C&O / GAP Forum

Planning a west to east bike ride late Sept - mid Oct . Really dont want to book rooms in advance .Want to be flexible to enjoy the history. Will rooms be avaiable on daily basis ?

I don’t see any problems with snagging lodging late Sept-mid Oct. Trail traffic will have slowed down by then and students are back in school. My only suggestion might be to book the evening before or morning of arrival just to be sure.

I don't have much insight into bookings that time of year. I would defer to John W's remarks. I would add that last minute bookings in Ohiopyle might be problematic in that there aren't many options and it is a very popular fall destination for other than bikers, especially if the weather is nice.

In addition to Rivnuts comments on Ohiopyle, late sept-mid oct window might be leaf peeping season so while the GAP/C&O will see less bike traffic than during the summer, the trail towns could see lots of car traffic with people booking up hotels. Ohiopyle would 100% be a place that could happen. Not a guarantee but something to keep in mind.

I think most hotels give 72 hours to cancel with no penalty but I also realize your desire to be flexible and just go at your own pace so it’s kind of a game you have to play to do what’s needed.

Maybe just book something in Ohiopyle with the option to cancel?

I don't know if this has been reported here but the low bridge has been set up again so you can make it all the way through the Frederick County, MD section of the C&O. I don't know when they did it as I've been heading the other direction from Brunswick or riding on the trainer due to the snow...

I was planning a few day trip along the C&O trail in the next couple weeks and I was trying to plan out water sources. From my understanding they do not place the handles on the numerous wells until April. For those who have travelled this trail before, can you chime in if there are naturally occurring water sources along the way? Filtering water is not a problem, nonexistent water sources could pose a problem. I plan on starting out near Cumberland and heading east. Thanks in advance for any information.

The C&O parallels the Potomac pretty much all the way. You might have to wait until you reach the hiker/biker sites to get easy access to the shoreline. I know you cross Catoctin Creek east of Brunswick, MD. Not sure of other active streams but I’m sure there are some.

Most of the convenience stores in the towns along the trail are open if you choose to go that route.

Good luck.

Hello,

I am planning to do a one way trip with a friend from DC to Pittsburgh on the C&O Canal Trail + Great Allegheny Passage, but will need to rent a bike for my friend.

Are there any rental companies that offer one way rentals that start in DC and end in Pittsburgh?

- David

I don’t have any knowledge of bike rental shops in DC. However, there are bike rental shops in Pgh that rent bikes one way to DC, so they must have a means of getting them back to Pgh which means possibly one way rentals back to the ‘Burgh.

Golden Triangle Bike Rentals is the first that comes to mind. You might want to contact them at 412-600-0675 or check out their website for more info if you don’t find what you are looking for in DC.

Thanks for the pointer. In case anyone stumbles on this later...I got in touch with Golden Triangle Bike Rentals, and they said that they do not offer pickups in DC (only bike drop-offs).

Thanks for the pointer. In case anyone stumbles on this later...I got in touch with Golden Triangle Bike Rentals, and they said that they do not offer pickups in DC (only bike drop-offs).

Rode GAP last year sections at a time, and am hoping to ride C&O sections starting March 2021. I found a site with some ferry and visitor center closures and some high water warnings for the canal. Looking for information on the trail conditions and recommendations of a area to start ( I’ll find an Airbnb) to ride about 20 miles each way and back on gravel bikes in March.

Option 1: Start in Little Orleans and ride the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) that parallels and is within site of the C&O Towpath itself. The paved WMRT is maybe 23 or 24 miles long. You can stop in Hancock which is about half way along the route. You could then ride back along the natural Towpath itself back to Little Orleans.

Option 2: Start in Shepherdstown and ride to Brunswick and back. Nice trail surface with places to visit and park on either end. That trip is a little less than 20 miles but if you go across the river into Shepherdstown itself, then you'd be at 20 or a little more.

Option 3: Start at White's Ferry and ride to Great Falls. This is a tad over 20 miles each way with places to park on both ends and with interesting sites at each, assuming the ferry resumes operation.

The trail conditions from Shepherdstown to Edwards Ferry are quite good even in rainy weather. The balance of the Towpath is what it is especially in wet weather.

