C&O / GAP Forum

Heads up folks! Theres a new B&B in Paw Paw called Wrenwood Inn. Located in the same house as the old Heritage Trail B&B thats 2 doors up from the Liberty gas station, across the street from the bank. Open 7 days/week, year round, newly upgraded and furnished. (And I know how to cook!) Check out our website www.wrenwoodinn.com The new bike trail built by the Park Service that connects the towpath and Paw Paw is scheduled to be finished this fall. Come visit! Carol

This is GREAT news. I really hope it works out for you. We stayed in Paw Paw on our first through ride. Our second time through there was nothing open and we had to ride to Cumberland. That made for about a 60 mile day. Very hard due to rain and a muddy trail. Would have loved to been able to stop and stay in Paw Paw.

Good luck and hope to stay with you some time!

In order to get to Paw Paw WV from the Towpath do you have to go across the Highway Bridge? Cars fly across that Bridge and it does not seem safe.
Is there a Pedesterian Bridge that can take you over to PAW PAW?

The Wrenwood Inn is a a nice lunch stop in Paw Paw. I was there in June 2016. Their wraps are very good. I also looked at their rooms for future reference - they have both B&B rooms and hostel rooms. Best news - the new bike trail to Paw Paw is complete and keeps you away from traffic - no problem getting to Paw Paw.

Planning on riding from Pittsburgh to DC in late April/early May. Wondering if anyone has an opinion if buying the Trail Guide book is useful or is there enough info online? We had one for the Erie Canal trail but found it out of date pretty fast when we actually rode.

There is certainly enough info online and elsewhere that the Guide Book isn't needed. There is a very nice waterproof map of the Passage/C&O available. And it's free. BUT.... I assume that the proceeds from sales support the trails in some way and it's only $10 so I usually purchase a new one each year. The guide includes a very nice waterproof map that's worth the price alone. Some places sell it for 1/2 price near the end of the riding season.

BTW meant to add that yes it is updated regularly and there always seems to be at least 1 new item that wasn't included the year before.

Thanks for the feedback. While it does look like there is more than adequate info online, $10.00 is not going to "break the bank" and like you said it probably goes to support the trail. It will give me something to look at other than my computer and phone.

I highly recommend the Trail Book as well. Excellent resource, loaded with good information. Benefits the Trail as well. The waterproof map in the back of the book is worth its weight in gold. The other reason I would suggest bringing this (or something printed) is that there are many parts of the trail where you will not get cell service. Some of the Hiker/Biker sites for sure. I always feel it's best to carry something like that if some kind of emergency were to occur.

Just received the Trail Guide today. It will be nice to have to just look through over the winter to get more familiar with the trails. The comment on the maps being worth the purchasing the book was a "spot on" commment.

I picked the new 12th edition trail guide and it has plenty of trail Info and a map. The same company prints maps for different trails in the US. Good reading and a great way to plan for this trip.

Can anyone give me an idea on current trail conditions above Point of Rocks? Looking to do an overnight out-n-back this coming weekend. MTB or Gravel bike?

It's probably pretty good right now ... but may change depending on the amount of precipitation we get overnight tonight -- but looking like a nice weekend

Hello, I want to plan a 4 day ride in late Sept or Oct. I wanted to get input on the best towns to stop and spend the night. At the age of 53 I plan to sleep in a bed, get a hot shower, have a good bike friendly dinner and check out a place I have never been before.

I've done 5 thru rides on the Passage and 2 along the C&Okay. Also assorted other rides along different parts of both trails. Feel free to contact me and I can share info. My cell is 757 619-5522. It'seems usually.best to call as different ideas lead to different questions. Most of my trips are multiple day with a mix of indoor/outdoor stays.

I want to plan a 2 ( 1 night) or 3 (2 night) hiking trip along the C & O. No camping. Sleep in motels and eat in rest.Any itineraries out there?

I'm riding from Pittsburgh to DC in early June. I heard someone say there's a speed limit on the trail. Is this true? If so, what is the speed limit and how is it enforced?

15 MPH ... RESPECT IT PLEASE!!!!!!

Nothing to worry about really. If your going PIT to DC you average 10 mph going gradually uphill until the continental divide of which you be going down hill 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. You'll likely be going around 10-11 the whole 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 your 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 slighty downhill but you wont coast! Maybe 10-12 mph.

There no one enforcing speed on the GAP or C&O.

