Indy Rider from Indianapolis on 06/23/2021 05:03 PM
I read a few of these trip reports in preparation for our ride and found them helpful, so here is mine.
We rode as a group of ten leisurely riders with a tourist bent. Which is to say we rode rather slowly, stopped to read a lot of the markers, and had side trips to several attractions. We stayed in Air BnB's and hotels. If you are looking to complete the trail in record time and camp along the way, this report may not relate well to what you are intending to do.
Day one: Meyersdale to Cumberland
Meyersdale was a good place to start for our purposes, because you can park your car at the old train station and leave it there for a week or more. Your contact information is registered and forwarded to the local police. We had a light misting rain most of the day, so the climb to the continental divide was not so much fun, but the trail is wide and compact. Once we crested the continental divide though...wow! A very fun downhill ride for miles and miles, all the way to Cumberland. Easiest day of riding of the whole trip, despite the rain. We ate at the Crabby Pig in Cumberland, which was great. Their crab cakes were a revelation to a midwesterner like me. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn, which is directly on the trail. The Fairfield also provides a bike cleaning station, which was very helpful.
Day two: Cumberland to Paw Paw
Today began the C&O portion of the trip, and as any other trip report will attest, there is a huge difference in the riding surface of the two trails. Knowing we were likely going to have rain, I had switched out my slickish tires for cyclocross tires before we left home, and was soon very glad I did. The puddles were frequent and unavoidable. Anyone reading this with an eye towards planning a first time C&O trip: simply resign yourself to the fact that you will get muddy if there has been any rain. We stopped to eat lunch at the Schoolhouse Diner in Oldtown. It was ok, not far off the path, but also nothing to rave about. Onwards we rode to Paw Paw. We had reservations to stay at the Bike Path BnB in Paw Paw, and I highly recommend this place due mainly to the proprietor. Dan rode out to meet us a few files outside of Paw Paw, and was a true wealth of information. he pointed out natural wonders we would have ridden right past had he not been with us (a blooming American Chestnut, for instance. A miraculous survivor of the blight). We ate dinner at Amanda's Place, which was fantastic. There is not much to do in Paw Paw after dark. Or in the daytime for that matter. Dan was a great host though, a wonderful raconteur, and served a hearty breakfast the next morning.
Day three: Paw Paw to Hancock
What Paw Paw does have to offer is the very cool Paw Paw tunnel. We were fortunate to ride the trail while the tunnel was still open. By the time I finish this post, it will likely be closed for improvements. Maybe they will improve the surface of the trail inside the tunnel, but for us it will be too late. One of our party did not properly secure her iphone before entering the tunnel...and the trail inside the tunnel is extremely bumpy. You can see where this is going. Plop! Into the canal it went. (I will briefly skip ahead to tell you that there is an AT&T store in Williamsport.) The trail section beyond the Paw Paw Tunnel is likely the most remote and unkept part of the C&O. Lots of mud, several downed trees across the path, but also lots of wildlife and birds. Beautiful. Eventually, you reach a spot where there is a sign on the rock wall with a picture of a fork & knife. You have arrived at Bill's Place. We stopped for some food and a beer or two. We then opted to hop on the Western Maryland Trail for some paved relief from all the mud. Consequently, we then made pretty good time into Hancock. Of little relevance to any other riders for the next seventeen years, I can report that Hancock had the most intense Brood X Cicada invasion of any spot we encountered. The air was thick with them. We spent the night at the Super 8. If you can find other options, you might want to consider them. I was less than impressed. It's the only hotel room I have ever been locked INTO. (thank goodness for multi-tools! An essential part of any bike touring kit)
Day four: Hancock to Willamsport
The Western Maryland Trail continues for another ten straight miles or so out of Hancock, which made for a fast, fun ride. Once back on the dirt ruts, we found things had dried out substantially. We made a side trip to check out Fort Frederick State Park, a very cool recreation of a stone fort from the 1750's. It's a bit of a climb to get there, but worth it if you are into history. There are also actual flush toilets in the outer buildings, just so you know. The weather had finally turned in our favor, so it was a lovely wooded ride all the way to Willamsport. We had rooms at the Red Roof Inn, which was nice but was quite a bit off of the trail. Long hills to climb at the end of the day, followed by a ride to the local shopping mall to visit the AT&t store (iphone withdrawals averted) left us exhausted and ready to sleep.
Day Five: Williamsport to Harper's Ferry
to me, this was the most beautiful day of riding. I loved the portion where the canal path is carved out of rocks right on the edge of the Potomac for a few miles. Outside Shepardstown, the recent trail improvements take effect. Packed cinder, glorious to ride on. Once you arrive at Harper's Ferry, be prepared to climb a staircase to cross the Potomac into town. Whose idea was this, building a spiral staircase to access a bike path? Well, there are plenty of hikers. Some of them were less than amused with ten bicycle people huffing and puffing and clogging up the staircase. Oh well. Harper's Ferry is a cool town, actually a National Park in the lower portions. Our Air BnB was in the upper portion of town, and the hill to get there...good lord! I guess we got spoiled after five days of downhill. There are wonderful Air BnB's to be had in Harper's Ferry. Our group had secured two of them. We scheduled two days in HF, to give ourselves a day of rest & relaxation. So Day Six is Also Harper's Ferry, and not much riding. Just exploring the town, and having an uproarously good time at an Irish Jam session at The Barn. Recommended!
Day Seven: Harper's Ferry to Leesburg
Ok, this is admittedly a wimpishly short day of riding, but don't blame me, blame White's Ferry! Closure of White's Ferry coupled with an absolute dearth of ANY lodging on the Maryland side of the river, caused us to have to have to get across the Point of Rocks bridge to get to our hotel in Leesburg. So, basically about 12 miles of riding. Our hotel provided a shuttle from Point of Rocks to Leesburg and I am so glad they did! Shame on you Virginia! Put in some bike lanes! We did see a group of cyclists head towards the bridge as we waited for our shuttle...I hope they survived. Car & truck traffic was heavy on Route 15, a two lane highway with shoulders about 6 inches wide, and with rumble strips. No bueno for bikes. Leesburg itself, though, was excellent. Fun town. If you enjoy German beers, you must got to Black Hoof brewery.
Day Eight: Leesburg to Washington DC.
The shuttle got us back to Point of Rocks right at 9am for our longest and last ride of the trip, 50 miles. Oddly, as you are approaching a major metropolis, it is also seems like the longest stretch without any towns to stop into. White's Ferry (the boat) may be closed, but the little cafe at White's Ferry was very much open and provided tasty sandwiches and snacks that were much appreciated on down the line. At some point after White's Ferry the heavenly compacted cinder trail surface gives way back to the dirt road variety, and as you get closer to DC it becomes a curious, pebbly orange/tan surface that I did not care for very much. One member of our group had been excitedly anticipating Great Falls very much, to which I thought: meh. Waterfall, whatever