C&O / GAP Forum

Curious if anyone had any encounters with bears, venomous snakes, or other potentially dangerous wildlife along the C&O towpath ?

No bears or snakes 2 weeks ago, plenty of deer and turkeys.

Nothing dangerous the last week of July...unless you count deer who seemingly had no fear or me/my bike whatsoever and just stood there and watched a few feet away as I SLOWLY moved past (not confident in their potential movements). It was awesome!

I've never encountered any bears or snakes. Probably more blue herons and raccoons!

There are poisonous snakes along the route as well as bear. But you'd be lucky to see one. We saw a Copperhead just east of Cumberland a few years ago. Got a neat video of a black snake stretched across the tracks on the Western Md. Rail Trail outside Frostburg. And I saw the Granddaddy of all blacksnakes several years ago near White's Ferry at a campsite. The sucker had to be 10' long! He was eye level with me, his body went to the base of the tree, into a hollow in the tree, came out the other side, then curled around and was almost touching his body where it first entered the tree. No joke. The most remote section of the C&O is between Old Town and just east of Paw Paw before you get to Hancock. There are bear along that stretch but you'd be lucky to see one.

In Sept of 2014, I spotted a rather large copperhead crossing the path about 8 miles from Georgetown on the C&O. It was strange because as many of you know, that's right where the trail starts getting pretty congested with all sorts of DC metro area recreational users. I stayed to make sure he crossed safely, and told a few users up ahead to keep an eye out.

I've the c&o / gap several times. The biggest problem with wildlife I've had is raccoons. They will raid your camp site. They are smart, sneaky, and persistent. They may be cute in the cartoons but they are nasty in the middle of the night. Coyotes can be creepy to hear at night but have never come close.

Most dangerous animal I have encountered is the kind you see in the mirror. Just because you are away from large metro areas most of the trip does not mean there are not predators out there. Generally, though, those types are too lazy to leave the city...Take the usual precautions.

I did the entire C&O by myself this past summer. I went in July. I never saw any bears or poison snakes. The worst part for me was near places that rent bicycles for trail use by familes. Most young kids do not know to ride single file when approaching another rider!? I was nearly run over several times. I am hoping parents will do a better job teaching their children how to use/ride the trail.

My son and I rode the C&O in June. We saw quite a bit of wildlife - no bears or rattlesnakes, but there was a goat that was very reluctant to let us get by.

Porcupine that had no intention of moving on the hill up to Savage tunnel, turtles, snakes, too many deer to count, no bear though.

Any reviews/comments on the Rockwood Trail House? Thanks.

Stayed at Hostel on Main, clean, full kitchen, AC, Cable TV, washer/dryer, $30, Basically a four star bunkhouse, although I had the whole place to myself mid August, 2016.

I second Steve's recommendation. I've stayed at The Hostel on Main many times and never been disappointed.

The first time my entire family did the GAP, we stayed at the Hostel on Main. We had the back room and when we got there, it seemed great. But about 11:00pm, the tenant upstairs came home, apparently drunk and was screaming and yelling and seemingly trying to bust through the floor. This went on for hours and we eventually had to go to the front room and sleep on the floor.

My son and I rode the trail in June 2016 and stayed at the Hostel on Main. The accomodations were fine, the hosts were very friendly, and the price was right. And the food at the Rockwood Mill Shoppes was very good.

just finished 5 day Pitts to DC. Be sure to have extra water and energy bars/snacks with you on the C&O portion. Not all the water pumps seemed to be primed/working and many of the restaurants were closed (maybe because of the season) or were far off the canal. Found almost nothing convenient and open from Cumberland to Hancock.

Where did you stay each night?
Did you try Bill's Place in Little Orleans?

Yes, its after labor day.
Both Bills Place in Orleans is closed Mondays and Tuesdays...and the Schoolhouse Kitchen in Oldtown are closed on Mondays. Those are the two places I try to stop between Hancock and Cumberland.
Just after the west entrance of the Paw Paw tunnel you could leave the towpath and travel on route 51 for around a mile to get to Paw Paw WV and eat at the Liberty minimart.

