C&O / GAP Forum

This is exciting but sudden! I recently [June 6-12] biked the Erie Canalway Trail End-to-end. The GAP had my attention and I figured I could easily jump on and do the 150 mile as I have all the gear figured out and ready at a moment. So... I just booked rail passage for my bike and myself on the only day [and last rack] I could find in the near future. So... next Wednesday I will be on the trail Pittsburgh to Cumberland.

I'm looking for info about camping along the trail. I'm open to suggestions in campgrounds, State Parks or trail-side. I'm cool with somewhat renegade camping wherever it is semi-acceptable -- that's how I did the ECT.

Also looking for understanding about food. Are there convenient stores or places to purchase food, water, etc. along the trail? On my recent tour I carried some food, but was able to eat well in towns along the Canalway. Hoping for the same.

Thanks in advance. Any other info any posters here care to share to make the tour safe and enjoyable, please sound off as I will have limited time to fully research maps, etc.
-bubba

PS - info about parking in PGH would be helpful. Deals available or special places. Hoping I don't have to pay $30/day to park!

i camped in connelsville,at the adirondack shelters. a;so there is campgrounds in ohiopyle state park.

i rode cumberland to pittsburgh camping only one night.

WNYBubba! Welcome to the C&O/GAP forums. I’ve seen many of your posts on the Erie Canal version of this site. Welcome to the Dark Side! ; - )

The GAP has four free camping sites: Dravos Landing (Mile 122), Cedar Creek Park (Mile 110), Roundbottom (Mile 100), and Connellsville (Mile 88). Connellsville has a grocery store and restaurants within walking distance. The other three are a bit more remote and you need to either eat before you arrive or bring food to camp. I’m not sure about Dravos but the others have some Adirondack shelters if you can snag one.

Here’s a great map of the GAP:
https://gaptrail.org/system/resources/W1siZiIsIjIwMTkvMDYvMjUvMTUvNTQvNTIvNDUyL2dhcF9tYXBfd2ViLnBkZiJdXQ/gap_map_web.pdf no

There are other campgrounds but they are pay sites. In Meyersdale, the Festival Park is really Nice for $15 and has showers, real bathroom, and a Sheetz and a diner within walking distance. You can even pitch your tent on the Covered band shelter if you want.

The state park campground at Ohiopyle has a brutal hill to get up like a 1/3rd Mile Steep grade so I leave that up the person themselves if they’re comfortable taking that on. That’s the only one people have said to avoid but I’ve never camped there.

Food situation is like the Erie Canal. Towns typically have Restaurants and c-stores to get provisions. The GAP water fountains were all on during my just completed trip so that is a good thing. You will eat well with some planning. With Covid going on, you may want to phone ahead and make sure they’re open.

Scroll down in this forum as many threads address the parking in downtown Pittsburgh options.. I’m sure others will chime in shortly.

The beginning/end of the trail in Pittsburgh is the medallion in the ground the very tip of Point State Park.

You will absolutely love the downhill from the continental divide to Cumberland! Great scenery and eaaaaasy peddling.

I really enjoyed your recaps of your recent Erie Canal trip. So we’ll done!

Welcome aboard...

John W.

@John W. Thanks for the info and warm welcome! This should be a fun run... especially now knowing about the downhill into Cumberland. [I'm a snowboarder so I know the "dark side" pretty well! LOL]

Interesting that the free campsites are clustered together. Be nice if they were 50 miles apart. I should have time to research and find places as I again plan to ride about 50 miles a day with no stress [except for the heat that long-range forecasts say high 80's].

Also so great that food is pretty easy to come by along the trail. I enjoyed ECT and being able to stop for lunch and run into small towns for dinner take-out in the evening. That worked nicely, so hoping for the same.

So you just did the PGH -> Cumberland GAP? Very cool. Are you planning on riding the Canal Trail?
-bubba

WNYBubba,

Not this summer, I don’t think there will be any more week long summer trips for me this year. Strictly down to the odd after work trip or weekend days out. I do want to get back up and see the paved parts from the Tonawandas to Lockport. Maybe ride Niagara again if the border ever opens back up.

Good luck on your GAP planning. Have you picked nightly camping spots yet?

John

WNYBUbba,

First Ave Parking structure is convenient for your parking. There are other city parking locations in downtown as well. See link

http://www.pittsburghparking.com/first-avenue-garage-and-station

Enjoy the ride.

