C&O / GAP Forum

I am just passing through western Pa and thought about a quick ride from Connellsville to Ohiopyle and back. My bike I will be transporting is a road bike with 700/25 tires. Will these be OK on this part of the trail?

It should be okay unless all the rain has made a mess of things. The GAP is gravel. I have noticed the fine gravel tends to coat the chain and gears, and I've wondered if it causes wear and tear, but you're not going that far.

Agree. 25s will be fine for that section of the GAP.

"...Flooding is expected at the pedestrian bridge adjacent to the Shepherdstown boat ramp, with significant portions of the C&O Canal towpath under water.

The Potomac River at Harpers Ferry is expected to crest at 18.4 feet on Sunday morning, the release states.
..."

Full article: https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/tri_state/west_virginia/jefferson-county-remains-on-flood-watch-through-saturday/article_e01f96d2-5aa7-11e8-97f5-7f45a2b73247.html

Riverfront camps shut down in face of Potomac River flood

The Brunswick Family Campground is among the Potomac riverfront recreation sites that have have been evacuated in the face of rising waters.

Full article: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/frederick-county/riverfront-camps-shut-down-in-face-of-potomac-river-flood/65-554572378

The Big Bang Bike Shop is no longer in operation as of the Spring of 2018.

Just got off trail at 530 between mile marker70 to 55 and it was very challagingreal bad conditions glad we made it too Brunswick ending our trip 55 miles short of finishing will come back when trail is fixed

Due to the rain & flooding impact the week of May 13, would you recommend canceling a Memorial weekend bike ride of the C&O? trail

I would hold off on cancelling anything just yet. There has been a lot of rain and more to come today. Water levels will subside in the coming week and things will dry out (a bit), but it is unclear if and how detours will affect travel. Checkout @chesapeakeandohiocanal on Facebook for the latest on trail conditions.

Just got off of the C and O from Washington to Cumberland,the biggest problem being the bike bridge washouts and the detours involve riding on the road makes it dangerous,not to mention the hills are beautiful in a car in the area,not when riding or walking,could not make it,Harpers Ferry is NOT crossing the river and the trail is muddy,I would check everywhere you can before going.

I am leading a group of college students on a study/travel program. We arrive in Cumberland tomorrow from Meyersdale. We will be riding to DC. We hear there is a section of the Towpath that is flooded due to a lock break and therefore the section is impasse able at the moment. Where is the section and how large of an area does the flood impact?

Tim, there is extensive flooding along the towpath right now. Checkout @chesapeakeandohiocanal on Facebook for updates on flooding and closures.

We will be riding the GAP for the first time in a couple of weeks; beginning at Pittsburgh and riding to Cumberland over 5 days. Is it necessary, safer or more enjoyable to have lights on our bikes for riding through the tunnels.

Not really necessary in any of the tunnels in my opinion. They are dark though. In the paw paw you want a headlamp.

Absolutely

Definately in PawPaw. Maybe Bordan and and Brush. Always a good idea to have a light.

I would definitely bring a bright light -- some of those tunnels can get pretty dark inside. Better safe than sorry.

I would bring a light or head lamp not just for the tunnels but also for if you don't make it to town or camp before sunset.

Flats happen. Bikea break down. Injuries or dehydration happens. You may get not make it your destination before sunset.

Some parts of the trail are very dark after the sun goes down. You are in some remote places with lots of tree canopy. Some of these places you cannot see your hands in front of your face at night. Do not get caught out without a light.

Also, if you are camping, you will need a light to get around your campsite at night.

I'm not saying it will happen but it's best to be prepared.

John

Lights are absolutely not necessary for the tunnels on the GAP trail during daylight hours. I have been thru them numerous times.
The Paw Paw tunnel is on the C&O Canal, not the GAP trail. It is dark, but can safely be navigated without a light, as most bikers walk thru this tunnel.
That being said, unless you are staying in a hotel... I'd toss a small flashlight, headlamp, etc in your pack somewhere.

You absolutely do not need a light for the tunnels on the GAP trail during daylight hours.
I have ridden thru them numerous times.
The Paw Paw tunnel is on the C&O Canal, not the GAP trail. It too can be safely navigated without a light as most people walk thru this tunnel. It is rough, dark, and narrow.
That being said... I'd throw a small flashlight, headlamp, etc in your pack somewhere. Unless you are staying in a hotel, you might need it at some point. But not for the tunnels.

We had headlights on our bikes and headlamps in our packs...not necessary in the tunnels. I will add on to what an earlier poster said...it is definitely wise to have some kind of headlamp with you...once the sun sets behind the mountain, it gets dark FAST.