Tim--I believe that the 2 comments previously listed are correct... That 15mph is the speed limit and it is never enforced. Depending on one's ability, 18ish mph is doable on the flatter sections of the GAP and mid 20s on the downhill into Cumberland. Just please respect others as you approach and pass. I've never had an issue as long as you announce your presence beforehand and thank them as you pass. For me a cheap bell mounted to the handlebar worked best. It can be heard much farther in advance than your voice. Ride safely and enjoy.

I'm planning a ride from Pitt to DC in June. The gaptrail.org website indicates the trail is nearly level with an average grade less than 1%. Looking at the graphic, the elevation seems to gradually increase to mile 24 at the Eastern Continental Divide. A question to those who have ridden it eastbound, how much do you feel the uphill grade? Does it feel flat? THANKS

There is a slight increase in grade as you near the continental divide but it's not very significant. You get payback with interest as you descend to Frostburg and you can almost coast from Frostburg to Cumberland.

JK - - I've done the ride a couple times. My opinion is that you won't necessarily "feel the uphill grade", but it will reduce your speed 10-15%. It's pretty flat from Pittsburgh to Connellsville. From there to the eastern continental divide is where you start to notice the incline. So, if you've been going 15-18 till then, expect to ride at 12-15. Once you get to the divide its 20-25mph down into Cumberland. Enjoy the ride. You won't regret the journey.

Hi everyone,
Here is a quick story of my recent GAP and C&O Canal experience. I went from Pittsburgh to D.C. between Dec 22 and Dec 26 (2016). I did it on my own, on a race bike (equipped with 700x35c tires), with two bike bags and a backpack. The objective was to be completely autonomous, so I was carrying my food and everything needed to camp. In particular, I had a down sleeping bag + 2 fleece blankets to be able to sleep comfortably in cold temperatures. I also had a handmade jet stove (“P3RS”), but I did not really use it.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about the experience: it was physically hard and not very interesting in this season (it’s just 330 miles of desolated landscape). Also, it was very complicated to find water. Since it’s winter, all the pumps are down, so I spent five days drinking most of the time river water. I should also mention that the trail follows train rails and that the noise from the train is loud: if you want to sleep tight, take some earplugs with you!

- Day one (Dec 22 – 72 Miles) : my train arrived at a stupid time (Amtrak no. 29, arriving at midnight in Pittsburgh), so I started riding the GAP by night. I encountered big pools of ice during the first hour (between Pittsburgh and Homestead) and ended up with frozen feets. The path is very easy to find, there is no way to get lost, even at night. I took a 2 hours nap in Dravo’s Landing campground. This place is well equipped, with a functioning water pump, shelters and fireplaces. I then resumed biking and stopped in Ohiopyle campground in the hope to find water. I could not find any working pump, so I drank water from a nearby creek. I was exhausted and ended up sleeping there. The campground (which is not a free one) was closed, so the ranger let me sleep there for free (thanks !).
- Day two (Dec 23 – 78 Miles): I realized a bit late that there is a visitor center in Ohiopyle city (one mile after the bridge), where you can have tap water and a proper bathroom. The path was pretty easy to ride until Confluence. Between Confluence and Rockwood (and especially the miles 57-58-59), there were a lot of fallen trees blocking the path. I went to Deal (it went uphill most of the day) and had to leave the trail here to go Cumberland (Big Savage Tunnel is closed). The road to Cumberland is fairly easy: one needs to take Road 160 over 25 miles, and that’s it. The road goes through Barrelsville, Corriganville and finally Cumberland (and it goes downhill, so it’s a pretty easy end of the day). In Cumberland it’s fairly simple to find the trail again (just try to follow the train rails, and the trail must be nearby). I stopped at the Crabby Pig (a restaurant right on the trail). The food was good, but I guess after two days eating garbage, any food would feel awesome. The hot chocolate was really appreciated, though! I slept in Ewitt’s Creek, which is not far from Cumberland.
- Day 3 (Dec 24 – 61 Miles): The path conditions were very easy until the Paw Paw tunnel. One needs to be careful while crossing the tunnel (no light, potentially slippery especially if frozen), but crossing was not particularly difficult. I stopped in Hancock to buy some snacks (at the gas station) and fill my water bottle. The city is right on the path. I intended to sleep in Jordan Junction but encountered terrible mud around mile 122 which forced me to go back and sleep in Little Pool.
- Day 4 (Dec 25 – 44 Miles): After spending two hours cleaning my bike, I went back to mile 122 and switched to the Western Maryland Trail for a few miles (there is a small bridge that connects the two trails around mile 120). That trail is tarred, so it is super easy to ride on. After a few miles, I went back to the C&O Canal. I slept in Killiansburg Cave.
- Day 5 (Dec 26 – 75 Miles): I wanted to find some snacks, but I had to climb a hill to go to Sheperdstown or cross a bridge to go to Harper’s Ferry, so I waited until Brunswick. There I stopped at the Potomac

Wow!! Congrats. Impressive.
Your Day 5 discussion was cut off. Can you repost that part to the end.

