancock (at least we didn't fine them) so be prepared.

I rode it last week and found all pumps working at C & O site
. They do take some finesse to get them pumping, and it is potable!

Rode the GAP and C&O the week of October 9th - 16th.
A volunteer trail guide we met up with near PawPaw, indicated each County is responsible for testing the wells.
If there is ANY contamination, the County removes the pump handle and treats the well with iodine. FYI - Hope this helps!

I just returned to Pittsburgh last night from riding/camping along the GAP and C&O Towpath to DC. A number of pump handles have been removed and some of the pumps with handles take a long time to prime and get water, if any. In short, top off or get water when you can along the Towpath if you are relying on water at hiker/biker sites.

We are planning on doing the GAP during the last week of October. However, my husband and I are at different fitness levels, so I have no way of knowing how far we will ride each day. We intend to do mostly tent camping, but I understand that there are limited camping spots, and most require reservations. Is this correct, or is it similar to the C&O in that there are many first come, first serve campsites?

All of the free campsites on the GAP do not require reservations. Just show up and pitch your tent.

With you traveling the last week of October, the campsites will be wide open. Even during peak summer, I’ve never seen campsites full….you’ll have the trail and campsites to yourself.

That said, there are only four free sites on the GAP. Check the guides so you can find to locate them. They are located at mile markers 89, 99, 110 and 122.

All others are traditional fee based campsites and may require a reservation just to make sure you get a spot. Can’t see you not getting one though. There are way fewer thru-cyclists in late October and campsites would be glad to take your money, compared to peak
Summer. :-)

Wonderful! Thank you so much for that info!

Note that there are Adirondack shelters at those free campsites along the western end of the GAP, and those shelters are first come first serve.

I camped at the Outflow campground in Confluence on 10/14. This is a State site. It is officially closed, which means that you can camp there for free. I set up at a picnic table behind the playground. It was close to an open restroom. My only complaint would be that there were too many lights on all night, restroom and power station at base of dam. Check out Mitch's Food & Fuel in town.

Has anyone stayed at the KOA in Harper's Ferry? If so, where do you cross over the Potomac, from the C&O Canal trail? We're considering staying there in a cabin or a tent site. Thanks for your response.

To get from the C&O Towpath across the river to Harpers Ferry, you have to walk across the pedestrian portion/causeway of the railroad bridge that crosses the Potomac there at Harpers Ferry. To access the pedestrian causeway, you must climb the spiral stairs on the Towpath side of the bridge. You'd likely need to unload your gear from your bike to carry them up the stairs.

I stayed next to it last week. It looked nice but, it is a little ways to get there, mostly uphill. Brunswick has a nice campground that is right on the trail. It's 7.5 miles away from Harper's Ferry and the KOA is not quite 6 miles round trip from the trail. Edward

Thanks for the information. I'm not certain that we'll stay in Harper's Ferry.

Riding the whole trail next spring. Will stay in hotels or inns. What towns are a must to stay in?

In my opinion the towns themselves are not the highlights of the trip. I guess that's a backhanded way of saying the towns themselves are not particularly special such that I wouldn't plan my trip to visit a particular town in and of itself That said, you may have a particular interest in something such as, say, the civil war, which would lead you to perhaps want to stay in Harpers Ferry.

Of course the two terminus towns of Pittsburgh and Washington have a little something for everyone so you may want to stay an extra day or more in these cities. The choice of cities in between is typically a function of your itinerary including distance desired to ride each day and/or the length of time you have allocated to complete the trip. That will dictate what cities/towns you stay at. Once those are known you can evaluate the lodging options and points of interest in those cities.

With a little more information about your preferences, interests and itinerary those on this forum will have a variety of recommendations on where to stay and what to see in those cities/towns.

If you are capable of 73+ miles on your first day out of DC, the Bavarian Inn at Shepherdstown is a nice place to visit. Steep climb from the C&O across the river, but worth the effort. Decent restaurant, nice pool, bike wash station & great view of the Potomac. They make their own beer too which goes down pretty easy after 73 miles on the towpath. Shepherdstown has some interesting shops and has a lot of Civil War history. A little pricey and you usually need to get your reservations early.