Others will no doubt have other suggestions or favorites for a ride of that length. Lastly, I would avoid the Paw Paw Tunnel area of the trail unless you want to use your gravel bikes for mountain biking of the detour over the closed tunnel path.

Thank you very much! I like all three options and will undoubtedly do all over time! I’ve already started looking for a safe place to rent.

In Little Orleans the Town Hill B&B was a nice place to stay, or it was 3 or 4 years ago when I was there. The Owner/Operator (Dave) was older and was selling the place to his daughter. It is a way up and off the trail but they had a trailer and came down to 15-Mile Creek to pick us and our bikes up.

I know there is a large, resort-like hotel in Shepherdstown. I'm sure there are some quaint places to stay there as well.

At Whites Ferry you'll probably have to go the 5 or so miles to Leesburg to find a place to stay. The old portion of Leesburg might be an interesting place to look to stay. I've stayed in some of the chain hotels in the newer part of town there as well but they weren't anything special.

I'm sure with more research such as what you are doing, you can find some decent places stay near those places.

Thank you. Although I often stay in hotels and B&Bs, due to the pandemic, I will be staying in a rental property hopefully within a few miles of the trail.

I would use Harpers Ferry as your base and go east and west. They trail is improved there and you’ll have good chance of finding a rental in HF.

My wife and I have done all of the GAP trail in sections. We are looking to do a 30 mile trip to Harper's Ferry this spring. The plan would be to park at a point on the trail, bike to Harper's Ferry, stay the night, then ride back the next day. Are we better off coming from the east or the west? That looks like either Downsville or White Ferry. Any advice on this would be appreciated along with any recommendations about where to stay once we get there.
Thanks.

That's an interesting question. Your 30-mile limit changes my first choice. If the Whites Ferry resumes service before then, one option would be to start there and maybe cross the river on the ferry and then head west to Harpers Ferry which would be around 30 miles. However, I'm not sure where you would overnight park on the Virginia side of the river. You may be able to overnight park at the park on the Maryland side but you should confirm that is ok with someone from that area. This trip would pass through Point of Rocks and Brunswick in route to Harpers Ferry. If you've not been to Brunswick before, I would recommend stopping at the Beans in the Belfry Cafe for a light meal or coffee and a pastry. Its a rather unique setting in that the owner's converted a small, old church into the cafe.

My first choice would be ride east from Williamsport to Harpers Ferry passing through Shepherdstown. However, this is a longer ride of about 37 miles one way. Williamsport offers more options and overnight parking availability than Whites Ferry. But the main reason I would prefer this direction is that Shepherdstown is one of my favorite near-trailside towns. Its a quaint little old town and home of Sherherdstown University. Lots of nice little shops along the main street including, you guessed it, a cafe with coffee, pastries and ice cream. It is a mile or so upgrade ride from the trail across the bridge over the river, past the University and into town but easily done with decent gearing once you get up to the bridge from the trail.

Others may have different thoughts for different reasons. I can't offer any lodging options in Harpers Ferry. I've only overnighted there once in a B&B in town. It was marginal at the time as it was undergoing renovations. I'm not sure it even still exists as that was 3 or 4 years ago. As you probably know, you'll have to carry your bikes and gear up the spiral stairs up to the railroad/pedestrian bridge to get from the trail over the river to Harpers Ferry. I've done it several times but it may not be your cup of tea.

PS: The trail surface improvements from Shepherdstown east to Edwards Ferry make that portion of the C&O Towpath quite nice to ride now.

Thanks Rivnuts. We are very familiar with the GAP, but not the C&O, so this helps a lot.
Rick

This is somewhat GAP related. Currently, there is local trail that goes from Weirton, WV to Walkers Mill, PA. A proposed 2.27 mile extension would be on an abandoned rail line and would extend it from Walkers Mill to Carnegie, PA.

https://nextpittsburgh.com/latest-news/carnegie-borough-seeks-public-input-on-a-proposed-2-27-mile-extension-of-the-panhandle-trail/

If you live in the area or use the trail, there is a “Letters will be accepted” link in the article to provide feedback and tell the Borough of Carnegie how much you’d like to see this extension happen. You can do so through the end of March.

This has been considered one of the easier and more straightforward extensions out there in this area.

