C&O / GAP Forum

Two of us are considering riding the GAP/C&O the fall of 2019. We think the best way is to drive to Pittsburgh and take the train or a shuttle to Washington DC. I am looking for recommendations which is the best way to do this. The train has a lot of restrictions as my bike tires are 2.25", train allows up to 2", handle bar max width 8.5", mine are wider etc. The train for 2 is around $150 and Shuttles are over $500. Is there a better way to travel one way to Washington?

Most mountain bike tires would exceed 2 inches . I haven't seen any comments on the train forums about trouble fitting bikes into the racks using the roll-on option. Deflating the tires would be a work-around. I presume you carry a pump and tools to turn your bars. You still have the option of boxing the bikes as checked baggage from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC.

You can rent an SUV in Pittsburg and drop it at Union Station in Washingon for about $156. That's a one-way, one-day rental.

Last year my wife and I rode from Pittsburgh to DC. Once we got to DC, we took the Metro to Reagan National and rented a small SUV. Taking the wheels off the bikes, they fit well. A one way rental was about half the cost of the shuttle.

Any word from the trail on the effects of the government shutdown? Vandalism, garbage etc?

I’ve been watching with disgust what’s taking place in the desert southwest. Seriously what is wrong with people? It’s free so let’s trash it! I just don’t get it.

Anyways, I have not seen or heard anything about the C&O. I suppose we’re lucky it’s winter which probably keeps the partiers away. I wouldn’t doubt that there will be some dumped trash found come this spring or when it reopens. This whole thing is a disgrace.

I had heard it was still open, but as normal for the winter the pump handles will be off and bathrooms closed. Bikers were already expected to take out their own trash and they normally do a great job of “leaving no trace behind”. It’s the up bringing of certain people, they just don’t care and will ruined it for others. It is a disgrace that people do that.

Has anybody actually hiked the GAP, end-to-end, on foot? I've never seen any information directed to hikers. The campgrounds and accomodations are so far apart that I think hikers were not given much thought when the trail was developed. Do hikers and bikers co-exist on the GAP?

Hi Jim. I've spent a lot of time biking the gap over the years, especially the sections between Connellsville and Meyersdale, and I have seen very few "thru" hikers on the trail. (Maybe 4 or 5 over the span of 24 years) Lots of day hikers around Ohiopyle and Confluence, but never anyone loaded down with camping gear and supplies. Some nice camping areas near Ohiopyle, Confluence and Rockwood, but still pretty spread out. Even adding a few primitive camp sites would be an excellent addition to the GAP, but like everything else, I guess it comes down to funding. It seems that people intent on long distance hiking make it down to the C & O towpath which is ideal for hiking with camping areas every 5 miles or so. This trail system between DC and Pittsburgh has been such an important part of my biking life over the years and it would be great to make it more convenient for hikers as well.

Hello Jim,
I hiked the entire length of the GAP, from the Point in Pittsburgh to Cumberland, in September 2017. It took me eight days and I loved the experience, but I wouldn't repeat it on foot. For what its worth, I've since returned with my bike and found the trail much more enjoyable. The people were wonderful -- the bikers were generally very courteous in announcing themselves coming up from behind, and many, many people stopped to talk. However, the trail is definitely built to accommodate bikes, not through hikers. Bikes will end up outnumbering you about 50 to 1 -- you will be the tortoise among the hares -- and all the facilities are generally biking distances apart, which is about three times as far as needed on foot.

I ended up walking mostly 20-24 mile days in order to reach accommodations, which pushed my physical limits pretty hard. My pack was pushing 40 lbs because of all the camping gear & food I needed to carry, which was certainly too heavy. Even with good planning, I ended up boondocking on the side of the trail one night between Confluence and Rockwood just because the distances between facilities just did not work.

My first day was Pittsburgh to the hostel in McKeesport. If you can't get in that hostel, there is really nowhere to spend the night between Pittsburgh and Boston, unless you want to stop short and stay in one of the hotels in Homestead.

The second day, I reached Cedar Creek campground, which was great accommodations. The third night was at the shelters in Connellsville, which turned out to be my favorite night of the entire trip. Day four was Ohiopyle, day five I got stuck between towns & just roughed it, day six was Meyersdale -- I can't recommend Morguen Toole highly enough!!! Day seven I made Frostburg and the final day was Cumberland. Many of these stops are pretty much mandatory -- you won't find anywhere to pitch a tent between Connellsville and Ohiopyle, for example.