Ed

Yes, all looks good. I'm going to park at the Homestead Mall area and leave my vehicle ["trailhead" park/sleep] Tuesday and take off on Wed AM. Take Three River Trail into PGH, pick up GAP and ride back past Homestead and onto Cedar Creek campground in Smithton for nite. Outflow Campgrond in Confluence the next, Trail Inn Campground in Frostburg on Friday nite and then into Cumberland on Saturday. If all goes well, I've got most of the day in Cumberland before the 7:30 PM train to PGH. It gives me nearly a day in case of any issues on the trail, so I'm happy with little stress getting things to play out correctly.

Once back in PGH I'll lock up my bike somewhere and grab an Uber to Homestead and pick up my vehicle and drive back into PGH to grab my bike and head home [maybe grab a nite sleep on the road after I leave town]. I have a van equipped with cot so I'm nicely self contained. I'm not sure what the trail to Homestead is like, but maybe I can ride at night with a lights. Surely it looks to be through urban areas.

Your advise and experience and offering suggestions to any of the above welcome and appreciated. [Or anyone else reading this!]
-bubba

wnybubba:

I live in Homestead. If you park at the so-called Waterfront Shopping area in Homestead as you indicated, I recommend you park in one of the hotel parking lots, Costco store parking lot, Giant Eagle grocery lot or the Lowes lot. These should be the safest places to leave your van for a week in that shopping area.

Note the GAP trail or so-called Steel Valley Trail portion thereof passes right through that shopping area and since it is only 8 miles to downtown and Point State Park where the GAP Trail literally begins, you could ride into to the Point and back to Homestead on Tuesday after you arrive and then start out directly from Homestead
onward on the GAP Trail. From Homestead, Cedar Creek Park is less than 30 miles so you could consider going beyond to stay in Connellsville which is 50 miles from Homestead and has trailside camping albeit with now showers. (The nearby KOA in Adelaide also has tent camping which has showers and a pool albeit for a fee.)

Note that there is a rather long uphill ride from the GAP Trail up into the town at Frostburg where the Trail Inn Campground is located. Since it is a very easy 16-mile downhill ride on the Trail from Frostburg to Cumberland you might want to consider riding on down to Cumberland and camp at the YMCA there which also provides access to there air-conditioned facility and showers, Just make sure they are open with the pandemic.

The trail is posted as usable from dawn to dusk but the trail into and out of Homestead is paved and would otherwise be rideable at night with a decent light.

If you'd like some company or guidance in or about Homestead Pittsburgh and beyond, just drop me a note at:

Rivnuts@yahoo.com

If you have other specific questions about the GAP, don't hesitate to contact me.

I parked near the Amtrak station GreyHound bldg. For 6 days it was $67.00

wnybubba:

How was your GAP experience? Hope it went well!

John

Howdy, all, getting ready to head to HF from DC this Sat (18 Jul) with my 11 y/o son. Was wondering about:

- Trail conditions (muddy?)
- Any trail camping at or near Harpers Ferry (I've only cycled "through" and not "to" HF)
- Status of water pumps from DC
- Any additional intel

Many thanks!

There's huckleberry hill hiker/biker camp area just past harpers ferry (2ish miles north of harpers ferry, I think). There's paid camping in brunswick but that's about 7 miles from harpers ferry.

I don't think you'll see much mud and from whites ferry you have new trail surface all the way to harpers ferry.

We are looking for clean / COVID compliant hotels along the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). We will have an inexperienced SaG vehicle to meet us at various locations. Our plan is to start in Cumberland, ride the first day to Meyersdale, ride the 2nd day to Ohiopyle, the third day to West Newton, and finish the fourth and final day in Pittsburgh. Because we have a SaG vehicle- we can stay away form the trail and we can stay in the same hotel for multiple nights. Suugestions? TIA.

We stayed at the Parker House BnB in Confluence. The cleanest BnB I have ever stayed at.

We stayed at Paddler's Lane Retreat in Confluence last September because other lodging options were not available. The BnB is RIGHT NEXT to a railroad track, so you will hear trains going by. The first time a train went by, we each thought the train sounded as though it would come crashing through the lodging house, that's how loud it was. That said, the BnB provides earplugs for your use, and we were told that only a handful of trains that go by each night. We were both tired from having biked 86 miles from Pittsburgh that day that we both slept right through the subsequent train noises, and we are not people who are used to sleeping with train noises. The hosts were very gracious. We ended up being the only ones at the house that night, so we were told that we could each sleep in a separate room, even though we had only paid for one room. The beds in both rooms were on the mushy side ~ we both prefer our beds on the firmer side. Breakfast was very good. I had contacted the host beforehand and specifically requested eggs and some type of carbs, and they were accommodating. I think we had eggs, French toast (or pancakes, I can't recall), yogurt, fresh fruit, coffee and orange juice. It was a delicious meal and prepared us for our 122 mile ride to Hancock that day. CONS: The BnB is further away from the towpath and dining options in town; it is right next to train tracks; and (for us) it had mushy beds. PROS: As I recall, the BnB was priced cheaper than other lodging options in the area (maybe because of the proximity to the train tracks?), good breakfast, accommodating hosts, and the property itself was really beautiful. If we had to do it again, we'd go for a place closer to the towpath, just because we didn't like to bike the extra miles since we were already going to bike very high miles that day (but that is a personal preference). That said, Paddler's Inn is a solid option.