As for the Paw Paw Tunnel...I’m pretty sure it’s still closed for the rock scaling project they started last year.

My son wants to join our group and ride from Harper's Ferry to Georgetown May 10-12. He has a road bike with 700X25mm tires. Will this generally work for this part of the trail?

I’ve done the section from Seneca to Georgetown on 32’s. Just cautious at times where it’s muddy or more loose gravel, around lock bridges. I see rode bikes often between Great Falls & Georgetown. Suggest lower tire pressure.

From Harpers Ferry to Seneca Creek, the trail is mainly dirt. If it rains, it will be muddy for a week. Grass grows all on he towpath except for two strips where the bikes have killed the grass. From Seneca to Georgetown, the towpath is either compact dirt and sand or fairly large pebble stones. I ride it a lot. If it's muddy, even mountain bike tires have a tough time. And a mountain bike tires will absorb at least some of the shock of riding over he pebbles, and they'll get you through the loose sand and gravel. I've never tried it with my road bike except for a very short pebbled section, which rattles my teeth even on a steel frame. I have seen road bikes on the towpath, but they have larger tires. I think it's iffy in dry weather and impossible if it has rained.

Bigger tires are always the best bet but I would consider using my 700X38's on my Trek Dual Sport. The particular stretch your referring to isn't too bad trail wise but my last ride through there was last Oct. a year ago. You didn't mention if your son would be carring overnight gear or not. But that could be a factor also.

Is there a good gym or another place with showers between the end marker and Union Station? I am hoping to get cleaned up before a 24-hour train ride. Or is hoping to find a cheap hotel room the best option?

Some of the hostels in the city are reasonable and close to trail: I paid about $45, six years ago.

Check the YMCA. They'll usually let you use showers for like $5 but I would call first and ask if the non-member public can use their facilities (if they even have them) and how much it will cost.

Many times if you are a member of a YMCA in your area they are a member of the AWA program which lets you use any Y (though for the more urban Ys, Washington DC, etc there may be a small fee).

In the chart I don't see what the trail surfaces are. Is it asphalt from Hancock to Little Orleans?

From Hancock you have two choices. The Western MD. Rail Trail which is 11.5 miles of asphalt till you are back on the C&O for the last 4 .5 mile to Little Orleans or us the C&O for the entire 16 mile trip.

That's a 16 mile trip. You have two choices. Take C&O the entire way or take the MD. Rail Trail that will be asphalt for 11.5 mile before it puts you back on the C&O Trail.

Looking for parking advice or information. Planning early June day rides East/West (E/W) from Ohiopyle and Boston. Appreciate any advice on parking availability along the trail. Or will inns/motels allow us to park for the day? Thanks in advance!

All of the major trail heads have parking, including Ohiopyle and Boston.

Hi. Six of us are planning to fly into PIT to cycle GAP/CO to DC in June. We will be totally self-supported. Prior to flying into PIT we will box our bikes in cardboard bike boxes we get for free from a local bike shop. At the end of our trip, we will want to box our bikes in DC so we can fly out of BWI. Does anyone have any ideas how we can get our bike boxes from Pittsburgh to Washington DC or alternatively the name of some bike shops in DC where we could get some bike boxes. Thanks.

Dave, I would suggest calling Pro Bicycle Shop and Trek Bicycle Shop in Washington, DC. Both stores are in Georgetown and pretty close to the C&O. Good luck and have a good ride.

... The small white house at Swain’s Lock, off River Road west of Potomac Village, will become the seventh house of the Canal Quarters, a program of the nonprofit C&O Canal Trust. Canal Quarters are renovated lockhouses available to rent for overnight stays. Each tells a story of a particular period of Canal history.
...

Full article:
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2018/mar/21/swains-lockhouse-rehabilitation-begins-co-canal/

Exciting news! Staying in Lockhouse 10 was one of the highlights of our trip last fall!

People often wonder how to get from the C&O Canal to Reagan Airport (or vice versa):

1. From the trail, head south along the Potomac River
2. At Memorial Bridge, cross the river
3. After getting across the Potomac, you're on the Mount Vernon Trail. Head south to the airport.

Thank you!

Indeed! One of favorite things is right where the Mount Vernon Trail and Reagan Airport meet is Gravelly Point where airplanes, depending on direction, either take off or land right over your head! Very cool how close they are! A really great viewing point to just relax and watch the planes as well as catch lots of cyclists, walkers, rollerbladers, etc. pass by.

We'll be ending our ride there in June; can't wait!

