C&O / GAP Forum

I see on my C&O map roads that one could take as an alternative to the tunnel hill trail. Hiway 51 and something called Oldtown Orleans roads. Any thoughts on these roads?? Are they an option or big steep mountain roads that are not bicycle friendly?? I would rather ride on a road than hike-a-bike over a mountain hiking trail. Thanks for the thoughts, my trip, west to east begins June 26.

I think I answered my own question. Left turn on Oldtown Road SE just past Paw Paw, on to David Thomas Road/Orleans road on into Little Orleans. About 13.5 miles, with a bit of climbing, but , no hike-a-bike. Sorry I miss the Tunnel but oh well, an excuse to come back someday.

The detour is a pain, but it didn't take more than an hour and that was pushing our loaded tandem bike. Riding hilly roads for 13 miles just doesn't seem worth it! The view is nice near the top of the hill and there are places to sit and picnic and also interpretive signs along part of the detour. We did it on the way from Cumberland to Hancock, our longest day as it is for most, and it wasn't that big of a deal.

Thanks!

Not a B&B. Poor value for the money. Breakfast is just a banana and some grocery store muffins and granola bars. Porch lights shine through the blinds so you can't get the room dark at night. It's a $60 room for $100.

To shuttle around the Paw Paw Tunnel closure, call Wrenwood Inn for details. We shuttle from Paw Paw to either Bond's Landing or Little Orleans and vice versa. Call 304-947-5983

Biked from confluence, pa to Orleans on June 7, second day of a four day ride. We just put in well over 105 miles and found Bill's closed. Now this isn't Bill's fault because he determines his days off but someone should friggin mention it in one of the tour maps/guide books, etc. or even mentioned it in one of the many videos we watched! Thank God for the Town Hill B&B for coming down to rescue us and hold some food for our dinner. That place and its people running it are amazing. The NPS should be ashamed of itself for not putting out more proper signage along this route. We rode a mile past Little Orleans before we realized it. And don't get me started on the DETOUR around Paw Paw. Just one word...UNACCEPTABLE.

How frequent are the mile markers on the trail? Every mile? Randomly separated?

We just returned from the trek and I had the same opinion. Fortunately Bill's was open so we had ice cream and soda. I think there may have been drinking water at the park where you make the turn off (which we almost missed!). We had considered stopping in Paw Paw to eat on our way to Hancock, but didn't want to add miles to a 60 mile + uphill detour day. The newest edition of the book is better, but i still would have appreciated tips on exactly where to turn off and what to look for and hills, etc for towns. We almost went past Bill's but fortunately saw someone to ask. It's out of the Fifteenmile Creek park on the canal. But I'd never seen that even mentioned. Love this forum to help each other!

The mile markers on the parts of the C&O and GAP that I've traveled are every mile.

The Park service has nothing to do with commercial establishments. You should do more homework. As to mile markers some are hidden, but any bike computer will give you she same info. Oh yes, the closure is to make the path safe. Big Slack water detour lasted for years, and it sucked.

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My wife and I are planning on taking a leisurely trip from Pittsburg to Washington DC over eight days. This leads us a lot of time to stop along the way. Are there things to do in the little towns along the way or are they really just places to eat and lodge? I understand the weather is real bad right now. We are going in three weeks. Thanks in advance.

http://www.laurelhighlands.org/events/detail/14th-annual-braddocks-crossing-of-the-yough/20182/

We're starting our leisurely 8 day trip on Monday the 5th starting in McKeesport. I'll report how it goes. Start by looking at the 2017 guide book (more detailed than earlier ones!)and websites like this. I found a reason for us to stop and look or eat every 10 miles on the trail if we choose. About every 2 hours we should be near a place we want to spend a little more time (waterfall, visitor center, George Washington slept here.....) We're planning about 4 pedaling hours a day with only a couple over or below that. Credit card trip so we can easily modify our reservations if we decide to speed up or slow down or it rains too much. Years ago we were in Connellsville for the event on that link in the other post. It was great!