Last year we stayed at the Smith House Inn, a B&B in an old but well-maintained house. The rooms were clean and comfortable. We had a good breakfast and the folks running the place were friendly.

The Smith House Inn is a short walk to downtown, to local restaurants, and really to everything in Confluence because the town isn’t that big.

I don’t know about it’s COVID status or whether it’s open right now but you could give them a call.

Last year we stayed at the Smith House Inn, a B&B in an old but well-maintained house. The rooms were clean and comfortable. We had a good breakfast and the folks running the place were friendly.

The Smith House Inn is a short walk to downtown, to local restaurants, and really to everything in Confluence because the town isn’t that big.

I don’t know about it’s COVID status or whether it’s open right now but you could give them a call.

Hey everyone, Just want to get your opinions. I'm thinking about doing the C&O from Cumberland to Georgetown in early July (weekend after Independence Day) Saturday to Tuesday on a fat bike pulling a modified bob ibex trailer (fatty on a fatty, I'm 34, 5'-6", 215lbs, muscular build that can benefit from some sit-ups and less beer). I've never done any long distance riding, I'm usually limited to riding only a hour at a time due to my schedule and can do 8-12 miles in that hour fairly easily (assuming 6mph average on the trail). Planning it right now as a solo trip with the possibility of a friend joining if hes in town that time frame (he has a 27.5 giant MTB...a Talon 3 maybe). Planning to camp each night at H/B sites.

Do you think I am allowing enough time to complete the trail for someone with limited distance training? Just train more and get more saddle time? Should I reconsider? Thoughts?

If you have given it this much thought, you know you have to do it. At 34 yrs old you can overcome any obstacles you may run into on this trail. As you said, get some saddle time because if you don't, there will be no part of that saddle that will be comfortable to sit on come day 2. Rain and heat are two things that might slow you down in early July. Just stay hydrated and hope for good weather. Cumberland to DC is a nice easy pace for a 4 day trip. That's good because there is so much to see historically and the natural beauty of this area is something you won't soon forget. You really don't want to rush through, especially if this is your first trip. Check out a site called "Pedalshift" for a really good look at all the hiker/biker camp sites. Also, if you have access to "google earth", you can actually see what all portions of the trail looks like with their street-view option. As I said, you have to go through with this because you will regret it if you don't. I'm exactly twice your age and I'm attempting another solo DC to Pittsburgh trip in June. If I can do it, you sure can.

I concur with Tom from Robinson's appraisal. In my opinion, the most challenging portion of the C&O is that from Cumberland to Little Orleans, especially if there has been rain and knowing you'll be towing a trailer. Just beyond Little Orleans you can switch over to the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail that parallels the C&O to approximately 11 miles beyond Hancock, MD. That is a nice respite from what could be a muddy trail. The H/B campsites are spaced closely enough that you can adjust your daily plan easily should any given day or personal condition requires it. There's plenty of daylight in June so you'll have lots of hours each day to get to you next overnight so there's no need to push hard or punish yourself.

By going in June and staying at H/B camp sites don't forget to include bug spray among your packed materials.

Do your best to add a longer ride in on the weekends. it will go a long way to preparing your body for the 40-50 miles your going to want to cover each day. Beyond that, do your best to break your day into smaller rides. get up, eat breakfast, ride to second breakfast. eat second breakfast, ride to lunch... 45 miles is pretty easy to cover in bite sized pieces.

Thanks for all the input. You're making me think I can actually do this. Hopefully the weather cooperates, originally I was going to try it this past April when I was between jobs for a week but the weather that week was nothing but rain, I wouldn't have been prepared anyways.

My goal is to get at least to Little Orleans the first day to set the pace, anything above that will be an ego boost and make the following days a little shorter. If that section will most likely be the hardest part, even better.