In addition to being a great place to eat, they really care about people!

last month my son and grandson had a frightening experience when they found themselves in the dark, cold, rain in unfamiliar territory and no cell phone coverage! They found the Schoolhouse Kitchen late on a Sunday evening. Larry kept the doors open, loaned them his personal phone to call for family to come pick them and their gear up, then kept the doors open while we drove 2 hours to get there! He also washed and dried their wet clothes while they waited! What an awesome and wonderful experience this turned out to be. I don't even want to think about what the outcome could have been without the Schoolhouse Kitchen and their caring folks! God Bless you all!

Never had an adventure like your son but we always make a point of stopping to eat on our thru rides at School House Kitchen. They are really nice folks.

100% my favorite place on the entire Gap/c&o

What shoes do people recommend for a July ride on the C&O/GAP

Rode GAP/C&O in June, pretty hot most of time, with leather gym shoes. Big mistake if you don't like smelly feet. Gym shoes with mesh composition would have been cooler and less smelly. Gold Bond works wonders BTW!!

You'll see people out there in hard-soled cycling shoes, and sandals, and everything in between. I've always done fine with running shoes - mesh design so they are breathable, like GreedCloud mentioned above. You'll probably want to pack flipflops or sandals to change into after the ride, because your feet will enjoy the cool fresh air after being cooped up in hot sweaty shoes all day.

And one other thing.... socks. Cotton socks will retain moisture. Synthetic socks will wick away the moisture and remain more dry. You can find good athletic socks at any bike shop, sporting goods store, or even stores like Target.

Rode Pittsburgh to DC, rode in Specialized mtn bike shoes with Time ATAC pedals. Agree with the earlier post - socks are key. Cycling specific socks worked really well.

I have posted this to help others who are planning to do any part of either trail. Just do it!!! I always research and found this site to be very helpful so I wanted to give back.

We did a 680-mile, 12-day self-supported, camping round trip from the DC Union train station to Pittsburgh then back. It was a blast! The ride was from Sep 24, 2017 to Oct 5th. This does not included travel time.

It did not rain on us which was unbelievable. We had rain one night but we were at a bar and settled in with more beer until the rain stopped. We were so lucky - I was dreading a wet muddy day(s).

We took the train from South Florida with our bikes roll-on - we did not have to pack them. It worked out great for logistics and ease.

What we learned:

The train is a long ride (21 hrs for me) but not bad. Not bad price either when including bicycle.

DC train Union Station is a zoo - if you go, have plenty of time if you are travelling with your bike. otherwise, not too bad. It was my first train experience.

Bicycle: Surly Long Haul Trucker with front and rear racks. 26 x 1.75 wheels that worked fine on the paths that were dry during our trip. I consolidated and only used the rear racks with panniers, strapped my tent on the front, my sleeping bag and pad strapped on back - all in dry bags. I've experimented and having loaded front panniers pulls me down and really makes me feel like I'm struggling to peddle - especially on hills. It was a great last minute decision NOT to bring front panniers. Brooks saddle. I had issues for the first 430 miles of the trip with my seat comfort. The leather was softened (my fault for applying too much conditioner over the last 5 years) and I did not tighten it. I was so uncomfortable with days over 50 miles so I really cranked down and tightened it up. It was like a miracle! I rode 70 miles without moving around in my seat and no pain. If you find yourself uncomfortable in your seat and you are sure the height , angle, and reach are good, consider tightening it if it is adjustable or find a different seat - softer is not better. I also averaged between 1.5 and 2 mph faster.

Clothes - 5 shirts (mix short and long-sleeve), 2 bike shorts, one cargo shorts with pockets for going to town, etc, one rain jacket - doubles as warm jacket for cool nights, one long warm pants, 5 socks - the thin merlino wool ones worked best. 1 pair of sneakers - I had large pedals for off-rode bicycling, and one pair of camp shoes - I had water-Crocs that were comfortable to walk distance in. That was my list and it worked well. I would add light weight gloves - we had 2 days that our hands suffered in the mornings.

Since we were self -supported we had cooking gear, stove and pot but we ate lunch and dinner mainly in towns. A few times we bought lunch and dinner supplies because we knew we would not hit a town for some meals. We ate breakfast at camp - bought food that day or previous day. We had a good checklist of towns and places to buy food.

Tent: I have a 5.5 lb Kelty but also a 2.2 lb Big Agnes hiking tent. I took the Kelty because it is easier to set up - true free-standing. That was another great idea. I didn't want to mess with extra ropes, stakes, etc when I was tired after a long day.

Sleeping bag and pad: I had a 20-degree down bag which was perfect and a thermarest (non-inflatable folding type) pad - also perfect.