We just completed a wonderful tandem trip in 8 days and it was a good pace that gave us a little time to explore. There are a lot of long, long stretches of the trial where there is nothing more than beautiful scenery. We also had a couple cold rainy days at the beginning that slowed our progress, and also did the Paw Paw detour, which kept us from attempting some side trips. A lot of the places highlighted on the guide maps are just an interpretive sign and maybe an outhouse so a good place to stop and stretch, but not much more. Also, many of the visitor centers and small museums have very limited hours. Even Great Falls Tavern is closed Mon and Tues. (the snack bar is fortunately open).
Here are places we did some sightseeing. Past West Newton is Cedar Creek Park. This is a nice park with lots of little scenic trails and we were told there was a swinging bridge.
Perryopolis supposedly has George Washington’s Grist Mill, but I couldn’t find much on it and it’s up a big big hill and we didn’t even see where to leave the trail to get there…
Connellsville has a nice visitor center and little museums (with limited hours )
Ohiopyle has a lot of great little trails. We’ve been there often and it would be fun to do a rafting trip or take a tour of Falling Water if you stay there.
The Meyersdale Visitor Center has train and local info and is definitely worth spending time to see (it was cold and rainy so made a nice comfort stop too).
Frostburg is just up a hill from the trail and seems to have sights, but we didn’t have time.
Cumberland has a lot to see. Unfortunately, the NPS Visitor Center closed early the day we arrived in the rain! Very nice downtown area to walk around.
Hancock was a great little town to walk around. Visit the Bowles House on the trail and get a tour.
Fort Frederick has a lot to see and we spent a couple hours or so there(if you go on the WMRT, be sure to get back on the C&O a mile before it ends or you end up taking a steep hill on a road. There’s a sign we should have actually read!).
The Williamsport NPS center is very small but a very pretty place. Boat rides at 11 and 2.
Sharpsburg is a steep walk up and a bit confusing to get to Burnside Bridge. But it was impressive and worth it in the end. There’s a map in the guidebook if you want to do a big tour and stay there or nearby. We found beautiful Antietem Creek Winery (open on weekends) and were rewarded before going back down.
There is so much to do in Harpers Ferry. It was packed in the afternoon but the early morning was nice. There are lots of plaques with history so you can even spend hours walking the lovely old town after all of the NPS exhibit buildings are closed. Just not much fun lugging a tandem bike up the stairs of the bridge!
Brunswick has a tiny museum with limited hours across from Beans in the Belfrey Coffee Shpo.
The Great Falls Visitor Center was closed, but worth seeing I’m sure. Georgetown’s canal is all under construction so there’s nothing there. But we stayed at The Georgetown House on the canal and walked to Dumbarton Oaks Museum, Dumbarton House, The Rock House, and the very interesting Tudor House and Gardens.
We rode carefully around the Mall when we arrived, but left DC for another trip.

Hi all, i'm planning a bike and camping trip from Cumberland to DC. Can you provide me with info about safety at the camp grounds (esp if you are female traveling alone)? Thx

I did a day trip last weekend between Seneca and White's Ferry. I stopped at the campground just south of Edward's Ferry. Since there are no services nearby, you wouldn't think it would be popular, but there were six tents there on a Saturday morning. Two women riding together. Men riding together. Couples. So it would be safe. Probably the smart thing to do would be to start to look for a campground early and to keep riding until you found one with enough campers to make you feel comfortable. And it would also be good to have motels and inns in mind in case you didn't find a place where you felt comfortable. There were lots of people on the towpath though and opportunities to talk to other bikers and learn their plans for the night.

Me and my workmate did a GAP and C&O on Jun 3rd to 8th. It was a great and fun ride, we camped and hosteled. The Bummer is PAW PAW tunnel closure. It is a tough uphill detour from West to East and it is very very tough from East to West. So plan well. Other options, Check Shuttle services (for East to West).

I forgot to mention that, they Closed the PAW PAW tunnel as of Jun 2nd. It could take 2-3 months to reopen.

I am assuming yo went West to East. How long did the Paw Paw detour take you? Is it true you walk the bikes the whole detour?