You will go up a major hill so be prepared to use different muscles.

Hi there, has anyone seen a man pulling a cart carrying a decorated box along the towpath?
The decorations on the box indicate that he is making some sort of pilgrimage or protest march from Los Angeles to D.C.
I believe that he is a Mennonite and is making this trip for political/religious reasons. He should be east of Cumberland. I'm an independent journalist and would REALLY like to contact him. Please Let me know if you've seen or heard about him.
Thanks!
Thomas Parry

There was a mention on the unofficial GAP facebook page of a sighting on 3/12 on the GAP trail between mile markers 12 and 11.

Must be a slow day. I went and checked the facebook post re: "man pulling a cart carrying a decorated box". He might not be Mennonite, I dunno. He goes by the name Ras Ible on facebook.
Just had a facebook post on his account claiming he just left Falling Waters campsite in WVA.

That's quite the cart and cause .... interesting to say the least.

I just happened to see your post...I was running earlier today and saw him just coming into Point of Rocks at about 11:30 AM. He had stopped for a break...

By the way...he was pulling the cart on foot. I noticed "Rasible for mayor" and "End Prohibition in 2016" painted on the cart. It also had a huge red cross symbol on the side. It is a good size cart. Large enough to sleep in. I was just amazed he was pulling it on foot. I did get some good pictures.

Interesting story. He goes by Ras Ible...he is a military veteran on his way to D.C. (from the west coast) to protest for the legalization of medicinal Marijuana. The cart is actually solar powered.

He made it to DC

He's parked downtown DC in front of the Chamber of Commerce

I'm planning ahead to do the GAP + C&O next year in 6 days. In reviewing the elevation changes, I'm considering the following and wanted to get others' opinion on best stopping points for the GAP portion:
Day 1 - Pitt to Connellsville (62 miles) - no significant elevation change
Day 2 - Connellsville to Rockwood (44 miles) ~1,000 ft elevation up
Day 3 - Rockwood to Cumberland (44 miles) ~1,000 ft elevation down
Thanks!

I did Pitt to Manassas two weeks ago. Did the same sections you listed, had no problem.

That is the most common ride of the GAP. I have never done all of that but have done the Connellsville to Cumberland in two days last October. I remember arriving in Cumberland so early that afternoon from coasting down the mountain. The next day I turned around to go back for my ride up the mountain with touring/camping gear and it certainly was much longer but once over the divide I remember coasting to Meyersdale. I am going to be doing a Connellsville to Pittsburgh in two days and then back because part of that I have never been and plan to spend some time in the area around the rivers and possibly some kayaking near the point.

The GAP may require a bit more planning simply because there isn't a hiker/biker campsite every few miles. My daughter (9yr old) and I did the same first two stops you did, but found we averaged over 21mph (yeah, I know... speed limit 15) from the divide to Cumberland. With this extra "boost" we pushed on and camped at Lock 75.
I think you'll find the second half of day 3 just flies by.
We met a fellow along the trail who told us to be sure we visited the museum in the basement of the WM Railway depot. WELL worth it, and it was a good break for us as the temps were in the mid-90's. -Highly recommend.

Had a couple questions.
I plan to ride from Conellsville to Pitt spend a night and take the train back in the morning.
1. I've never taken the train, don't really know how all that works with a bike, also can you take your bike in Penn station or do you have to leave it outside?
2. Are the hotels in the city bike friendly?
Thank you for your help.

We rode the train from DC to Pitt. We bought tickets online and added the option of bringing the bike. There are only a limited number of bikes available on each train. In DC we took our bikes in a he station and checked in at the desk and they gave us luggage tags to put on the bikes. When boarding the train we took the bikes in line and then they boarded us separately. We took the bikes to a car that had hooks to secure the bikes. You need to take of the panniers and take then with you to your seat on the train.

We stayed at the Homewood Suites in Pittsburg after we came in on the train. It is just a few blocks from the train station and the area was well lit. You can take your bikes up to your hotel room.