Here is what really helped out and I can't stress enough that you should do this too:
My friend made a checklist for each mile marker where there was food, camping, bars, places to buy stuff. He also made copies of the maps. All was laminated and cut to 2 x 11 inch strips. These were invaluable because they were waterproof and readily available. I had everything marked in the trail guide and figured I would just pull that out when needed. That may have worked but it is damp along the trail (the booked may have got wet/torn) and looking through the book takes time and concentration - not what you want to be doing on a long day. The strips were very handy to pull out at a moment's notice. We made breakfast and coffee each morning at camp. We tried to eat dinner in a town - a few times we couldn't due to location. Lunch same thing. We were very impressed with the quality of the food we ate at all the bars and restaurants. We found eating at the bar was really cool to meet the locals and banter with the staff. Very enjoyable. Lastly, we left ourselves an extra day coming back from Pittsburgh to DC. We had to average 65 miles per day on the way to Pittsburgh - we held up 35 miles outside of Pitt on the GAP and then rode unloaded 70 miles there and back - back to our campground at canoe outfitters. Then we banked some miles on the way back and only had to average 45 miles per day on the last 4 days. I was so much more relaxed not worrying so much about a schedule. Because we had booked train tickets, we did have to be in DC by a certain date. We booked one night in a lockhouse just outside of Washington. It was really cool and worth the $180 for the night. I hope to write up the whole trip with photos and maybe even the trip strips with info. I don't see how to post here so I may post a link. Have fun and if not sure about doing a trip, just do it! We met a lot of neat people and saw a lot of cool things.

Forgot to mention we both had 70 liter hydration backpacks and 2 water bottles on each bike. I really loved the hydration backpacks. On the day we left our equipment at the campsite and rode to Pittsburgh and back, that was all we needed to carry our phones, wallets, maps and extra water. They also entice you to drink more often. I did not notice the extra weight on my back. My friend talked me into using it and I was glad he did.

Plenty of water along the trail at campsites with water pumps and towns you pass.

Nice to read the report! I just moved to DC in the past 6 months and am itching to do the trail.

I finally finished writing the trip report and publishing it to my kayak website. It is a good read and I hope it enthuses you to do a trip
http://paddleacrossflorida.com/C_and_O_GAP_Bicycle_Trip_2017.htm

If that link doesn't work go to the main website
paddleacrossflorida.com and navigate to Training, etc and click on link next to "Dave’s ride from
Washington, DC to Pittsburgh"

Hope you enjoy the write up but I really hope it motivates you to go and do a trip. That's why I post trip reports.

dave

According to Yelp, this is now closed.

Each year I camp in Little Orleans for a month to trout fish. This year I am planning to bike from Cumberland back to Little Orleans. I am 68 years old, 200lbs, minimal bike experience but in decent physical condition. I was wondering about the C and O path and how difficult it is. Is it gravel, dirt or blacktop. I am familiar with the path around Little Orleans and have taken short trips there. Looking for any information...thanks...

The tow path is mostly hard-packed double track dirt (think of a well-used farm lane). There are no railings, so you just need to be alert. I am 59 and had no issues - you should have a good experience in this section.

The only issue you could potentially run into is at the Paw Paw Tunnel if it is still closed. The trail to go up and over coming from Little Orleans is pretty steep. I believe it is marked as a strenuous hike...and that is without lugging a bike and any gear over as well. So basically the ease of the ride will depend on the status of the tunnel closure/rock scaling project at Paw Paw. If it is open, it will be a really nice ride for you.

Planning a trip for this summer to ride from Pittsburgh to Greensboro using the GAP to get us to Connellsville. That's the easy part of the planning since we've ridden the entire GAP/CO before. Our route planning starts at Connellsville where we will leave the GAP and head torward Morganton,WV hopefully on other rail-trails, dirt roads or back roads. Looking for recommended routes, advice/info on any trails and roads that will lead us in that direction. Any and all comments are welcomed. Thanks in advance.

Loose or solid

Not loose, but very rough, many tree roots to watch out for.

Conditions all depend on the weather. If it is dry and has been for several days - trail is pretty firm. If it rains, then you will encounter MUD. I don't recommend riding on road tires. I rode 35c Kenda Flintridge Pros. Thinking anything smaller than a 30c isn't going to be fun.

I have a rental or a sale of a house on the bike trail - rent $575 water/sewer or for sale cash as is for $19,500. Look under cl for more info and pics!

Anyone who uses a GPS on their bike might be interested in these trail files I created. They are free to download at POI Factory.com:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/41476
and
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/40543

I would appreciate any comments, errors or corrections so I can update the files.

... spotted in the area between miles 67 - 68 on Saturday 10/28.

Be careful out there!