You mentioned a shuttle. Does anyone know of a shuttle service to bypass the mountainous detour?

Yes, We biked from Pitt to DC. 100% we walked our bike on the uphill and 30% of the downhill I walked as it is so deep and leafy and with all my camping gears and 2 panniers, I don't want to end up falling down to the Paw Paw hills.
I don't know who are the shuttle companies @ paw paw, but we met guys @ Little Orleans who used shuttle services for the detour.

What was the name of the shuttle service in Little Orleans for the PawPaw detour? We are going from Cumberland to DC in next week and if it's an up hill detour we would probably use shuttle. Thanks

We made our reservation for the shuttle through the folks at the Wrenwood Inn in Paw Paw. The number there is 304*947*5983. We just made a reservation going west to east.

We did the Paw Paw detour with a loaded tandem. Of course it's the longest day most people ride already! Yes, you have to push it uphill going East, but you can ride down part of the way. The opposite way you may have to walk a bit going up up up and then walk all the way down the switchbacks. But I don't know that a shuttle would save much time? We didn't see any signs of shuttles or hear of anyone getting a shuttle last week. The detour did prevent us from adding the mileage to have a bite to eat in Paw Paw.

We are flying into Pittsburg 11:20 am. We have someone meeting us at the airport and dropping us off with our rental bikes at mile zero in Pittsburg. I figure we should be on the bikes by 1:30 pm. We couldn't get a place in West Newton so we are riding to Perryopolis (48 miles to our lodging). Hopefully, this is doable before it gets dark. I figure it gets dark about 8:30 pm so we have 7 hours to do our first day. Hopefully, the plane won't be late. I have never ridden on anything except pavement so, I am a little nervous. Can anybody give me a perspective on how much difference in speed the crushed gravel makes versus the road on the same type of bicycle? That is, how fast do you normally ride on the street compared to how fast you ride this part of the trail? Thanks in advance.

My wife and I got to Perryopolis in a day. We stayed at The Inn at Lenoras because it was close to the trail and it was a good choice. Would stay there again. It is a long climb up to the town but not to bad. Just something I'd rather not do at the end of the day. The biggest headache was navigating out of Pittsburg. The trail is marked but while your watching the sights and wayward cars you might miss a turn. The paving is solid and hard packed for all of the GAP trail. I would recommend cross tires about 30mm with some nubs on them. The more you go for mountain bike style tires the slower you'll go. You should average about 10 miles an hour and that's conservative. The turnoff isn't clearly marked for Perryopolis so watch for the bridge overpass and soon after that is the turn. Figure everything that could go wrong. You may be cutting it close but it is doable.

The turn off is hard to find, but Whitsett is right before it and you'll see the signs for that. It was pouring rain and muddy for that part of the trip on our first day last week which slowed us down a lot. We started in McKeesport and went to Connellsville, which is about the same distance you'd do. Be sure to stop at the Trailside in West Newton to eat!

How far is it from Harpers Ferry to Brunswick and back? What is a reasonable hiking distance per day on the canal for a non-hiker?

oops see comment above. I just spent 4 hours cutting overgrown grass and I am spent. I could do a 5 hour hike though.

Brunswick is right on the path and it was a quick little hill to the best coffee and pie on the entire trail. Beans in the Belfry was a great spot to have a bite. Very popular with cyclists. The visitor center rail museum across has very limited hours and was closed, of course. But we were glad we stopped to listen to jazz and have a bite.

Is there a typical rain pattern in Cumberland, MD? For instance, in Tampa, FL during the summer it is clear, hot and sunny until about 3 pm and then storms for about an hour and then stops. You can set your clock by it. I am wondering when I see rain in the forecast, does it generally rain all day long? Or is there no specific pattern at all. I am prepared to ride in the rain but I would prefer not to. We are riding Pitt to DC starting June 21.

In the summer, rain usually is in the form of thunderstorms, usually in late afternoon. More like 5:00 or 6:00 than 3:00. You don't want to ride through them however because they will have lightening, which is dangerous. But we can also have weather patterns that bring in rain for a day or two. Those won't have lightening. Ten day forecasts specify the chances of rain and whether it will be in the form of a thunderstorm.