So, yes, it can be done, and you won't be alone. During my eight days, I crossed paths with three other through-hikers at various points. But the trail is definitely built for bikes, and you'll need some creativity/flexibility during your walk to make it work. Do your research on available facilities before you leave and never pass up resources along the way. The distances between towns can be very far when you are on foot.

Tom and Brad, I very much appreciate your comments. Thanks.

looking for a places to stay in PGH, check out South SIde Travelers Rest. We are able to accommodate up to 30 bikers and are located 2 blocks from a trail head! Check out www.sstrpgh.com

Hi Paul, Sorry I never got around to thanking you and Mary Beth for the excellent stay at the South Side Traveler's Rest, last summer. It was the perfect place to start my Journey to Washington DC. Thanks for your advice and local knowledge. This was truly the best adventure I've ever done. I was planning a three day ride to DC but made it in four. I met so many great people along the way. The trail was smooth and very scenic. I didn't want the ride to end. My friends in Australia enjoyed the adventure through the cycling app Strava. I enjoy this forum and I plan to return for another ride. Thanks Kieran Dwyer

I'm literally brand new to this. I see a camping list for the GAP - but not for the C&O. Can anyone tell me where to find one?

Camping on the canal is easy. Get a canal map and the camp sites are all marked and there are several within any days ride distance. (You CANNOT CAMP ON THE SIDE OF THE CANAL!) They are all first come first served except for Marsden Tract and Antietam creek. Marsden requires a reservation,and Antietam Creek can be paid for when you show up, but I highly recommend paying in advance to reserve a site.

Good advice from Cenzo.

If you want to see a list of C&O campsites online:

1. Click the "Trip Planner" link in the menu at the top of this page.

2. For Starting Town, select Georgetown.

3. For Ending Town, select Cumberland.

4. Click the Camping icon (tent) so it becomes yellow.

5. Click "Refresh Trip Planner".

You'll see a list of campsites. For each item, you see its distance from the starting point (Georgetown). Of course you can change the Starting Town if you're not really starting at mile 0. Change the Ending Town to Pittsburgh if you want to see both C&O and GAP.

Click any item on the list to see it on a map.

Happy trails!

Actually, to make things easier, here is a link to the trip planner which will already have the settings that I described above:

https://bikecando.com/planner.aspx?scid=3&ecid=4&svcs=|4|

Just wanted to share the latest on my first trip down the Alleghany Passage this past weekend! Took the Amtrak up from DC to Pittsburgh on Thursday night, and the plan was to do the GAP in 3 days: Pitt -> Connellsville (60-miles), Connellsville -> Rockwood (45-miles), Rockwood -> Cumberland (45 miles). Although it was so late in the season & raining for much of the ride -- the trail held up extremely well and the ride was incredible.

The first leg from Pittsburgh was great, especially once out of McKeesport. (I stayed on the West Side of the river out of Pitt on the Three Rivers Trail before linking up with the GAP). There were a few towns here and there, and I stopped for lunch in West Newton. Made it to Connellsville just before dark and spent the night in their wooden Adirondack shelters! (a great time)

Second leg from Connellsville to Rockwood was for sure the most beautiful part of the ride. Especially riding through Ohiopyle State Park -- gorgeous. We could really feel the climb toward the later end of this ride -- and again made it in just before dark as rain was pouring down. Was slightly miserable but we survived. Plan was to spend the night at the Husky Haven Campground but since no one was staying in their guest house, we got to sleep in the basement which was heated & much appreciated. Warm showers, washer/dryer, bathrooms & heat was well worth it for $10 pp. Grabbed dinner & drinks at the only place in town @ the Rock City Cafe -- great pizza!

Day 3 was a slow but steady climb to the Continental Divide. We first went 12 miles to breakfast in Meyersdale, where it was practically all-you-can-eat for $9 at the Donges Drive-In & Motel. Made it to the divide pretty quickly after that & then all smooth sailing down into Cumberland. The tunnels on this leg were something, with one being completely pitch black and the other sharing a track with the train. And even though it was in the 40s/raining for most of the ride, it was all worthwhile. Trail held up strong and the fall foliage was beautiful, peaking quite late into the season.

