C&O / GAP Forum

Ok guys I am planning on going from Cumberland to Georgetown. I will be doing it over July 3,4,5th. We are planning on camping the entire time and possibly the last night at a campground with shower. What are people using for securing the bikes while in towns eating, and overnight? I would assume a basic cable lock, but they aren't the best.

Has anyone had any issues leaving the bikes cable locked while in a restaurant along the trail or overnight at the camp? Do you remove your bags from the bikes while going into various establishments. I am new to the bike packing/touring thing. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I sometimes carry a light weight cable lock that came with my Yakima rack. Most times I don't use it but my bike/panniers are where I can see them while eating,etc. I seldom remove my panniers from my bike. They are waterproof Arkel's so they need less protection. I do remove my food bag and hang it or place in my tent depending on where I am. I do tend to keep a close eye on my stuff and generally act according to my surroundings. My bike is usually pretty close to my tent overnight. Hope this helps.

My wife and I do credit card camping, so I can't answer the overnight portion of your question....lol. We had the same concerns as you regarding eating, going into businesses, etc. In all of our riding, and not just the C&O/GAP, we have never had a problem. Our bikes are fully loaded on our trips. We will even leave our gloves and helmets on our bikes when we go inside. We do take our wallets & phones with us, however. Whenever possible we leave our bikes where we can see them or where they are out in the open. The way our paniers and bike bags are mounted to the racks would make it fairly hard to take them. I wish you the best on your ride. Let us know how it is goes.

I should have added this to my post above. When we stop for the night we do lock our bikes up with a cable lock. Many of the places we stay have a little barn or garage to keep the bikes. Even then, we run the cables through the wheels and frames and at least lock them together.

When I did venture into town (like Tony's Pizza Time Cafe in Williamsport, MD) and there was no bike rack, I just rested it against the outside of the restaurant. I always took my valuables inside with me and left the panniers on the bike. I sat right next to the window where the bike was resting to keep an eye on it. I usually tried to stop at places with bike racks or places I could securely lock up. At the hiker/biker sites I only locked at places where there was car parking. If it was a remote H/B site I did not lock at all.

I'll add one suggestion. When I put the panniers on my bike I always add two nylon ties to each one. The heaver ones that will need cut off. I also carry long ones for the wheels to frame. They are liter then carrying a lock for the entire trip and will stop a hit and run. If a pro wants your stuff, nothing is going to stop them. Just do what other people say, keep it close. The good news is, I have not heard or had any bad news regarding this issue. Take precautions then just don't worry it and enjoy your trip.

I agree, a lightweight cable plus a lock are what you need and always take your valuables off the bike when it will be out of sight. I simply stash my stuff in my handlebar bag. Beware of the drive in camping areas along the C & O. They are crowded on weekends but may be even less safe during the week when unoccupied.

Greg, just for your information there is a showerhead at the public restrooms in the Joseph Hancock City Park in Hancock, MD just off the WMRT. You can soak yourself good there but don’t recommend stripping down since there are no barriers or stalls, just wide open spaces. If you’re on the cheep you can get a shower at the C&O Bicycle shop right on the towpath and WMRT also in Hancock. I don’t recall how much it is but I am sure it can’t be more than say $5 per person. I believe you can also get a shower at the Harper’s Ferry Hostel in Knoxville, MD and do your laundry there also but best call ahead to find out for sure. Have a great adventure and enjoy the ride.

Lock it, lock it good, especially around Tourist Towns like Harpers Ferry.
Don't make things easy for a lowlife thief.

I stayed at Little Orleans campground for a night. The people where very nice and the showers were clean and the water hot. I walked down to Bill`s place for a hot dinner and a couple of beers. Since i was by myself they let me stay at the main campground and not where all the tents mainly are.
Also,,call ahead and make sure bike week isn`t going on. Hundreds of Harleys and people. Hope you have a great ride

If anyone is interested, I am riding solo from Pitt (mile 0) to DC in 5 days starting on Sunday, May 3rd at roughly 8AM. Day 1 to Ohiopyle (75mi), day 2 to Cumberland (75mi), day 3 to Hancock (60mi), day 4 to Harpers Ferry (60mi) and the last day to DC (60mi)... Would enjoy some company if anyone wants to join. Will be driving back from Reagan to PIT so would be willing to share the car space permitting.

