C&O / GAP Forum

I did a search on this forum and a google search, but didn't find the exact information I wanted. Which cities have spur trails off the GAP that are worth riding? Thank you in advance.

Well let's see. Starting in Pittsburgh itself you can cross the Allegheny River over the Fort Duquesne Bridge from Point State Park and connect with the paved Northshore Riverfront Trail that runs along the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers passing Heinz Field (Steelers), PNC Park (Pirates), Carnegie Science Center, Rivers Casino, etc.

In McKeesport you can leave the GAP Trail itself and continue on roads of the Steel Valley Trail which connects with the Montour Trail.

In South Connellsville, there is the Sheepskin Trail. This is a short, 2-mile trail to the small town of Dunbar. There is a small display of a rebuilt beehive coke oven similar to the thousands of such ovens in that region. There is also an interesting azure glass sculpture in the town's small historical center. Its history and path in getting to Dawson is quite interesting. If interested you should check with the Dunbar Historical Society to insure it is open at the day/time of your visit. Often they will open just for you if they know you are coming. Note the trail is a little rough as it passes along a railroad yard.

While groundbreaking has just begun, I understand there is/will be a short, 1.4 mile initial portion of the spur for the 9/11 Trail in route to the Shankstown Memorial of the 9/11 plane crash there. This short spur will pass through the small town of Garrett, PA.

That is the last "spur" trail on the GAP Trail to Cumberland that I am aware of. However, there are a number of opportunities to leave the trail and visit the small towns along the GAP Trail. Each has a particular history associated the the railroad and and the industries it served in its heyday.

While not part of nor spurs from the GAP Trail, there are numerous other rail trails in the the western Pennsylvania area (25 to 30 miles long) that are enjoyable rides as well.

If I can provide any additional information, I'd be happy to assist if possible.

Thank you so much for this information!! This is perfect! We are riding the GAP from Cumberland to Pittsburgh in mid October and am planning on taking our time to enjoy the history and the scenery and the towns along the way. We are flying over from Houston with our bikes. We cannot wait!! We rode across Missouri last year on the Katy Bike Trail. We love the rails to trails!

Since you have the luxury of time and are starting in Cumberland, you might look into taking a ride up the hill from Cumberland to Frostburg (~16 miles) on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. The GAP Trail between these two towns runs alongside this railroad. I don't know whether the COVID-19 crisis has resulted in the cancellation of the these fall excursion trips but you can call them to find out and what the schedule may be. I understand you can even put your bike on one of the railcars thereby avoiding the first 16 miles of the 23-mile climb up the hill to the Eastern Continental Divide. Even if you don't take the train up to Frostburg, it's worth the effort to ride up the switchback trail from the GAP trailhead at Frostburg to the railroad turntable at the terminus of the train just below the town of Frostburg.

Further on in Meyersdale, its worth a few minutes, if not an overnight stop, to visit the train station along the trail there. Further on, the small towns of Rockwood and Confluence are worth leaving the trail for a few blocks to cross to the other side of the river to get a cup of coffee or a bite to eat.

As you arrive in Ohiopyle, take a few minutes to check out the white water rafters and kayakers beneath the bridges.

I could go on and on about the small towns and villages further downriver to Pittsburgh. In general, just try to envision what those towns and villages looked like when the railroad ran along that route and the people and families who lived there toiling in the industries served by the railroad. In doing so, you will capture the essence of the GAP and Western Pennsylvania.

Please...go on and on as much as you want!! We are purposely only riding 30 miles or less each day so we can really explore each town we go through. We love off the beaten path places to see and to eat. We will have a full day and overnight in Cumberland on the front end of our trip as well as a full day and overnight in Pittsburgh at the end of our trip.

So...any info you want to post...we will happily read it and add it to our itinerary. We've been doing a lot of internet searching...but there's nothing like hearing it from the locals who love it! Thanks so much!!

Ok, but remember you asked for it! :-)

At last I mentioned the white water at Ohiopyle and further downriver (toward Pittsburgh) the Sheepskin Trail to Dunbar, PA. The next town is Connellsville. It is the largest town between Cumberland and Pittsburgh. It has a variety of restaurants and stores as well as a good bike shop that is right on the trail.

Leaving Connellsville, you'll reach the village of Dawson. You must ride up to and over the bridge to get to the village itself. It is just a shell of what it once was during the height of the coal mining and coke making era in the region. There you will find a large, beautiful church, restored estate home and remnants of a prominent bank in its time. Somewhere I read that in those days it had the largest per capita income in the world although it is difficult to imagine that in its current condition.