Hope this gives anyone out there reading this the courage to jump the GAP whenever they want! It's incredible.

-Alex

Nice reading. I loved the part about the Husky Haven Campground. Sounds like it was truly a haven. I'll have to try Donges Drive-Inn and Motel.

Hi there. I am planning on going in May. Question: I read your info on the legs of your journey (great info - thank you for sharing!) I was wondering what 40 or 60 miles feels like on the trail? I have done 45 miles on a road bike in just a few hours, and I have done 15 on a mountain bike on trails in a few hours. I noticed you pulled into your stops just before dark. How long do these legs take? I assume slower than a road bike but faster than a mountain bike trail?

did the trains wake you up in Rockwood? we thought they were headed into our room. agree on how wonderful the GAP is.

Kym, assume about 2 mph slower than your road speed.

Haha - yes, woke up a few times to the horns in Rockwood. And yes -- the only reason we approached towns nearing dark was due to late starts from early morning rains. I'm a pretty avid biker, and on the first leg from Pitt -> Connellsville, I averaged 12.7mph over 70 miles, which was including lugging all of my camping & gear. Probably could have bumped that up a bit but I average around 15-17 on the road, without gear.

The second & third legs were with friends who joined me via Amtrak in Connellvsille, who don't bike regularly and were on their backyard hybrids. We averaged 10.1 for the 45 miles to Rockwood, and 12.1 for the 45 miles after to Cumberland. We definitely took Days 2&3 with leisure!

Will be doing the Gap and C&O in late September 2019. So excited! When you say "steady climb" can you elaborate? I live and will train in Florida and want to make sure I'm ready. I'm 61 so will begin training January 1.

Thanks so much.

From Cumberland to the Continental Divide is about a 1-2 % grade climb. It’s about 24 miles long to the top but it’s not really that bad at all. Then the remaining 125 miles to Pittsburgh will be slightly downhill though hardly noticeable. This is an old railway so there are no huge inclines/declines. It’s all really subtle. Pikes Peak it is not! :-)

It is not that steep of a climb. If you rode it for just a mile you wouldn’t even notice it. But, after a while you will feel it, maybe like riding into a 5 mph wind. You cannot coast at all. If you have only ridden on paved roads, you will feel the effects of not riding on pavement more than the incline.

You mentioned that you will start training in January. The amount of training you need depends on two things. 1) what your abilities are today and 2) how fast and long you want to ride each day.

If you are contemplating the ride I assume you already do some riding now. If you can ride twenty miles on two consecutive days right now then you won’t need any additional training for a six or seven day ride for the GAP and C&O.

My wife and I were 59 when we rode it. I also live in Florida and I am a casual (20 mile) rider and my wife and I had no issues riding the trails in seven days while we had plenty of time to swim in the rapids, talk to local townspeople, tour Harpers Ferry, tour the fort in Fredricksberg, etc.

In case you're wondering if you can still use the trail... yes you can.

From National Parks Service:
"During the federal government shutdown, C&O Canal will remain open. However, there will be no visitor services, and hazardous or dangerous conditions may exist.Emergency information may be shared on Facebook and Twitter accounts; call 911 for emergencies."

Welcome to the updated and upgraded BikeCandO.com!

If you've been here before, you may notice that the website looks different. All the same data, trip planning tools, and forum discussions are still here. But now you'll also find:

1. A new look and feel. This is the first "facelift" since the site was launched over ten years ago.

2. Better maps and mapping tools, more fully taking advantage of the features of Google Maps.

3. Improved fit and viewability on all sizes of screens. In other words, it should look good on your cell phone or tablet, as well as desktop or laptop.

4. More customized experience, with the website remembering the selections you've made on the trip planning tools, through the use of cookies

5. More features in the trip planning tools

I developed this new format on the Erie Canal site that I also run, bikeErieCanal.com. It was then expanded to the Cowboy Trail site, bikeCowboyTrail.com, with fixes and improvements along the way. Now BikeCandO.com is finally ready for the upgrade!

Any feedback is welcome; please send comments to contact@bikecando.com

Happy trails!

thanks for the website. so, far the first change i've noticed is having the replies right after the post. i like that. also following the erie canal site. hoping to spend some time this spring on that trail. again, thanks for your efforts.

Nice work Ray!

I really appreciate the new look and enhancements.