Yep, here is the end.

... at the Potomac St. Grill. The bartender is a nice dude, he gave me a free hot chocolate (I must have looked really frozen!). Their food is nice as well. The path to D.C. was then pretty straightforward; I encountered only one big tree trunk on the way (a couple of miles away from Brunswick). Since night was coming and I did not want to spend too much time on the Canal by night, I exited at Seven Locks, crossed Clara Barton Parkway and found myself on MacArthur Blvd (in Glen Echo). The road is then very simple, one only needs to follow this road, which eventually becomes M St in Georgetown. I finally stopped in Foggy Bottom and took the metro home.

I hope my story will give some useful information for those who were thinking about doing it in winter. My guess is that riding the C&O and GAP in spring, and with some friends would probably be a better idea ;)

Please note: English is not my first language, I’m French. All apologies for the language mistakes…

Wow, kudos to you for completing the challenge and camping in the cold! I rode half of the trail solo from Cumberland to Connellsville in November and it was rather monotonous visually! I agree that going with friends or in the spring when scenery is more pleasant would be ideal. Although it was nice to have the trail to myself in the off season!

I have done entire C and O a few times with friends. My wife wanted to try it for the first time together. We decided we would not have time to do all 184.5 miles so we did almost 80 miles (Williamsport to Whites Ferry)in three days. It was a great trip. We wanted to do it without help from others so the logistics took some careful planning. Here is the itinerary in case you want to try it:
Day 1 - Drive to W.port and check into Red Roof. Leave bikes/gear in hotel room. Drive to enterprise car rental in Hagerstown (its very close to W. port). We both drive to Whites Ferry and leave our car there. Both of us now in rental go to Brunswick family campground and drop off camping gear, clean clothes and food inside a large plastic tub. I contacted the person who runs the campground and she said no problem leaving stuff until we get there two nights later. Drive rental car back to W.port hotel.
Day 2 - In the morning drive rental to enterprise and its their policy to give free rides home so they drive us back to hotel. Pack up bikes and hit the towpath. Ride to Shepherdstown and spend the night at Quality Inn.
Day 3 - Leave S.town and Ride to Brunswick family campground (camping stuff is there waiting for us). It was nice not having to carry tent, sleeping bags, etc. on bike).
Day 4. Leave campground for Whites Ferry where car is parked. Get in car and drive to Brunswick to pick up camping gear. Head back home.

We are very slow riders and stop to look around every lock, lockhouse, cave, etc. Also spent time in downtown W.port and S.town. Looked around Harper's Ferry and Ferry Hill Plantation for a while. We fished and swam in Potomac a few spots.
Great three days on the towpath.

Correction - Meant to title this discussion Williamsport to White's Ferry (not Cumberland).

I would like to document our upcoming trip by making a video. Would appreciate any input on what type of cameras people have used. Looking at GoPro but have heard they are not user friendly for editing video. Suggestions?

On my video of Homestead to Pittsburgh which is on this page I used a Contour Camera. Had it hooked up the handlebars. My buddy uses a GoPro and has no trouble editing. I guess it's all up to which editing program you decide to use.

Seems like GoPro and personal iPhones are whats used most.The editing issues will depend on what you will be using on your computer to edit the footage.It can get as simple or complicated as you want to make it.Lots of programs to choose from.

I use a GoPro Hero4 Camera and attach it to my handlebars. You can also attach it to your chest, wearing it like a Body Cam. Be sure to have a few batteries because when shooting at HD there is alot of battery drain. I record at 720 which saves on battery life. As far as accessories buy the aftermarket ones like Smatree. You can find them on Amazon. Their a lot cheaper. Also go with the GOPRO Hero 4 and make sure the batteries and accessories you buy match, that is they are Hero4 compatiable! The HERO4 has a LCD Viewer, the cheaper GOPros do not have a viewer. You need a Viewer.