I lost my keys on the tow path...started out at lock 38 then went towards shepherdstown on the trail.....anybody know whp I can call or did anyone find any keys?

Hey there - I just completed a successful solo ride from DC to Pittsburgh and thought I'd let you know what I discovered. I completed the ride in 5 days with a gradual increase in mileage from day 1 to day 5. I didn't camp for several reasons. The first being - I would have needed more gear. The second being - rain = mud on the C&O canal. And the third - I like having hot showers to wash off all the mud. I packed my water and snacks, but you could probably buy snacks along the way. I liked having everything handy. If you stay in hotels, you could probably get away with one change of clothing for the evenings for the whole trip. Bring lots of socks because they are likely to get wet. And, bring a light raincoat. I saw people with full rain suits, but I didn't bother with that. I didn't mind my legs getting wet. If you have full proof way to protect your feet from rain, then go for it. I bought a $35 pannier off of amazon and then strapped a small duffel bag on my bike rack. Plus, I had two water bottles and a bike pump strapped to the bike. This worked out well for me, and luckily, my tires survived the whole trip. The canal was super muddy - so bring some chain lube to protect your chain. And yes, the Paw Paw tunnel was open when I went (5/24/17-5/28/17).
Day 1 - First stop - Harpers Ferry. Roughly 45 miles. I stayed at the Knights Inn. It was fine, but not the best in the world. They were very friendly, but the breakfast was limited.
Day 2 - Hancock, Maryland 64 miles- Nice little town with several options. I stayed at the Motel 8. Thought it was great. Clean rooms and nice breakfast.
Day 3 - Frostburg, Maryland 76 miles - This day was cool because there was lots to see, but it was definitely my hardest day. The climb from Cumberland into Frostburg is super challenging. The crushed limestone during the uphill climb felt like biking in a sandbox. I limped into the Trail Inn which I thought was a great place. Day 4 - Connellsville, PA - 72 miles. I stayed at the Connellsville Bed and Breakfast which I loved. Lucy is great and her place is comfortable. Do not eat at the Mexican restaurant in town. This day was mostly downhill and fun. The path is great. Ohiopyle State Park is beautiful. Day 5 - Into the point in Pittsburgh. 60ish miles. When you pass Boston, MD, the path becomes paved and a bit hilly. But, it's fun going over the bridges and seeing all the people. Hope this helps anyone thinking of going.

Thanks for the trip report. I hope to do this trip in September. If you don't mind, could you tell us your age, size(S,M,L?), bike type, and configuration.

I'm 46 and 6ft 2" tall. I was on a large transeo 4.0 hybrid bike with front shocks and disk brakes. I saw all sorts of bikes on the trail with super fat tires to the hybrid tires I had. A road bike would not survive. I trained for the trip around town which is super hilly. The longest training ride was 50 miles. I also bought a trainer so that I could ride indoors on the bike that I was going to use. Hope this helps.

I'm doing the same starting June 19th - I appreciate your post!

I too, just completed my solo ride from DC to Pittsburgh. Started on Monday and finished this morning in Pittsburgh. Overnight Stops: Harpers Ferry (Town Inn), Hancock (Super 8), Cumberland (Fairfield Inn), Confluence (Hanna House BnB, and W. Newton (Bright Morning BnB). C&O (M-W) was wet & very muddy. I strongly recommend getting off the C&O and riding the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail (22.5 miles long) into and out of Hancock. The climb out of Cumberland was long and slow on the GAP (in great shape and a pleasure to ride), but once over the E. Continental Divide it was literally all downhill from there. GAP is paved after Boston and into Pittsburgh, but stay vigilant regarding the GAP signage once you get into McKeesport and into Pittsburgh.
Vast majority of riders are going west to east and many were doing only the GAP (from some point west than to Cumberland then shuttling back to their starting point).
Best find the entire trip: The bakery right next to Gary's Chuckwagon restaurant in W. Newton on S. 2nd Street. This bakery is NOT listed or advertised on any signage on trail or in trail book. Great baked goods - this is a MUST stop for everyone!
What I missed most: Good coffee. Latte? Unheard of!

