C&O / GAP Forum

No bike shop in williamport I had a puncher went to service station gave my tube there fix my puncher and charge me $30.00.our whole tour we met very nice and kind Americans but this is the only place they rip off.

Vayo, always carry a tube repair kit with you to fix flats (which you call punchers). If all else fails, remove the wheel from your bike, remove the tire and tube and then flag down another cyclist to borrow their tube repair kit. Cost: $0 :-)

On the C&O, I carry 2-3 extra tubes. On the C&O, it's a matter of "when" not "if" you will get a flat. I also carry an extra folding tire, too. Lots of rocks on that trail.

My wife and I just completed the GAP and C&O about 2 weeks ago with no flats. Back in March we invested in Kevlar lined tires, Swhalbe Marathon tires. We have logged, with the GAP/C&O trip, almost 1800 miles with no flats. These tires are an investment, but well worth it in our opinion

I have over 2,000 on my Swhalbe Marathon tires and love them only 1 flat and that was a wire from a truck tire carcas through the side wall. Go Swhalbe!

Still no bike shop in williamsport, but understand that
Desert Rose Cafe in center of town has a selection of tubes for sale. Also recommend this place for good food and friendly helpful staff. After the uphill climb on the detour you will need to stop for a drink anyhow.

Hi all. If any of you have any interest in riding different trails you should consider the Greenbrier River Trail in WV. Like the GAP it is a rails to trails. I just completed this trail last weekend. I also make a short video of just a few things you can see along the way. Just copy and paste it to YouTube search. https://youtu.be/GSxNSjC0V4o Or you can search Pat Stillriding and check out my other riding videos. If you like the videos or have any comments (positive) or questions please post and I will try to answer them.

Traveling the C&O and GAP mid October from DC to Pittsburg. Anyone else out there then?

We'll be out there mid Oct. for our annual thru ride. Pittsburg to DC. The trail is usually busy that time of the year. We had exceptional weather last Oct. Rained 1 night while staying in town and the last day of travel from Harper's Ferry to DC it rained the last 9 miles! we stayed in doors 3 nights and camped 4 nights.

Contact Steel City Outdoor Adventures LLC. for trip support
Steelcityoutdooradventures@gmail.com

Going to finish up an incomplete summer ride by riding from Cumberland to PawPaw and back 10/28&29

I am planning a trip for September and was wondering how accessible water is along the trail. I have been contemplating taking along my camelback, but I have read that you would be ok traveling with 2ish water bottles. If you are able to refill water bottles fairly frequently and easily along the trail, I would rather not carry my hydration pack, but if it's more of a hassle to refill, I will take it. Any insight is appreciated :)

2ish water bottles are what I find sufficient. The pumps along the C&O are treated with iodine, you might not like the taste. There are towns along the way that you could buy additional water. the towns may well be spaced an hour apart so plan accordingly.

There is trail side water at Dravo Graveyard, Boston, Ohiopyle, and a few other places. And of course water in all of the small towns along the Passage. Along C&O there are water pumps at most campsites. Water is treated so safe to drink but there is a strong iodine taste. If a pump needs to be turned off the Park Service does update their website. There are several towns at or near the C&O to purchase water. You should be aware of your milepoint as there are a few areas (Paw Paw to Hancock) that are fairly remote with only campsite water. I rarely carry more than 2 bottles and I seem to do okay. In my normal life I tend to drink 5-7 16oz bottles per day. Don't really care for a Camelbak.

My wife and i road the C&O in August and carried two bottles and camel backs - it was hot. Used the pumps at the hiker biker sites.

I am planning to ride (50-60 miles/day) from Pittsburgh to DC in October. I am flexible on the dates. I will be staying in hotel or B&B. I am in late 40s and looking to join a team or group or an individual to ride together mainly for safety reason. I am from DC area. Please let me know if any one interested

My wife and I are planning a Passage ride for Oct. 2-5. Departing Cumberland via Amtrak on that Mon evening and starting our ride on Tue. Don't have a lot of time this year so looking at overnights in Connellesville, Meyersdale, and back to Cumberland. 62, 56, and 32 miles. My wife is 67 and rides a moderate 10mph. I'm 62 and ride a bit faster. We have both completed 7 thru rides on the Passage. Wanted to do the C&O again but don't have time. Contact me if interested. We are planning to stay indoors each night.

Hi Rick,
Thank you for your message. I would have love to tag along with you guys but unfortunately I can't take off work the first week of the month. I am planning ride second week of October.

Good deal. If you need any info like favorite places to stay/eat, etc give me a shout via email. As I mentioned we've done the route multiple times.

Thank you!
I will do that, enjoy your ride.

Rick, I am interested in cycling the Passage and a few days ride as a "trail newbie" would be perfect. Do you have any other suggestions other than the brief trip outline in your post?

We were also newbies in June. We did it in 3 days but would like to have spent more time but did the C&O too. We rode tandem and often did less than 10 mph. We are in our mid 50’s and in decent shape and not out to set any speed records. For logistical reasons we started in Mckeesport so the first day to Connellsville was a reasonable 40 miles. I think we just missed the ugliest industrial part of the trail, and we were fine with that. There are plenty of places to stop for water and bathroom breaks along the way, especially the Trailside Café in West Newton, and Cedar Creek State Park. Perryopolis is a very steep ride away and has a hard-to-find turnoff that wasn’t obvious on the maps. We would like to have spent more time in Ohiopyle. Confluence was also a very pretty little town with places to eat and stay. We went all the way to Rockwood the 2nd day. Rockwood and Meyersdale are both lovely little towns with B&Bs and places to eat. We also would have liked to visit Frostburg but didn’t due to rain and cold (and the C&O still to go). Best trip ever and we hope to at least do just the GAP again and spend more time along the way. The new Connellsville Inn and the Gingerbread House in Rockwood were both great.