After this extension is in place, this would leave one final missing link...Carnegie to Pittsburgh. Local advocates think some sort of protected sidewalk on the Port Authority West Busway could get riders safely from Carnegie to Carson St in Pittsburgh and connect to the GAP. Others have suggested building a trail alongside Chartiers Creek all the way to the Ohio River. There also appear to be some rail lines coming out of Carnegie heading towards the Ohio River but I do not know if they are active or abandoned.

This second extension of the Panhandle would be much trickier of course but we have to take victories when you get them!

Many people who use the C&O/GAP on cross country trips often find it hard to get between Pittsburgh and West VirginIa and this extension, while not a total solution, brings this reality one step closer.

John

Unfortunately a safe, tour bike route from Carnegie to Pittsburgh is not likely to be seen in my remaining lifetime. As John notes the proposed extension of the Panhandle Trail from Walker’s Mill would be a good prelude however.

It’s so sad that there isn’t a workable solution to make this happen. I know it’s not an easy connection but are there any actual plans in place? I’ve don’t believe I’ve seen any. It’s seems like it’s nothing more than a few random ideas being exchanged on various cycling message boards. Like Rivnuts said, it could be years or decades before anything serious is proposed, if ever.

One could bypass Pittsburgh altogether and connect to the Montour Trail at McKeesport but a lot of people like going through Pittsburgh (restaurants, hotels, bike repairs), plus it’s a fun ride in and around the city on the GAP. Others may find the cut through from McKeesport to Clariton to be challenging but certainly not as challenging as getting from Carson St in Pittsburgh to Carnegie.

The primary challenges in linking Downtown Pgh to Carnegie and the Panhandle Trail would appear to be the terrain between the two and the existing infrastructure, i. e. roads. The first is hilly and the latter are narrow and winding. Conquering those two is a major challenge.

One possible solution for bike tourers to get between downtown Pgh and Carnegie would be to take a Port Authority bus, I.e. Route G2 via the west busway, all of which have bike racks. Unloading your gear from the bike and carrying your gear onto the bus would be a pain but can be done. The Pedalshift Project host has explained that plans for a bike tour can incorporate modes of transportation other than the bike to complete or enhance a particular adventure.

Looking to ride approximately 150 Mi of trail.
For myself, my girlfriend, ??(maybe) and others ??(very maybe)
Advise on what could be considered the most scenic & historical points of interest.
Want to camp (improved sites),airbnbs or hotel,known good grub but staying true to the trail route as possible and away from big cities.

Big on list is natural beauty &wildlife viewing.
Avoiding worst time of year for black fly, no seeums and mosquitos.

Thank you in advance for any replies.
Brian

Brian, can you give us a starting city/ending city range? Are you doing the C&O (DC to Cumberland) or the GAP trail? (Cumberland to Pittsburgh)?

I’m sure people here will chime in once we know a few things. Are you flying/driving into DC?

John

With no other info, I would say to just do the GAP. Good trail, 150 miles, nice amenities, good grub.

I have a E-trike. Can I use on trail? Thank you. kenj.

Ken J. - Definitely! The GAP (Cumberland to Pittsburgh) is old rail trail with crushed limestone. You’ll be fine. The C&O (DC to Cumberland) is a little bit trickier. There are some parts that are old mule paths and dirt tracks with grass around them. Not bad but you have to watch for tree roots and rocks. But not all of it is that bad. The Park Service has been adding segments of crushed limestone down to look and feel like a rail trail so progress is being made. But the C&O is a bit rougher in parts.

Don’t forget to divert off to the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail that parallels the C&O for 20+ miles on both sides of Hancock. A nice diversion from the dirt and sometimes mud.

Also, if they get the ferry situation fixed (see the thread here in this forum about that), you could do DC to Leesburg, VA on the paved Washington & Old Dominion Trail, then cross over the Potomac and hop onto the C&O at Whites Ferry, MD. This will add 10 miles but it’s paved (though admittedly not as scenic). The only down side to taking the W&OD is you will miss Great Falls which is nice. On the positive side, you can access all of Leesburgs restaurants and lodging if that’s your thing. It all depends what you value on your trip and your wants and needs.

John

We rode a bit of the C&O Trail near Cumberland. There were stretches that I would call "singletrack", where the trail was about 10 inches wide of dirt, and then there was tall grass on either side. Plus there were some muddy stretches. I'm not sure how well a trike would do with either scenario.