Commenting is lot easier now also. Happy to see you added the Erie Canal site. A very helpful resource!

John

Hello all. we are hiking the C&O from Hancock to Harpers Ferry in June 2019. What are you all using for a sleeping pad? I know most of you are on bikes which means weight isn't as important but has anyone got a decent solution? I would love lightweight and affordable. I will need 5 of them SMH

I purchased this the Outdoorsman Lab Ultralight Sleeping Pad from Amazon for approx $40. Used it on my C&O ride. Performed flawlessly. I'm 6'3" and 240 lbs. Worked beautifully.

It had great reviews on youtube, and I now agree.

This year, even right now, has been so discouraging. Postponed my DC to Pgh trip 3 times in the past 18 months due to bad weather. The canal shut down for exactly these same reasons, so I guess rain & flooding will always be part of the equation. Hoping for a miracle by May.

Fingers crossed for you! I postponed mine 2 times within 2 month and squeezed it in on the tail end of the Potomac floods.

Keep the faith, it'll happen when it's right.

My wife and I are both 67 yrs old. We started our trip from Pittsburgh on the GAP and finished on the C&O in DC. Oct. 2-13 totaling 360 miles, doing approx 30 miles a day staying in hotels/ b&b’s all the way.

The GAP trail conditions were great even after it rained on the trail a couple of nights. No sections of this trail were closed.

On the trail we gathered info on the C&O trail about all the detours and closures from other bikers and National Parks Website. The riders provided the best info and most updated info.

At Williamsport we chose to get off the trail cause of all the bad reports of mud, downed trees, washed out trail. We road hwy 63 to hwy 65 and toured Antietam National Battlefied. These hwys were very suitable to ride and ended the day in Shepherstown.
The next day we paid for the shuttle at Brunswick. Don’t ride this detour route. Too many blind corners, fast road with no shoulders, STEEP HILLY GRADES, and no pit stops available to the cyclist. We were dropped off at point of Rocks and continued our ride on the trail with only minimal and very doable detours.

Equipment: mountain bikes, waterproof panniers, handle bar packs.

Oct 13-15 in DC and then home.
Had a great time.

Such an absolute pleasure for me to read about your wonderful trip. You have added to my enthusiasm for this journey, and I can't wait to go in May. Thank you for sharing your story. And I am pretty impressed you did it on mountain bikes!

We are also in our 60s and planning a trip in May. Would love to hear more about your trip and where you would recommend staying, etc.

Our bike trips over the years have included multi-surfaced roads and trails, therefore the mountain bikes. We have both mt bike tires and road slicks mounted on their own wheels with the same gear setups. No flats or mechanical problems. The front shocks offer comfort to the neck and shoulders thru long days on the different surfaces we encounter. Therefore we enjoy the time in the saddle rather than just endure a long hard ride. We "TOUR" rather than race from point to point. We stop often to see what you cannot see from a fast pace. This trip was a tour thru History: the steel industry, coal mining, the canal with the lock houses and the time to rescue several turtles and a praying mantis from the trail. We stopped to read the historical trail markers that took us back to another time in history. Hope you all have the time to enjoy this great trail system.

We used the Official Trail Guide Book and map to determine our mileage stops and hotels.

Because of the time of year we went and the very wet year that this area had, hotels were better than camping. Campsites looked in pretty ruff shape. High humidity in between Storm Florence and Michaels produced maneating mosquitos. Even when the tornado warnings came across our phones, we knew that this was part of the adventure of bike touring.

Enjoy your trip.

Maybe before you think about doing this:

This bike adventure has come an end short of the original goal...I did not make it to Pittsburgh and will return home tomorrow from Cumberland MD arriving in Atlanta at 8am Sunday having completed 183 (plus 16) of the originally planned 335 miles.

Why did I fall short?

1. Got a late start Monday at noon and ran into the washout at Brunswick Md but would not try the work around in the dark. Mile 50.

2. Rode the road around the washout based on GPS. 16 miles. Long 10-12% grades on a 105 lb loaded bike. Legs pretty well fried. Made it only to mile 55 on the other side of the washout after hard 16 mile hill work out. Little or no food.

3. The biggest issue in terms of delay was from Point of Rocks to 3 miles short of Williamsport. This section took 4 hours for less than 10 miles. The trail was not just wet or muddy but essentially unrideable in this section and severely damaged from repeated floods. By the time I rolled into Williamsport (mm 100) at dark I was 40 miles behind schedule.