Hi Sergio, I would have to disagree with only one point. There is so must to see from Pittsburgh to McKeesport. I have made two videos of what you can see along the way and you can find them on YouTube at Pat Stillriding. Granted, there are industrial areas but I see them as working or past history of the area. And yes, I am from Pittsburgh and proud of it as I am sure you are of your town. I know you mean no disrespect and I am not taking it that way because all you comments have been very positive and helpful to people on this site. Have a great day. :)

Didn't meanto disparage! We'll do it next time. It didn't work for us for several reasons. Pittsburgh is a great city! There's plenty to see and places to stay so you don't have to ride all the way from Pittsburgh to Connellsville the first day.

I plan to ride from Cumberland to Paw Paw and back the weekend of October 28-29 to finish of a DC to Cumberland trip from August. Perhaps i'll see you and ride along.

This bike shop is no longer around. There is no bike shop in williamsport

While there is no bike shop in Williamsport, the Desert Rose Cafe has bike tubes in a few bike parts for sale. They also offer bike pumps for use and have a killer menu of breakfast lunch and dinner items. I highly recommend them. I ate there for dinner and breakfast the next day and they made a sandwich for me to take for lunch.

I can vouch for the quality of food at the DRC. They are quite accommodating for bikers. We came in on a trip after a wet ride from downriver, and they put is in an area in the back with wooden benches. Good place to eat.

Please give me easiest directions from the point to the GAP TRAIL.

From Point State Park travel appx. 7 blocks on Blvd. of The Allied. Turn right onto Grant St. Turn left onto 3 Rivers Heritage/Allegheny Passage Trail at the foot of the hill. From there it is clearly marked.

Thanks, we are hoping to start tomorrow.

It's a bit confusing when you turn onto Grant. There are actually 2 streets side by side. You want the 2nd or left of the 2. Just pay attention and you should be able to figure it out. We went the wrong way first time.

Thanks, we found the start without any problems.

Your welcome. Hope you have a good ride...we did. Also it's really nice when someone actually thanks you for taking the time to reply to a request.

Looking for shuttle back from DC to Frostburg MD. 200 miles. My daughter and myself and two bikes.

check the bike shop in Cumberland. They run one.

Another cheaper option: take the Amtrak Capital Limited from DC to Cumberland and then when you get to Cumberland, call Uber and see if someone would take you the few remaining miles to Frostburg. There is also a daily scenic tourist train that runsfrom Cumberland to Frostburg (but it is pricey - about $50/pp + your bike).

Has any one seen an update on the potential opening date for the Paw Paw Tunnel. My wife and I will be riding the GAP and C&O in late Sept, early Oct.

Just finished a thru ride last week. According to locals, Paw Paw tunnel may delay opening till next year. You have to push your bike up a steep hill . Please expect one hour minimum to cross over.

Heard rumors of people going thru on the weekends in September. Any confirmation?

I rode from Pittsburgh to DC over Labor Day weekend. You can travel all the way through the tunnel from the north. Once you emerge on the south (east) bound end, the trail was very effectively blocked. We were there on a Saturday, hoping to sneak through on a holiday weekend, but couldn't see a way to get our bikes over the barrier. Perhaps the situation has changed since.

We just passed through the area last week--coming from the west, you can enter the tunnel and ride/walk through, but there is a fence at the end, prior to the construction area. There is another fence on the eastern side of the construction blocking access to the tunnel. We spoke to the foreman and he mentioned that they have cameras set up and that people do hop the fence and pass through. Not sure they are doing it with fully loaded bicycles though. We took the detour and it took about an hour and 15 minutes to get our bicycles and 30lbs of gear over. I would suggest if you are planning on taking the detour, take your time, rest frequently on the way up and plan for at least an hour to walk over. View from the top is beautiful! If you are coming from DC to Pittsburgh, I would highly recommend backtracking to the tunnel entrance once you pass over the top. It's only a short ride back to the entrance!

We just completed a round-trip from DC to Pittsburgh to DC in 12 days, fully loaded camping. Going over the bypass DC to Pitt made us look for a road route for the return trip. We were advised very strongly NOT to take the roads. As it turned out, going from Pitt to DC the push over was much easier. I had 52lbs plus on my bike and did it in 31 minutes. I rested and relaxed during the bypass. My friend could have made it in 20 mins but waited for me.

It is a serious push but managable if you take your time, rest often and enjoy the adventure.

DC to Pitt push is very steep and I would pick a tree 10 yards up ahead, rest and do it again until I made it to the top. I didn't time that direction but probably an hour of heart pounding pushing. The trailhead sign even says it is a strenous hike for hikers!

All that said, don't be afraid and I don't recommend the shuttle service unless you have a physical issue. Just do it slowly, one chunk at a time and enjoy your adventure!

I am 75 and I was under a roof every night; I had cold weather and rain gear so my load was around 40 lb. I did the Historic Potomac as an add-on which added weight to my pack. I had 6 other people around me all 55 and over. It took all of us around 2 hours. Even the people with only daily necessaries were working hard on the trail. Doable but a bit of a task.