I'll definitely have bug spray, did a beach biking/camping trip down in False Cape last year and the bugs were ridiculous, bug spray was worth more than gold that weekend.

Thanks for letting me know about Pedalshift. Looks like a good resource, and I've starting listening to his podcast.

I'm hoping to leave a vehicle near the end at Georgetown but not sure if I should spend a couple hundred for a spot for a couple days close by or price out areas a little further out like across the key bridge and ride there, maybe leave it at a metro station and take the metro? Not sure about riding the metro with a fatbike and a bob trailer though. Any recommendations?

if your up for a short ride from G-Town, consider leaving your vehicle in longterm parking at Ronald Regan airport. <6 miles via Mt Vernon Trail. you can park an offsite lot for around $10 per day. you can even pre-book your parking at https://spothero.com/washington-dc/dca-airport-parking

DCSwindler....I'm also a "larger framed" biker, 5'11" and 225, muscular, late 40s and a friend and I have twice ridden the Pitt to DC Gap trail and C&O in 4 days. The first trip, the most I ever rode was 20mi in a day and we were putting in average of 75mi/day. We don't pretend to be even average lever bikers, but wanted to see if we could do it...The 2nd trip, I trained better...with the longest training being a 40mi/day...
Like someone else said, you would benefit from some longer distance training, and the longer daylight hours in July will help, as avg days were about 9-10 hrs for us. Cumberland to DC is definitely doable in a 4-day time-frame. Weather was hot, but shaded and we didnt have any rain. The washed out bridge/trail at Brunswick was passable on foot by shouldering the bike and tiptoeing across the rocks to the other side. The trailer might be more difficult unless you made 2 portages. Good Luck!

I've biked the C&O on my Monster Gravity Fatbike. It was a great ride. I used panniers (no trailer). The bike handled the terrain very well. We averaged 35-45 miles with 1 shorter day that had us stay overnight in Harpers Ferry so we could get a shower. We completed the route at Great Falls the following day. Fat bikes are a great option for the trail. I do a bunch of rides on various rail trails and if you'd like to contact me feel free. athiker80@cox.net

Where around Grafton do you ride? I have an uncle in Gloucester Point I visit a couple times a year.

It's official, I'm going to try the trip so if anyone sees me on the trail (Felt fatbike with a heavily modified Bob Ibex trailer) July 11-14 going east, a word of encouragement will be greatly appreciated. Still trying to figure out the logistics of getting to Cumberland, may need to bribe my brother to drop me off Friday night and camp out at the YMCA in Cumberland to get an early Saturday start.
Also still debating on leaving my car in Rosslyn or Reagan airport

Got an early start from the YMCA yesterday, struggled but camped at Licking Creek at MP117...got my first metric century. Planning the next 3 days as 40 milers. Not sure my butt or quads could handle longer days to make it by Monday. Scattered Thunderstorms the next 2 days also will make it harder. This is much harder than I expected

Huh, I should've looked at this before I went out riding today. I went out and back brunswick to sharpsburg and did see a rider on a fat bike pulling a trailer. If that was you does that mean you went more than 40 miles today? I didn't make it to MM77.

It was probably me. Was I lying down gasping for air? I did go further... currently stranded just after the trail bypass in Brunswick, cassette nut worked loose and I can't pedal.... anyone have the socket in the Brunswick area willing help out? I was on track to finishing tomorrow

Sounds like you went a lot further. You're talking about a shimano cassette tool? I do have one of those. Send an email to k i r k r o y AT gmail.

Got it "tight enough" with a multi tool and camped at bald eagle. Still loose though. Going to try and limp it into Georgetown. 44 miles to go...

With the thunderstorms that came through around Harpers Ferry, my shoes and padded shorts were still soaked Monday morning. I rode the first 20 miles barefoot while my shoes dried. Had to remove the rear wheel 10 miles in to re-tighten the cassette locknut again. It eventually got me to the finish line. I was able to finish yesterday, around 4:15.
- Day 1 I did the ride from the YMCA to the start (1.2ish miles) then to licking creek campsite at MP116 for 68.5 miles of the trail, My first ever metric century.
- Day 2 I rode to Bald Eagle campsite at MP50.3 for 65.7 miles of the trail (My 2nd metric century, back to back days).
- Day 3 I finished the 50.3 miles left of the trail then another 1.75 miles to my car in Rosslyn.
All said and done, it was a great trip that was much more taxing on my body than I had expected. It challenged me physically and mentally and I almost called it quits twice. Thanks everyone here for all the info and support to make it happen.
-dcswindler (fatty on a fatty)

Fatty, Thanks for telling us how it turned out. I was wondering. I think you should celebrate with Fat Tire beeer.