4. Load. I weighed out at 105 lbs fully loaded with water bottles. That’s a lot of bike to manage on a muddy trail.

5. Hiker biker camps were either standing in water or 6” mud. No flexibility in where to sleep at night.

What was good?

The people I met on the trail:

Bridgette the lovely young woman from London who is terrifying dear mum and dad on her now 6000+ mile post BREXIT family break-up US bike tour. Good luck in Berlin. Here’s to dual citizenship.

Sanjay the retired neuroscience PhD from Mumbai and more recently Cleveland who digs Dale Bredesen’s work on AD

Chris and Paul, WVU dental school classmates and friends who decided to do this ride to reunite after these 20’years.

Nancy and Sarah mother and daughter from Rockville MD riding the GAP/C&O to celebrate Sarah’s new MSW!

Dan the philosopher king of Paw Paw WV.

Equipment likes:

Crank Bros Double Shot Pedals. Can’t clog em but there’s a platform if your cleat comes off.

Challenge Almonzo tires 32c. Good grip - plenty of mud clearance.

Ortlieb panniers. Totally waterproof.

Gates carbon drive

New wheels built by Josh and Jonathan at Piney Mountain Bike Lounge. Those Velocity NoBS rims and Sapim Strong spokes never flinched.

Brooks B67 saddle.

Later...tomorrow it’s all aboard Amtrak!

John,

First off, congrats on having the guts to try. So many others have not even had the dream, let alone saddled up and went for it.

I too tried my first tour on the C&O and Gap, but I allowed 8 days for the trip, and couldn't have done it in a second less.

I cheated and took the unapproved "detour" around the Brunswick washout. I sounds like while it may not be the smartest decision, it saved my legs. I too found that every time I got off the trail, the surrounding "hills" were darn near unrideable due to the grade.

I'm also pleased to hear that at least one other person did the west bound ride into Williamsport. I was convinced I was the only one who didn't get the message. I was lucky enough to have a 29er mountain bike with wide aggressive tires which is the only reason that I made it through, with anything left in the tank.

I too would recommend that if you are using the park service web site for trail status, PLEASE pay very careful attention to the last update date in the corner. When I went 9/29-10/7 I found the site to be completely out of date and unreliable. Found many H&B sites that were unusable due to the flood, but showed as open on the NPS site.

Now for the good, and I want to encourage EVERYBODY to take a bike tour regardless of the location.

First and most important - The people you meet will make the trip, and memories that last a lifetime.

My peeps -
Barry - Durham, NC. Barry turned out to be my personal hype man, offering encouragement at every corner. We shared many meals, some even under the cover of a laundromat while raining.

Bob - Casual at every corner, and yet had experienced the world by bike. Stories to share if you took the time to ask, and listened.

Bonnie, Rose, and Mustache at the Desert Rose Cafe - I met Rose on the trail as she was ferrying a rider around the mud. She offered to come back and check on me, and I passed, but told her I'd see her at her Desert Rose Cafe in Williamsport. Great food, fun conversations, and felt like part of the family.

The owner of the Schoolhouse Cafe in Oldtown who was the Chief Cook, Waitress, Dishwasher, who literally did everything with a smile while taking care of all of us hungry cyclists.

So congrats John on the journey, and to everybody else out there reading this, take the leap and saddle up. The adventure is in the people and the experience. Get out there and ride, and know that however far you make it, take pride in the fact that you did it.

I did the GAP and C&O from Pittsburgh to Washington DC from September 30 to October 8. I rode for 8 days and took a day off in Harpers Ferry. I didn’t have any problems. The GAP was great to Cumberland and the C&O a bit muddy between there and Hancock. I rode all of the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) that was accessible to/from the C&O. In Williamsport I took a detour on the highway to see Antietam National Battlefield (68 to 65 to 34) and rejoined the C&O near Sharpsburg. The C&O was okay between Harpers Ferry and Brunswick. I rode the official detour between there and the Point of Rocks. It was a beautiful ride on sometimes narrow roads but the max grade was only 5%. I never felt threatened as I was always in view of traffic. I rode the C&O from Point of Rocks to Whites Ferry and then took the ferry from there to Leesburg. I finished up my trip riding the paved Washington & Old Dominion Trail to Arlington and the paved Mt. Vernon Trail to Washington DC.