I rode the GAP and C&O last week and I mostly camped, but I did stay in hotels a couple of nights. The Super8 in Hancock was fine and it is close to the trail. I also stayed at the Clarion Inn at Harper's Ferry. It was nice and had an attached restaurant, but boy was it ever a hike to get there. Going back to the trail wasn't bad since it is mostly downhill. They were both pretty easy on the budget. The Trail Inn in Frostburg looked nice, but I camped behind the lodge. I also camped at Camp Jellystone in Williamsport, but they also rent cabins and they looked really nice. It is a little ways out but the road was fine for cycling. I wanted to visit Antietam Battlefield so I rode from the camp to it and picked up the trail below the town of Sharpsburg. I would also recommend the The Schoolhouse in Oldtown, MD for breakfast and Bill's Place in Little Orleans for the Maryland Crab Cakes. They were great, just not far enough South for hushpuppies.

Hostel= 2 thumbs up! Convience store pizza= 2 thumbs up!

The Paw Paw Tunnel is only open for visitation, but NOT for riding through. I was riding the C&O both ways in mid September, and the tunnel was closed, and cyclists were walking their bikes over the detour route.
There are signs there, on both sides, indicating that you can walk and visit the tunnel, but you cannot ride through it.

I can confirm. There is a locked gate on the downstream end of the tunnel, making it all but impossible to get around if you were wanting to pass through the tunnel. At one time, I had heard it was just a barrier, but it is a locked gate that spans the entire walkway from the wall to the railing.

Passed over the tunnel on 9/20/21 and there was a lot of construction work going on at the downstream end.

While staying at any hotel after 3 nights of camping and riding would be luxurious, I strongly recommend against staying at this hotel in Cumberland. The amenities listed are misleading.
Restaurant: Not Open
Bar: Not Open
Breakfast: Ridiculous - the smallest Quaker granola bar in the world + a banana and a bottle of water. What a joke. Thankfully there is a McDs a block away where I got something more substantive.

I hate to burst your bubble, but what constitutes free breakfast has deteriorated pert near everywhere during the pandemic at hotels across this land.

At least the Ramada is 30 bucks cheaper per night than the Fairfield Inn in Cumberland. For the price of Fairfield,I could stay at a B&B for the same price.

Then again, I have heard good things about Fairfield Inn in Cumberland.

For me, the big thing about riding the C&O and GAP is the journey, not the lodging.

Cumberland is the third largest city on the C&O/Gap route. There are restaurants and Bars in downtown Cumberland.

After a long day riding, I would personally go to a local joint than the hotel bar or restaurant.

Absolutely fantastic place to stay for the night! More luxurious shower facilities than you'll find in most hotels! Great lounging area. Awesome hosts. Just make a reservation - you won't regret it. Was one of the highlights of my trip.

Some friends and I recently had to call off a GAP trip that we had planned for a while due to one of us catching COVID. We canceled all of our reservations at least a week ahead of the planned stays, but several places were unwilling to give us refunds. I realize this is a tough time for businesses, but we canceled with plenty of time for them to rebook the rooms. For all we know, they may have rebooked the rooms to other guests and doubled their money.

One of the places that refused a refund was the River's Edge in Confluence and the other was the Fairfield Inn in Cumberland. Be aware of their policies if you plan on staying at either place.

BTW, we also canceled at the Connellsville B&B and they refunded our money with no hesitation whatsoever.

I'm sorry you are in that situation.

Fairfield Inn has a 24 hour cancellation policy, I would contact the Marriot customer service.

River's Edge website says they will refund if they can rebook the room so maybe they just need to see if they fill your room(s) before they issue a refund.

The other place that won’t issue refund is Springhill Suites in Pittsburgh.

Apparently my friend made reservations through booking.com and they are all denying responsibility. Hotels blame booking.com, which blames it on hotels. Reservations were canceled at least a week before planned visits.

River’s Edge was reserved directly with the inn.

I could understand their reluctance if we had canceled at the last minute but a week is plenty of notice. Most hotels these days will let you cancel with 24 hours notice or less.

Anyway, I posted this as a caution to others planning trips on the GAP. My advice is to make reservations directly with hotels/inns and make sure that they will refund cancellations within specified time periods.

A number of third-party travel reservation services.offer non-refundable rates as well as normal, refundable-with-notice rates. All rates must be transparent and fully understood prior to booking regardless whether they are with third-party services or with the direct providers themselves.

I learned the hard way, never use 3rd party sites. We did a trip to NYC and they double booked the hotel. Expedia wouldn't refund us and let's just say they got way more than an earful.. So, I never use any of those sites. The problem is, a lot of times it's hard to tell if you're on their site or the actual hotel, so I now call the hotel directly to make my reservations.