Planning on camping at the Adirondack type shelters just outside Connellsville. Appx. 58 mile day so a shower would feel good. Anyone used the shower at the Comfort Inn Motel? Cost, etc?

Get there early! The Adirondacks fill up quick in summer and I ended up having to put my tent on the grass.

Not sure about hotel costs or shower availability outside of a hotel, I’m sure someone will chime in.

John

A couple of years ago when the now Comfort Inn was the financially-ailing Cobblestone Inn, there were notices posted in the Adirondack shelters that bikers could go there, get a shower and use the Internet for $10. I don’t know if the comfort Inn still offers that opportunity or not. You can call them to see. The place is only a few years old so I would expect things inside to still be suitable for showering and the like. It’s just a short 1/4-mile or so beyond the Adirondack shelters.

If the o fort Inn no longer offers that service, you might want to consider camping at the Uniontown (Connellsville) KOA Campground. While it is primarily a campground for RV’s, there is a nice designated area for tent camping, some with and some without electrical outlets albeit with little shade. However, they have showers, a pool and a gift shop with ice cream and snacks. This KOA is located right on the GAP Trail about 3 miles before you get to the Adirondack shelters in Connellsville. There are no Adirondack shelters per se’ at the KOA but they do have some small, 4- and 6-person log cabins there. I’ve not stayed in any of those cabins but they look ok from the exterior. You’d have to contact them about rates and availability of those cabins. The tent sites are not heavily used so I suspect you would’t need an advance reservation simply to tent there.

Hope this info helps.

Planning on camping at the Adirondack type shelters just outside Connellsville. Appx. 58 mile day so a shower would feel good. Anyone used the shower at the Comfort Inn Motel? Cost, etc?

See the article below for an update on the negotiations in an attempt to reopen Whites Ferry:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/whites-ferry/2021/02/03/94c05daa-6177-11eb-ac8f-4ae05557196e_story.html

Thanks for posting Rivnuts. It doesn’t look like any progress has been made sadly according to this article. For anyone traversing the C&O, this means no Leesburg, VA restaurants or lodging. This also means there will be zero chance at connecting with the Washington & Old Dominion Trail until this is resolved.

John

Well -it is not zero chance. Take W&OD to Purcelville.
Then take surface streets to Brunswick,MD.
You don't have to take the Berlin turnpike the entire length to Brunswick.
Using Google maps, I took a a relaxed tour through farmland roads mostly.
Granted going from Brunswick to Purcelville means going up a gnarly hill for a few miles coming out of Brunswick, but its doable.
I also hope that the Whites ferry issue gets resolved soon. I always loved the ferry ride across the Potomac.

John W: Between the White’s Ferry fiasco and the Paw Paw Tunnel bypass, the trip down the C&O won’t be as enjoyable. At least, I think, they are doing some more resurfacing south of Edward’s Ferry.

Rivnuts

Willy - Thanks for a alternate route to get to the W&OD! Let’s hope this gets resolved. It also sounds like some local drivers are not happy that the ferry has stopped either.

Rivnuts - Yeah it sounds like that Paw Paw Tunnel bypass is going to be tricky. I may just pass up a potential Pittsburgh to DC trip this summer and look at other trails. Have they given a timeline on when it will be back to normal? So happy to hear that more repaving is being done!

John W: Between the White’s Ferry fiasco and the Paw Paw Tunnel bypass, the trip down the C&O won’t be as enjoyable. At least, I think, they are doing some more resurfacing south of Edward’s Ferry.

Rivnuts

More news on White’s Ferry. Like I’ve been saying, I hope the municipalities, counties and state DOT’s on both sides of the river are drawing up plans for a new bridge somewhere nearby. The re-opening of this ferry just doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/whites-ferry-closed/2021/02/10/0f8081b2-6652-11eb-bf81-c618c88ed605_story.html

Disappointing indeed. I admit that I don’t have any real skin in the game but it seems both sides are pretty well dug in in their positions. The current situation seems to be lose-lose positions both for the parties involved and the public. While a new bridge may be the best alternate solution for the locals in that area, it removes one of the notable features of the Towpath adventure.