Nice! Glad it worked out.

Hello,

What is the GAP Trail like going 15mi both north and south from Meyersdale Station?

We will be riding 15mi (30mi RT) north tomorrow, Jul 14, and then 15mi south on Jul 15 from the Meyersdale Station.

Art

Hardpack cinder and shaded.

I am planning a day ride from Meyersdale to round trip ride between the Salisbury Viaduct and M-D Line. Where is the best place to park in Meyersdale? I am considering the Historical Society lot. Is that free and allowed? Thanks!

Is a special parking permit required for long term parking at Great Falls? I have a NPS America the Beautiful pass, which will be sufficient for entry to the Park. I'll also alert the Park personnel that my vehicle will be parked for multiple days. Is anything else required?

Hello. We are planning day trips on the GAP in 15mi sections (30mi RT). We are thinking of Meyersdale, PA, and Ohiopyle as possible starting points. What are the trails like in those areas? And we are open to other suggestions as well as places to stay. Art

Ohiopyle to Confluence is 10 miles or a 20 mile round-trip. Good trails and beautiful scenery along the Youghioghenyy River. I prefer Meyersdale to the MD state line. This route takes you through the Big Savage tunnel, beautiful vistas and crosses the eastern continental divide. This route is about 12 miles or 24 miles round-trip.

Ohiopyle to Confluence is 10 miles or a 20 mile round-trip. Good trails and beautiful scenery along the Youghioghenyy River. I prefer Meyersdale to the MD state line. This route takes you through the Big Savage tunnel, beautiful vistas and crosses the eastern continental divide. This route is about 12 miles or 24 miles round-trip.

Going the other way out of Ohiopyle, you can ride 17 miles (34 miles round trip) to Connellsville. There is a slight grade down to Connellsville. Connellsville is a larger town than Confluence with more options to eat or obtain goods, if needed. Similarly, going the other way out of Meyersdale, you'll cross the long bridge in route to Rockwood (~12 miles, 24 miles round trip).

The trail is the good (crushed limestone) from either Ohiopyle or Meyersdale.

While there are B&B's in Ohiopyle, they are often full since Ohiopyle is a whitewater rafting destination as well as a bicycle tour overnight location. If you plan to stay indoor there overnight, make sure you have a reservation before going there. Some of the places can be a little noisy with rafters.

There should be less problem finding a place in Meyersdale. I've stayed at both the Trailside B&B and Yoder's Guest House. Both were clean and friendly albeit I guess I liked Yoder's somewhat better albeit further downhill from the trail. Dinner at Morguen Toole is normally quite good if the restaurant is open.

I agree with Steve. Meyersdale to the Mason-Dixon Line is a must ride. It's a slight uphill to the Continental Divide, which is most of the mileage outbound, giving you an opportunity to coast on your return trip. Plus the accommodations and dining are better. Ohiopyle is an interesting spot with the river and whitewater. But the accommodations are a little more rustic. If you want to pamper yourself, spend a night at the Levi Deal Mansion B&B in Meyersdale.

We just rode the GAP and C&O from July 2nd to 9th. Water handles still missing at Purslane and Town Creek campsites. Also missing at Indian Flats. All the taps were off from Great Falls to Georgetown. . IMO it’s pretty bad to be shutting off water for COVID. Everyone still presses the button. It’s still over 90 degrees out and a health hazard on its own. Poor judgement and communication from NPS.

Trail conditions were good. A few stormy nights dropped a lot of branches between Hancock and Brunswick. Mosquitos were bad most camps with standing water in the canal. Raccoons were widespread and clever.

How would Corona survive all of the iodine in the wells?

Thanks for that update, Ryan. Were there many other people out on the trails? How "crowded" were the campsites?

I completely agree about NPS shutting off water. Makes no sense to me. Thankfully water availability is generally good right now but I imagine it is frustrating to camp at one of the sites with no handle.

We did the GAP and C&O from June 27th July 2nd. Few people camping at the free campgrounds. Not sure about the paying campgrounds. The closer to the parking spots or small towns the more people you will see. The closer to DC the more people you will see on the trail. Carry enough water especially on the C&O, I ran out of water between Cumberland and Little Orleans and a family camping at the Campground at L O save the day. Don't rely on the stores at L O they were both closed when we got there. If you take the Western Maryland Rail Trail out of L O a resident next to the trail sells bottled water out of a cooler.