Thank you so much, helps a lot!

I did the trip in reverse. Same good experience. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on the southside of the 10th Street bridge. Pretty handy the train station as well. No problem at all with the bike in the room. Came back to the same hotel when I finished my 5 day ride back from DC.

How was the ride from the Pittsburgh train station to that hotel. Is that all vehicle roads or are there any bike lanes or trails that can be done. What route did you take. I am going to be riding into Pittsburgh and then out the next day but sometime want to to Pitt to DC.

In the spring I road the train with my bike from DC to Cumberland after cycling the towpath and loved the train ride and had never ridden from one town to another and it was quite interesting and and a lot of it was a different view of the towpath.

Is there free parking in Brunswick, MD for C&O Trail riders? I see large lot near the RR. Is it free?

Yes!

Greeting. I was wonder what people tended to ride on the C&O. 28 mm or wider?

I've used both 32 and 35 on the C&O. Both worked well. I preferred 35. I wouldn't recommend any smaller.

I too like 35s. 32s would probably be fine UNLESS YOU RUN INTO RAIN. The C&O can get really muddy!!

The GAP on the other hand...I'd be fine with 28s or even 25s over there.

Keep in mind that the trail will generally get softer once we start hitting the freeze/thaw weather.

That's my 2 cents.

Favorite B&B on the GAP.
My wife and I stayed here in October 2016. We very much enjoyed the place. It was clean and spacious. The breakfast buffet was well stocked and made it easy to select the items that appealed to us.

Last, the owners took the time to visit and get to know us, taking an interest in our travels.

We'd highly recommend staying here.

Just finished day two of my ride from Cumberland to DC. The trail between Cumberland and Harpers Ferry is terrific. But… rain is forecast for tomorrow which could change this considerably. I'll give another report tomorrow after I am finished with riding the entire trail

JK, thanks for your blog and videos! I will be out on the cannal at the end of the month and your videos showed me that even if the weather is not so great we can still do this ride! Glad you had a wonderful trip.

I'm riding from Pittsburgh to DC this Wedneasday through Sunday. Can anybody share the trail conditions?

Thurs and Fri from Cumberland to Harper's Ferry was terrific. But with today's rain probably not so much. There were several sections of the trail between Harper's and DC that were barely passable. Lots of mud. Maybe someone on the trail tomorrow can give a better update.

Last weekend was my experience on the GAP/C&O, and I learned quite a bit. I'll share our story with some tips so that others may plan to be more prepared than us!

Three of us (my father, 60yo 240lb, not-so-fit but can just keep pedaling, me, pro xc mountain bike racer, and a buddy Stefano, 44yo, very competitive recreational rider) planned to do Pitt to DC in 3 days, staying in hostels/hotels on the way.

My setup: Trek Boone with worn out 34mm Hutchinson Bulldog tubeless cyclocross tires, 42 ring with 11-28 cassette, full fenders front and rear, Di2 drivetrain. I had a seatbag with 2xC02s and 2x tubes, and a tire lever.

Dad's setup: Trek Crockett with 32mm Specialized Roubaix pro tubeless tires, full fenders, 38t, 11-28 Di2 drivetrain, bell (!). Seatbag with 1x tube, C02, lever, frame mounted hand pump.

My backpack had: running shorts and shirt, very light wind shell jacket and pants, cheap thog sandals, spare socks, spare gloves, chargers for phone and garmin, chamois butter, deodorant, toothbrush, multi tool, chain lube. All in, my camel back, with phone and wallet, weighed 5.5lbs.

The first day (Pitt-DC), we stopped at Waffles INCaffienated for breakfast on our way out of town. It was excellent. Good coffee, too, and only about 1/4 mile off the trail.

We stayed the first night in Meyersdale, in Morgan Toole's hostel bedding, which was really great for the price. Food at the restaurant wasn't bad, though we might have been too tired to notice. It had rained on us for the last few hours of the ride that day; I was really happy to see the GAP hold up well to steady rainfall, as it remained perfectly rideable the whole time.