I have a 15lb road bike and carried 10lbs of gear with me. This included a few changes of clothes, rain gear, my hammock (with rain fly, bug net and straps), sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner, JetBoil, fork, spoon, bowl, cup, toiletries, camp towel, food, bike repair kit with minimal essentials and my journal.

I had no problem hammock camping along the way if anyone else is thinking of doing it.

Hi John, I just talked with Jill today in the office about you, asking about your trip - small world! I know Jill through the chiropractic world. I found your blog post here as I start my plans to ride the 330 next May.

Was planning on heading through on bike next week, does anyone have any info on the current conditions on the towpath? A bit concerned with Florence visiting nearby.

I’ve been closely watching it for my trip coming up. It seems to me that most of the storm’s impact with be south and miss the path.

I live in Pittsburgh and just watched the local weather. They are saying it will reach the Western PA area Mon. and Tues. By looking at the current projected path it could stay west and south of the C & O Towpath. Of course hurricanes are unpredictable. So bring rain gear and be prepared to be flexible.

We rode from Harper’s Ferry to Williamsport and I have never seen such mud. Might be okay with mountain bikes but we had touring bikes with wider tires. Mud kept getting caked in the fenders. Not fun!

Any updates on Conditions? I’m leaving from DC to Pittsburgh on the 8th self supported. Planning to arrive in Pittsburgh on the 12th. Hoping Mother Nature will cooperate.

Much of the towpath is is good shape but the section from beyond Shepardstown to just outside of Williamsport is darned near unridable. Certainly if you are loaded and planning a multi day tour I wouldn’t do it unless you are really experiened young and very fit

FYI breakfast was not until 8:30 so not so good if you want an early start.

Hi- I am currently hiking the Appalachian Trail and will be arriving in Harpers Ferry in a few days. Rather than taking Amtrak to Washington I am thinking about hiking the towpath instead. I know the towpath has been under water due to recent flooding around Harpers Ferry and down river

Does anyone know the current condition of the towpath between HF and Washington? I'm not concerned about surface mud or debris, mainly any wash outs or closures. Any info on the condition of the camps would also be helpful.

thanks

Milepost 1–25
Including Georgetown, Washington D.C.; Bethesda, MD; Potomac, MD; Seneca, MD

Georgetown Locks 3 and 4 (MP 1)
Towpath Closed, Towpath detour between 30th Street and Thomas Jefferson Street in Georgetown. The surrounding area will be closed for construction. For more information
Lock 7 (MP 7)
Local detour
Rock Run (MP 8.8)
Towpath Closed, Find a detour over bridges at Lock 10 and 11, and a temporary bypass trail for approximately 0.2 miles between mileposts 8.8 to 9.0.

Billy Goat Trail (MP 9.9)
Closed, Section A
Closed, Section B
Open, Section C
Great Falls Tavern Area (MP 14)
Open, Olmsted Island and Olmsted Trail out to the Great Falls Overlook.
Open, Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center
Closed, River Trail
Towpath Closed, Due to construction, please use the marked towpath detour at Great Falls upstream of Lock 20. For more information.
Bridge Closed, Lock 19, Due to construction, please use the upstream bridge at Lock 20. For more information.
Closed, Mule-drawn boat rides. Boat rides resume in 2019 For more.

Milepost 25–50
Including Poolesville, MD; Whites Ferry, MD; Dickerson, MD; Point of Rocks, MD
Monocacy Aqueduct Boat Ramp (MP 42)
Closed, due to flooding, this area is closed until further notice.

How are the conditions on the GAP Trail from Pittsburgh thru to Cumberland today?

We just got off the GAP and C&O. There were not any trees down or mud slides. The GAP surface was good despite 3 days of rain. The GAP is a well drained RR bed and the surface was great. The towpath was made for mules and when this soil get wet it turns to mud. Cumberland to Little Orleans had many puddles and sections of mud caused by puddles. We took the paved Maryland trail from Little Orleans and 13 miles of highway to Williamsport. From there we shuttled over to the Old Dominion trail. I think this was a good route because we heard of the deep mud and flooded sections of towpath. Contact 2WheelEscapes for shuttles. They will give you honest info on trail condition. Had a great time and will come back after a very dry summer.