From Dawson to Boston, there are a number of small railside residential communities that were generally populated by the workers in these industries. Curiously, nearly every one has a baseball field and childrens' park that provide(d) recreation for the residents. You'll find various remnants of the coal mining industry along the way.

From Boston to Pittsburgh there are multiple former, large steel mill sites. With the exception of US Steel's Edgar Thompson Works in Braddock, PA, across the river from the trail as you approach Homestead, PA, these have all been closed and demolished over the years and now serve as regional industrial parks. There are but a few remaining visible vestiges of those spralling mills in those industrial parks. In two instances the former steel mills have been converted into large shopping centers (Homestead) and commercial districts (Pittsburgh's Southside area). IF you were want to seek them out there are several of the libraries built by Andrew Carnegie in these former steel mill towns, the largest of which is in Homestead PA a few blocks from the trail.

Well, so much for my travelogue this morning. If you don't already have one, the GAP Trail Guide book ($10) is a worthwhile resource and reference for your trip as well as this bikecando,com website,

Thank you so much (again)! I appreciate all your responses and we will add them to our list.

Do you offer shuttles for the GAP trail? I'm looking for a shuttle from Confluence to Meyersdale.

Robert, this is a general forum about the GAP/C&O. I would call Confluence Cyclery and see if they’re doing shuttles.

John

The Cumberland Trail Connection bike shop at:

https://www.ctcbikes.com/

will also provide shuttles along the GAP. You can contact via that website and information therein.

we will be riding the GAP trail and the C&O trail in a few weeks. We will be taking the train back to Pittsburg. Is there a clean, safe place to stay the night close to the Amtrak station?

There are three hotels in close proximity to the Pittsburgh's Union Station. They are in order of distance from the train station:

AC Hotel by Mariott
Hampton Inn
Homewood Suites

All are within reasonable walking distance and can be seen using Google Maps. That is a reasonably safe area of downtown.

There are others on Grant Street downtown that are not much further nor particularly more/less safe. They too can be seen on Google Maps.

There are three hotels in close proximity to the Pittsburgh's Union Station. They are in order of distance from the train station:

AC Hotel by Mariott
Hampton Inn
Homewood Suites

All are within reasonable walking distance and can be seen using Google Maps. That is a reasonably safe area of downtown.

There are others on Grant Street downtown that are not much further nor particularly more/less safe. They too can be seen on Google Maps.

There are three hotels in close proximity to the Pittsburgh's Union Station. They are in order of distance from the train station:

AC Hotel by Mariott
Hampton Inn
Homewood Suites

All are within reasonable walking distance and can be seen using Google Maps. That is a reasonably safe area of downtown.

There are others on Grant Street downtown that are not much further nor particularly more/less safe. They too can be seen on Google Maps.

Last summer I stayed at the Drury on Grant Street. My room was really big and they didn’t give me any trouble about taking my bike to my room.

Have a great trip.

Have you confirmed your amtrak ticket? We had ours completely reserved months in advanced for two adults and two bikes for a Saturday morning and got notice a couple weeks ago that they canceled our route. They offered us a different day, but there were no bike spots available. It definitely threw a wrench in our plan for sure, but we ended up renting a van for one way and in the long run, it will be cheaper and way more convenient.

As of 9.16.2020 the water at Roundbottom is non potable.

Website only allows 2 night reservation. Not convenient for bike/tent camping.

The River's Edge Campground has a specific area for bicycle campers. I don't believe it is part of their normal booking system, but it is a big fenced in field, and there is plenty of room to get bikers in there. You should not need to make reservations, as I don't believe they've ever been full. I hope this helps.

I agree with Casey D's observation. The biker's tent area quite under utilized. I rarely see any, let alone, multiple tents there. I just went past there a week ago and there was just one tent up. Further, I've tented there a couple of times without any reservation

The 2-night online reservation limit may well be targeted at the weekend RV campers. The RV areas are quite full.

If you truly want to tent there, I'd call them to get the applicable info for tents there.

ok. I found the discussion! Any hammock poles or trees for us here?

The area for tents was developed along with an RV parking area expansion about 3 years ago. Having ridden by that area several times, there are few, if any, trees there. I’d call them to verify my observation or perhaps they have an alternate area with trees especially on the side of the trail next to the river.