Day two was a short climb up to the divide, then 'bomb' down to Cumberland. We had breakfast at a small diner across from Morgan Toole (can't remember the name; it was 1 block away) and it was good, but not as great as waffles from day 1. Cumberland was an awesome place to stop for coffee and/or lunch, as there were many options within a few hundred yards of the trail. From there, the C&O started, and we quickly realized that those of us who had fenders were going to be much drier, cleaner, and happier than those who did not. We stopped longer than normal for lunch and pushed our luck bit with timing sunset, but safely got into the Red Roof Inn in Williamsport before it got dark. This Inn was a small climb away from the trail, which seemed eternal after so many miles of flatness. Red Roof was nice enough, especially considering its relatively low cost. We skipped early breakfast in Williamsport (not much open at 7:30a on Sunday) in favor of a ride to Sharpsburg for coffee/brunch. A stop by Shepardstown is well worth the short detour from the trail. It's a quaint little college town with plenty of coffee shop/quality lunch options. Once into DC, we took bike paths from C&O mile 0 over to Reagan Airport to rent a one way car back to Philly. We could've waited for the train the next day, but I had to be back at work Monday morning.

Things learned from the trip, in no particular order:

Bring a small bike bell. It's nice to have, and makes life 1000x easier when navigating the amusment park-like crowds as you approach DC.

Full fenders, front and rear, are a must. Next time I will have a large mud flap hanging from my front fender to give even more coverage for my feet and the bike's BB.

The gearing range of your bike is largely irrelevant unless you plan to venture off the trail far. In that case, be prepared for large hills.

A small headlight was a life saver for the one long unlighted tunnel (Paw Paw?), but otherwise wasn't really needed, as we were never out at night. A true boyscout-type might bring one just in case, but we were trying to stay light. One light for the three of use sufficed.

Pack some extra food with you, especially on C&O. I'm usually a stickler for nutrition planning in races, but my bra

Rick thank you for the very informative post. I'm sorry that the website cut off the end of your comment; here is the rest:

I'm usually a stickler for nutrition planning in races, but my brain was firmly switched into 'cruise' mode for this trip, so I just ate when we stopped at restaurants. This led to me being hangry on more than one occasion. Keep some snacks on board to prevent this.

The backpack method worked very well for us, but we only needed to be prepared for temps ~47-70F. I might consider a rack/pannier situation if I needed to bring more clothing. However, it was really nice to not have a 50lb bike when going up and down stairs or hopping ledges/curbs around town.

I hope this helped give a few people ideas on how to pack relatively light and get this trip done!

Thanks , I have a rack on the back of the bike planning to do Cumberland to Dc this Memorial day weekend... Do I still need the fenders if i have the rack with the bag that has the built in paineirs?

Just went back and read this - I hope your Memorial day trip went well. To answer for others who might be reading... I would try to get a fender under the rack. If you get full coverage around the back tire all the way to the bike's bottom bracket, it will keep a fair amount of mud/water off the drivetrain and bearings, as well as the rear brake (if you're using some time of rim brake). When purchasing fenders, just try for the widest that will fit in your frame, not the perfect size match for your tires. Wider is always better as long as it fits through the seat and chain stays.

bike bells are mandatory in Maryland!

Good evening,

Anyone have information about the current trail conditions from DC to Cumberland? I know it's a big stretch, but three of us are hitting the trail on Saturday and need some mental preparation. If you know, or know where we can find trail condition updates, or know who to call, please pass along.

Cheers,
Christophe Casamassima

Trail conditions between Cumberland and Hancock were excellent. A few muddy areas but nothing major.

Just arrived in Cumberland tonight (Fairfield Inn). Starting my ride in the morning. To Hancock tomorrow. Then to Harper's on Friday. Then to DC on Saturday.
My blog:
candocanalbiker . blogspot . com

Day 1 in the books. Excellent trail conditions. A few mud puddles but not bad. Loved being able to get on the WMRT for the last 10 miles into Hancock. I put a video compilation on my blog site:
candocanalbiker . blogspot . com