Great intinerary! Those five stops were the exact locations of my first GAP/C&O trip. You should be in Hancock tonight. Hope you don't miss the Western Maryland Rail Trail (just before Hancock) which parallels the C&O for 22 gloriously paved miles. If not, you'll get the last half of it tomorrow morning from Hancock. Hope you're enjoying your trip!

Thanks, John. I'm happy to report it was a success. No flats, no issues...just great scenery and super nice people. Also happy to report that I didn't miss the WMRT either.

Great to hear Jerry! Happy to hear you caught the WMRT as well, it's such a nice diversion. I'm still trying to find a timeframe to do the trail this summer but hope to have it nailed down soon. Glad your trip was a success. John.

Newbie here to the GAP/C&O. I did not know anything about it until staying in Harpers Ferry @ the Tea Horse Hostel (Highly Recommend) during a section hike on the AT.

Looking for any itineraries out there that will be a good starting point for planning a thru ride. My wife and 2 teenagers will be riding along. Was thinking about keeping it around 7/8 days going eastbound.

Thank You in advance for any assistance.

Well, if you can ride 50 miles a day you can cover the whole GAP/C+O route in 8 days. I'd go from Pittsburgh to DC as the uphill is more gentle that way. If you want to camp at night it's no problem and resupply is easy. Get the trail guide book, it's got all the details you'll need, and more.

Me, I hiked the thing starting in DC.
I'm also an AT section hiker

This website has all of the information you need for planning itineraries. Just click on the towns show on the maps, and that will take you to another page with all of the services available. We rode from Pittsburgh to DC last June over a week, averaging about 60 miles/day. We stayed in inns/hotels at Pittsburgh, W. Newton, Confluence, Cumberland, Hancock and Harpers Ferry. Biggest problem for us were the long stretches on the C&O between Cumberland-Hancock and Brunswick-Georgetown with little or no services, water or places to eat.

hello good people...does anyone know if big slackwater is ok or is the detour in effect? i will be riding from rockwood to dc at the end of this month. just curious of the current conditions.
thank you much!

It's was reopened in 2013 but if high waters (spring thaw or big rain) were a problem, I imagine they would just detour you the same direction as it's traditionally been. I actually enjoyed the smooth asphalt for 6 miles but that's just me. Others may find it inconvenient. Enjoy your trip!

Big Slackwater has been completely restored. They did a beautiful job. You will not have any issues.
Great views of the river along the rout. Enjoy!

Thanks John W. I actually rode to to DC last May and Big Slackwater was closed off. The detour was a little discouraging being that I was able to experience Big Slackwater Oct 2013. It was a beautiful day in May so the scenic detour was actually not too bad. Thanks for your response.--HAPPY RIDING!
Thank you also Randy. Again, I was aware of the restoration and loved it. Just hoping my two children will be able to experience it next week when we begin our journey. If not, they will have to settle for my 2013 video footage.-- HAPPY RIDING!

Yaaaayyyy!!! Big Slackwater was open to riders 5/2/15 and it was beautiful...Weather was gorgeous and I was pleased to have experienced it with my children and group. ENJOY!!

Hey all, I was wondering how well this trail compares to the Katy (if you've done that one?) in areas like, camping availability, safety, services, trail surface, grades, etc... -You know, the kind of stuff that makes bike touring fun!

I rode the Katy last fall with my 9yr old on a tandem with trailer and have since upgraded my 2 wheel trailer to a single-wheel BoB unit. I'm doing another bike-camping ride with my (will be) 9yr old in 2016 and really looking forward to it.

Hi Awf, I rode the Katy last year and have done short stretches of the C&O a lot. You will definitely want your BOB trailer rather than a 2 wheel for the C&O especially from Cumberland to DC. The C&O is a Nat'l Park, so you will find free camp sites every 10 miles or so from Cumberland down. Most of them have water and porta Johns. There are plenty of towns for supplies but you will need to go further off trail than the Katy. Feel free to e-mail me direct.