The area for tents was developed along with an RV parking area expansion about 3 years ago. Having ridden by that area several times, there are few, if any, trees there. I’d call them to verify my observation or perhaps they have an alternate area with trees especially on the side of the trail next to the river.

it is absurd to offer bike sites, but have a 2 night minimum stay. I would just have a transient hiker biker area, and charge per person. 8

Liam, look about 3/4ths the way down this forum page where this exact complaint was brought up. In short, the 2 night requirement is for RV’s not hiker/bikers with tents.

Ok, I will try and check that information. Still trying to locate above comments. Will probably call the campground to confirm. If booking online the site will not let me book for one night, or its not easy to find.

This was a very comfortable place to stay. We had the 3rd floor suite and it was clean and bed was comfortable and only 2 blocks from the trail. Jessie, the owner of the B&B was very accommodating. And a nice breakfast.

Diane

Thanks for that review. It's nice to see another good B&B option in Williamsport especially near to the trail. Elmwood Farm B&B is also a nice lodging at Williamsport albeit further from the trail. It does however offer a free shuttle service.

I'd like to give a shoutout to Ruvo's Italian Restaurant, just a couple blocks off the trail in Connelsville. Bikers are welcome, the hosts are gracious, the food is excellent and the prices are lower than would be expected. It's BYOB but they held our table while we bought wine nearby, and made a great ending to a long day. Give it a try if you're passing thru. Our group of 4 bikers age 61-68 gives it's a unanimous 5 star rating.

Wondering if the trip planner information is in a GPX or KML or mymaps with google for ontrail offline access?

I've not been able to locate a map or information regarding riding our bikes to Reagan Airport from C & O. We are wanting to rent a van to drive back to Pittsburg.

It's a piece of cake. You just drop down to the river and follow it, bike paths all the way, to the 14th Street Bridge at the Jefferson Memorial. When you cross the bridge, you cloverleaf down to another bike path that will take you to the airport. Maybe two miles from the end of the towpath to the bridge, less than a half mile over the bridge, and a mile to the airport. But the rental car places are on Highway 1, which is west of the bike path. Cell phone GPS would help you find everything.
Also, at about Mile 1, you'll see an asphalt bike path at Fletcher's Boathouse. Finishing the last mile on that puts you right along the river and the bike path that goes to the 14th Bridge. Follow the airplanes if all else fails.

To see the route(s), request a route from Fletchers Cove Boathouse to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Google Maps and you'll first see the principal bike route that passes near Milepost 0 at the end of the C&O Towpath.

You can also get to Reagan by not going all the way to Milepost 0 along the principal route above but rather cross the Potomac via the Francis Scott Key Bridge to the bike trail on the west side of the river. To see this route in Google Maps just drag the original route displayed for the original directions to the west side of the river after the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

You can expand the displayed maps as necessary to see all the necessary detail to follow the directions. It is a rather easy ride but requires some vigilance to the directions the first time you do it. It is about 8 miles from the Fletchers Cove Boathouse to the Airport via either route.

Hope this helps.

How far is it from the C& O towpath trailhead to the Amtrak station in Washington DC?

Looks like about 3 to 4 miles depending on which route you take, but it looks like Lock 1 is right around the Four Seasons Hotel and if you take the Pennsylvania Avenue route to K street, its about 3.2 miles on Google
2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

Head north toward Pennsylvania Avenue NW
7 s (66 ft)

Turn right onto Pennsylvania Avenue NW
2 min (0.4 mi)

At Washington Cir NW, take the 3rd exit onto K St NW
2 min (0.3 mi)

Continue to K St NW
5 min (1.0 mi)

Continue straight to stay on K St NW
1 min (0.2 mi)

Take Massachusetts Ave NW to Columbus Circle Northeast
7 min (1.1 mi)

Drive to Union Station Dr NE

DC is rather bike friendly. Plenty of bike lanes & once you get to the National Mall, it's a cake walk to cover a good chunk of the distance. pull up directions on google maps & pop in an earbud to help with navigation.

Can I park overnight?

There is no vehicle access to nor parking at The Dravo Camping area. The closest place to park a car would be at a pavilion at Buena Vista which is about 1.5 miles upriver.

Hi, we are picking up our son from hiking the Appalachian Trail near Front Royal, VA on Saturday, Aug. 8 and would like to bike some of the C&O Canal Trail afterwards. We are thinking of staying overnight in a hotel but haven't done so since COVID-19 hit so we're a little uneasy.
Does anyone have suggestions for which part of the trail to bike near Harpers Ferry -- east or west? We're looking for a decent surface and not too hilly (the hiker may be a little worn out). Any suggestions for places to stay overnight near Harpers Ferry where we'd feel comfortable COVID-wise? Thank you.