Be well and pedal on. Regards to my Canadian friend Michael!

I just finished the ride yesterday on 32 mm 250 gram Panaracer PT tires with 90 psi pressure. Absolutely no problem. I weight 175 and carried 40 lbs.

Seth, what was your average speed on the trail? And for perspective, how fast do you ride a casual 20-mile trip on the street? What was the difference in speed between the C&O and the Gap?

I would say that my average speed was between 10-12 miles on the whole trip. I did stop every 10 miles for a break. And, when I felt really tired, I'd stop every 5 miles. So, on my longest ride day (76 miles), I left at about 7:20am and limped into Frostburg at 6:10pm. That includes a 30 minute stop for lunch in cumberland and several 10-15 minute stops along the way. And, I completely support using the Western Maryland Rail Trail. I probably averaged 15 MPH on that because it's smooth and there were no people around. This was the first long trip I took on this bike. My one training ride was 20 miles and it took 40 minutes on some hilly roads in our area. I'm not sure I answered the pacing question. I thought the C&O canal was faster than I expected other than all the mud which I didn't plan on. I did have 4 pairs of dry socks which was great to have. If you have any specific questions, feel free to reach out to me directly sethlavitch at yahoo dot com

If you’re going PIT to DC you'll average 10 mph going gradually uphill until the continental divide of which you be going downhill to Cumberland and you can expect 15-18 mph (but it's only 24 miles). Cumberland to DC is flat except for the small plunges at the locks (which are fun to speed down). You'll likely be going around 10-11 the remainder of the way to DC. The dodging of rocks and tree roots and puddles on the C&O slows you down a bit. The GAP is an easier ride in terms of paying attention to the ground beneath you.

If you’re going DC to PIT, the C&O is the same expect for the little uphills at the locks. Cumberland to the Continental Divide is a slower grind, likely 8-10 mph. Continental Divide to PIT is slightly downhill but you won’t coast much Maybe 10-12 mph.

Does anyone have feedback about hotels or B&B's in Meyersdale?

We stayed at the Levi Deal Mansion in the carriage house and I cannot say enough good things about it! Immediately off the trail and a very large and comfortable space. Includes a washer and dryer inside the room, which was very much welcomed! Breakfast was delicious. Bikes were stored in a locked garage beside the carriage house.

Yoder's Guest House. Denise is great! Don't forget to eat breakfast at GI Dayroom on Main St near the bottom of the hill.

I highly recommend Morguen Toole Company. Indoor bike parking, neat building, lots of room options, a restaurant and bar and the owner and staff are very friendly. Go to the GI Day Room for breakfast they have the best pancakes!

Three of us on city commuter type bikes with 32 or 35 mm tires set off from Waterfront in Pittsburgh, carrying clothes, bike gear and credit cards. We did days of 56, 76, 60, 72, 60, 38 miles. Both GAP and C&O trails were no problem. but more work than city streets. No trees or other major obstacles. We averaged 10-12 mph the whole way. C&O was pretty muddy for the 20 miles past Cumberland and bumpy the whole way. PawPaw Tunnel was still open on June 1. The trail to bypass it looked very steep. Bike shops in Ohiopyle fixed a spoke and in Cumberland provided some minor repairs. both were very helpful. Accommodations (from Air B&B) all worked. Don't expect Bill's place in Little Orleans to be open past 7 or on Monday or Tuesday.-there's not much else there. Wildlife was amazingly abundant including deer, bear, fox, wildcat, and a ruffed grouse that chases bikes, Road to Leesburg was a little scary but nobody died. Last day we opted for the W&OD path to DC rather than C&O, trading bumpy dirt for Lycra-decorated asphalt. Variety. We still sought out (with difficulty) the C&O Mile 0 post in Georgetown for the triumphant picture. Only crowds we found were in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Final assessment is that keeping mileage <50 makes for a shorter day with more time to explore. Good trip. Do it.