I recently purchased the GoPro Hero 5. The feature I like most about this camera (besides that the fact that it can film in 4K resolution) is that it can be controlled by your voice. You simply tell it when to start recording or stop recording, no need to stop and fumble with the small buttons. It also has image stabilization which will help to dampen the vibration of the trail.

Thanks for all the input. My son is sending me his GoPro 4 to try. The 5 sounds really nice with the voice command feature. Our trip is not until Sept. so I have plenty of time.

group of novice riders plan to go pgh to dc.need help planning trip with everything from weather lodgeing food and packing. THANKS

Driest month would probably be one of the summer months, probably July but I suggest referencing the Farmer's Almanac. First time I would probably do the hotel route unless you have done a lot of camping before. Plus you will probably sleep better and the trip overall will be better. As far as planning a lot will depend on the distance you want to travel, number of days to do it and the miles per day you intend to cover.

Remember that July is hot though. I rode from DC to Pittsburgh in July and it was warm. I'd also ask questions at the Great Allegheny Passage unofficial Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gapcando/

Its a fairly easy trip to plan. I would consider watching some youtube videos as that will clue you into a lot of what you may want to do. Yes, July or August. You want dry on the C&O

I've had best luck with weather (no rain)during August and September. Did a ride once over Memorial Day weekend and nearly froze to death. It would probably be a good idea to the get the guide book to assist in the planning, especially if you plan on staying in hotels and B&Bs. The guidebook has ads from the hotels/B&Bs and many of the restaurants along the trail. I suspect you'd need to make reservations for the lodging and plan accordingly (I personally prefer to camp). As far as food goes, I generally don't carry a lot because there are diners and restaurants in most of the towns along the way; however, dining options are fewer and far-between on the C&O section. Pack light and bring rain gear. I've biked in temperatures in the 90s and it didn't bother me (you've always got a breeze blowing on you depending on how fast you're riding).

If you go in warm weather bring bug spray, watch for poison ivy it's all over, recommend fenders.

I've done 5 thru rides on the Passage and 2 on the C&O. This past Oct my wife and I plus 3 beginner riders did an 8 day trip. If you'd like to contact me feel free to do so. 757 619-5522. I've done a mix of indoor/outdoor stays and can suggest various options. I don't mind offering sme advise. We were all rookies at 1 time.

Your site says Confluence, MD. Please change to Confluence, PA

Thank you for pointing that out - I have corrected it.

Hello all!

Fantastic site!

My wife and I are planning a family trip from Pittsburgh to D.C. In May or June. The kicker is we are planning on taking the kids. We have a 3 yo and 4 yo (she will be 5 when we go)

We currently use rear bike seats attached to rear racks or a Burley, I read Burleys are not good on the passage so we would use the seats which would cripple the amount of packs we could take. So we are thinking of getting the BOB yak or Ibex cargo trailer.

The other option is to get the weehoo child trailer. This would allow us to pack on our racks and on the trailer.

Our kids are pretty tiny, about 29 lbs each.

Any thoughts or ideas?

The C&O can get a little bumpy in places. Also, there are several area along the trail where it's close to the edge of the river. So something you have high confidence that will stay connected. You may want to also consider having your children wear PFDs when traveling near the water's edge.

Awesome advice.

I just purchased the Weehoo iGo Venture. Weehoo was offering a 30% discount end of year sale and I could not pass it up.

We ride along the Ohio and Erie canal towpath often so we are used to riding around water, but you can never be safe enough! Great idea and warning.

You might enjoy the Journal of a woman that road the trip on a recumbent trike. https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=tS&page_id=460530&v=9n I always enjoy seeing families on the trail. I did a cross Illinois ride with a large group of people and many were families with tagalongs, tandems with special coaster peddles etc. Go for it enjoy.

I just finished Ana's story and makes me want to leave right now! Thank you for the suggestion.

You ARE QUIT welcome I am doing a lot of armchair traveling in preparation for September on the C&O Great Allegheny. Happy trails.

What kind of weather can we expect for the first week of Oct.? We plan to leave by 8 each morning so what can we expect temp.wise. Looking at some of the videos on YouTube Oct. can be pretty chilly.

Should be a good time. I've done Pitts. to DC in mid to late Oct. Can get cold in higher elevations north of Cumberland. Leafs won't have changed by then, but bugs should not be a problem. Biggest problem is rain, it can get muddy. Be prepared especially if you are planning to camp.