That said, I would think a new bridge would require more disturbance of the properties on both sides of the of the river and result in still more traffic and requiring a large public fund expenditure.

I’ve resigned myself to the fact that the ferry crossing at Whites Ferry will likely be gone forever. I’m glad I was able to use it a handful of times on my travels and look back upon it fondly. I know there are detours much father away (which I might try one day).

Oh well...the C&O is beautiful on its own and we’ll just have to accept and make due with what’s available on the Maryland side. If they ever reach an agreement and it opens back up, I’ll consider it a bonus.

John

The Whites Ferry Operation has been sold with hopes to settle the quarrel with Rockland Farms and reopen the ferry. See this report at :

https://wtop.com/business-finance/2021/02/whites-ferry-purchased-by-loudoun-county-businessman-and-landowner/

I agree on the idea of using roads to connect between the tow path and the W&OD if that's your goal. There are some great "gravel" bicycle routes in Loudoun County between Brunswick and Purcellville. People come to the area specifically to ride there. On rides from home to Purcellville I've had times where I had no cars at all pass me between Lovettsville and rt 7. There is more traffic once you get close to Purcellville but inside the city limits the speed limits are very low and seem to be aggressively enforced.

Whoa! Excellent news! Let’s hope for an agreement and things get back to normal.

Thanks for sharing Rivnuts.

Wkr:

I’ve ridden the WOD from DC to Purcell and then the roads on to Harper’s Ferry. I’m intrigued by your revelation regarding gravel routes from Brunswick to Purcellville. Be a rather lazy sort, are there existing public Strava routes of those gravel paths rather than my Googling and trying to find such routes on my own in unfamiliar territory?

Thanks,
Rivnuts

I don't use strava but I just put something into ridewithgps (which I'm pretty new to) that will take you from the C&O to the W&OD: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35184094

There are, of course, other options but this one basically takes you straight there and is dirt/gravel most of the time. If you want to avoid all the climbing towards the beginning you can go all the way to Lovettsville on 287 and then turn right onto sout church st and then meander over onto the rest of the route above.

I just remembered there are some recent videos on youtube from some riding in loudoun county:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjRGW5fnMa4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xR1Q4vh4zo

wkr:

Thanks for the Ridewithgps map and the YouTube links. Now to see how to incorporate some of those in my next trip. Heck, I have nothing else to do as a winter storm approaches the ‘Burgh.

Rivnutst the Lazy One

Good luck! I know about your weather up there. My Mother's family was from the Uniontown area, just down the road from you. :)

wkr:

I looked at that ridewithgps route from Brunswick to Purcellville. I love it. I would never have found that route. (Not sure if I'll be able to follow it without a wrong turn or two. :-)) But I'm certainly going to give it a try. The max grade is only around 4% which is ok. I love the farm scenery along the way. I'm definitely going to try this on a future trip. I'd actually like to overnight at one of the farms along the way if they'll permit it.

Thanks a lot for that route.

One thing about riding in that part of loudoun county is that you've got a ridge to the west that you can't go over (with a paved road that runs parallel to it, mountain rd), 287 on the east, then 9 followed by 7 in the south. So, you can hardly get lost. ;) You might end up on someone's driveway rather than a dirt/gravel road but that's about the worst of it.

White's Ferry not over with....a new buyer is finalizing details to purchase the ferry to resume service. So no long detours from Point of Rocks, etc

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/negotiations-under-way-to-keep-whites-ferry-open

Does anyone know how the trail surface is between Hancock and Cumberland? Is it crushed limestone , dirt, etc? I'm wondering which bike(tire size) to use for an overnighter this spring. Thank you for your time!

The Towpath surface itself between, Cumberland and Hancock is basically compacted native earth with some sporadic gravel. There are sections with roots and rocks as well. Couple that with having to take the bypass up and over the PawPaw Tunnel this year and its my least favorite portion of the trip from Pittsburgh to DC. If it is dry it’s rideable even on a road bike with narrow, say 28 or 32 mm, tires. However, if it’s wet, it is a much more challenging and less pleasant ride through puddles and mud. Under those conditions, wider knobby tires would be safer and more effective.

You do have the option however of leaving the Towpath to Hancock just beyond 15 Mile Creek by transferring to the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) that parallels the Towpath into and beyond Hancock.