You said that you averaged 10-12 mph. I am assuming that you averaged 12 mph on the GAP trail and 10 mph on the C&O trail. Is that true? Also, for perspective, how fast do you do a casual 20-mile ride on the street? My wife and I are starting on 6/21.

On flat roads I ride 10-12 but my companions are faster. We did about 11.5 mph from pittsburgh to connelsville (mostly paved); 10.0, connelsville to frostburg (uphill); 11.6, frostburg to little orleans (big downhill); 10.5, orleans to leesburg; 11.6 from leesburg to DC (all paved).

I have ridden Pgh.- DC many times, Always taking between 30 and 33 hours total ride time for the transit. Of course stops are not included. so I guess I'm doing a little over 10 mph, on a Gary Fisher Utopia with Nimbus 700 32 tires, 95 psi.

Lenny, Thanks for the information regarding speed on the trail. What is your speed for a casual 20-mile ride on the road? I am trying to put your 10 mph into perspective so that I know what I can anticipate what to expect. For instance, if you average 20 mph on a casual 20-mile ride on the road on a similar bike and then slow to 10 mph on the trail, that is much different than if you average 12 mph on the road and then slow to a 10 mph on the trail.

Just rode 18 miles last night. in 1:29. On much steeper grades than the Gap or tow path. Look like around 12mph. Bike had no gear on it though.

In the end , you got to be the judge.
it is ~ 5 miles from Brunswick to Harpers Ferry.
Round tip without sightseeing is 10 miles.
A casual walk is 2.5 miles per hour.
four hours of walking barely raises a sweat with me. The conditional line is that you claim you are not a hiker. Does that mean you hit the wall after 2 hours? If you have to ask the question, try a two hour hike around home and see if you are still into it.

Do any of you have information on how secure a bicycle would be at HI Washington DC Hostel
1009 11th Street, NW Washington, Washington DC, USA

How about other inexpensive lodgings in DC and securing a bicycle.

I rode the GAP and C&O trail in mid-July 2016. My itinerary originally included staying at the HI DC on 11th street. There's a lot of car traffic getting to the hostel from the end of the C&O on the Georgetown University campus. There also was road construction that made the ride even more hectic. When I arrived at the hostel I found it overrun by young Asian people. I have nothing against young Asians, but it was just too crowded and noisy that particular day. I really didn't feel that the hostel is in a safe area of town and a good place for a bike traveler to stay. Plus, after a 340 mile ride, I decided it would not be a good place to rest up before the long journey back home. A worker at the hostel told me there was a storage shelter on the premises in which one could store a bike. He said it was secure, but I had doubts. I recommend jumping on the Metro rail and staying at Budget Host motel in Alexandria, VA. The metro station is less than a mile away, easily accessible by bike. The motel is around $90 plus tax, which is cheap for a decent motel in the DC area. You can roll your bike right into your room so there are no worries. I don't know if the DC HI is that busy all of the time. I'm just relating my one experience. Hope this helps you with your plans!

The Paw Paw tunnel will close on June 19, 2017. This closure date is official and will require all thru-traffic to use the bi-pass trail (Tunnel Hill Trail) for the duration of the project. Currently the contractor is projecting that the project should be completed in approximately 100 days; that makes the new completion date around the end of September 2017.

They actually changed this to June 2. It is now closed

Is there a way to go from Point State Park to the trail without using Blvd. of the Allies, etc.? When going past the Blockhouse/museum, there was a large pile of dirt on the way to the Mon Warf.

Ride across the Fort Pitt Bridge on the walkway accessible behind the blockhouse. Turn right at the end of the bridge onto 2fast3of the sidewalk under the incline and turn right again into the road that leads to the incline parking. You can pick up the north side trail there

As a boy roaming the hills of West Virginia,I came across a few patches of Paw Paw's. Taste a little like bananas. Not very good.

Are there trees by the trail we could get fruit from? If so, are they ripe now? It would be fun to try.