The C&O is as flat as a pancake except at the locks which, in reality, are tiny elevation gains over and done with in seconds.

I’m not sure your distance tolerance but from Harpers Ferry you could go west and go to Shepherdstown, grab lunch, then come back or go east and go to Brunswick and back. Unless its rained really hard, this will be easy riding.

I would suggest googling hotels and calling them yourself to see if they’re open during Covid.

John

John W. is right that the towpath is pretty flat, but since it follows a river which flows from the mountains to the sea, it is slightly downhill towards the sea. On turn-around rides, I prefer riding upriver on the first leg in order to make the return trip, when I am a little tired, easier. And although it is indeed relatively flat between Harpers Ferry and Shepherdstown, there is a bear of a hill from the towpath up to the bridge that takes you over the Potomac and into the town. I find Harpers Ferry pretty touristy and not a place I'd want to spend the night. I would suggest staying in Shepherdstown and, if you want to spend some time in Harpers Ferry, riding down there for lunch, looking around the historic part of town, which is relatively flat, before heading back. Of course, you still have the big climb to the bridge at Shepherdstown, but if you have your bikes on your car, you can simply drive down to the towpath, park, and thus avoid the hill. If you want a few more miles, Brunswick is only 5.7 from Harpers Ferry, so you could do all of that in a day with a stop for lunch.

Holiday Inn Express just opened a new hotel in Brunswick. We stayed there on our Gap/C&O ride a few weeks ago. The opened the day before we got there. Very clean.

The C&O has a new surface (similar to the GAP's crushed limestone surface) that now extends from the Shepherdstown turnoff (approx. mile 74) to around Edwards Ferry (approx. mile 31). The new surface is very nice compared to the older C&O surface. You'll be happiest planning your ride on the new surface. Have fun.

Good point Richard, we think alike! (re: “On turn-around rides, I prefer riding upriver on the first leg in order to make the return trip, when I am a little tired, easier”). Definitely like to get the hard part done first then enjoy the easier riding when I’m in the last half of the ride (and typically more worn out than when I began).

The bridge at Shepherdstown, I usually just walk my bike up. Still prefer that bridge to carrying my bike and gear up the spiral staircase at Harpers Ferry. I’m hopeful they will add a switchback bridge there one day for cyclists.

John

I’m traveling through this area and have my road bike. Is this “new surface” around Harpers Ferry between mile 34 and 70 ok to try on the road bike?

Probably. I rode it last weekend on a mountain bike with big tires and kept dreaming of how much faster it would have been on my road bike. The road bed is crushed limestone. There were no mud holes or indeed any kind of hole. The only obstacles were some small limbs and a black snake. Because I haven't been on it with a road bike, I can't givw an unqualified yes, but I know of no reason that a road bike couldn't handle it. I was on it in a light rain. It's wonderfully scenic. The high bridge over the river at Shepherdstown is really neat. My road bike has 23 mm tires. If you have 25 mm or bigger, there certainly shouldn't be a problem, but 23 mm tires are probably ok.

My 11 y/o son and I just did an overnight DC-Harpers Ferry-DC. The trails were superb (compared to last year's pothole mania). He on an 40 y/o Chromoly road bike running Gatorskins; me on an MTB. If I had a pliable, 11 y/o body I probably would opt for the road bike. But, if I'm touring vs hammering, I'm going for the more comfortable suspension and cargo capacity. Totally doable on a road bike though. Just take ample flat repair material.

Separate, but related, I ran into a guy who was running tubeless on a gravel bike. It was his first time out with that config, but it was a "so far, so good experience" when I chatted. Anyone else running tubeless?

I just rode that section Saturday afternoon after an all night and morning rain. It was smooth and firm.

Frankly, it is smoother than the paved WMRT parallel section of the Towpath. The roots are beginning to be a true pain in the ass along the WMRT. I'm not so sure that staying on the Towpath itself isn't be better option in that section. (I'm only partly serious but the WMRT is becoming rather rough.)

Rivnuts, I wonder if the WMRT or Maryland State Parks are even aware of how bad the surface of the trails is? I wonder if we can constructively alert them to the need for a resurface or if there are any plans to do so.

John

Given that it is already paved, I suspect they consider that trail to be in "good" conditions. As I only ride the WMRT once or twice a year, I'll leave it to the local cyclists to forward their comments on the condition of the pavement. It would likely be a rather expensive repair given its length.