It's not as smooth as the crushed limestone of the Katy.

Good morning all,

What is the recommended trip time from The Point in Pittsburgh to Ronald Reagan International (Rental Car Return)?

I am trying to get a group of average 40-somethings together on the same page regarding 6days/5nights and 5days/4nights.

We've read several of the thru-trip reports and have agreed that 4 days/3 nights is not for us.

Unsupported, Inn-to-Inn, 4 riders, 1st week in October, Has-beens

We would like to have a nice breakfast and dinner each day.

5 nights will put you around the 65 miles a day. Definitely doable. But I would suggest maybe do six nights? Five nights I found myself getting into town later than I wanted and really pushing miles just to make town rather than enjoying the sights. If you are all 40-something's, yes I would do 6 nights, no less. Happy Journey!

I have done the ride 3 times, all of them 5 day rides with 4 nites lodging, meeting all the criteria you have outlined. first 2 day were 75 miles and the tow path in 3 more. I could give you day by day itinerairy if you like with the towns and hotels i stopped at.

Thank you guys/gals for your input. We settled on 5 days/4 nights due to work/life commitments. I pushed for 6/5 being the biggest (literally) has-been of the group. Time will tell who was right.

Our Itinerary is:

Point State Park to Connellsville - 61 miles
Connellsville to Frostburg - 76 miles
Frostburg to Hancock - 76 miles
Hancock to Harper's Ferry - 70 miles
Harper's Ferry to D.C. - 56 miles

2 of our quartet live in Md. so they will be renting a car one-way to us and then my wife and I will rent one-way in DC for the return.

Has anyone worked on/seen/considered mapping the entire trail into Google Earth?

Since they made the Pro version free we could do some really cool things like adding information real-time and collaboratively.

I am going to start working on one, but I don't want to "re-invent the wheel".

We are starting on Friday, May 1st and have rented a car to return to Pittsburg @ the Hertz @ the Key Bridge Marriot just across the bridge in Arlington at the end of the trail. Airports can be very busy area's and usually not very bike friendly. Best of luck

JohnS, if you turn on Roads in Google Earth under Primary Database and zoom into the map, you will see both the GAP and C&O. Not sure why it's categorized under roads but it's there. I've also seen mapping layers of both. Someone has either digitized it into a GIS or converted GPS coordinates they collected into a mapping layer.

Ric, were you able to get a bike rack from Hertz? SUV with dis-assembly? Looks like you'll have beautiful weather. You'll probably pass us as we will be rafting on the Yough on Saturday

John W. Kind of new to Google Earth. It looks like I could create a folder which we all could share with POI like bathrooms/campgrounds/water/trail hazards/detour routes, etc. Do you know if there is a way to highlight that route without retracing it entirely?

Renting a small SUV, we are travel in an HHR and just remove the front w wheels so I'm sure /anticipating we can get them there. Wish we had time to raft, maybe next time. Have a great time rafting. Ric

Plan to start my ride mid day Thursday with a goal to be done by Saturday. I will be riding with my pack as such try to drop weight thinking about ditching the water filter and a few other items. Any thoughts comments on the essentials? Decided to bring fuel and dehydrated meals.

Looks like it will be in the 30s in the am. Just bring some warmer stuff for that. Forecast doesnt look bad.

If you want to be done by Saturday that gives you 1/2 of Thursday and all day Friday to ride. What ride are you planning to do?

Has anyone used a rental car to get to Cumberland md. On a one way trip.

Enterprise is pretty good with one way rentals. They are in Cumberland.

I'm heading down from CT on the 23rd of April using Hertz and will be returning from DC the same way when I'm done.

Hello friends,
Just a quick heads up regarding the C&O. There has been vandalism of signs at Cushwa Basin (Williamsport, MD)
We can all help out here. If you witness any Vandalism, please have the courage to report it the Authorities. Get a detailed description of the culprits (use photos and videos) and report it. The Budget and money for trails is tight and now the Park Service will be spending money to fix problems caused by Vandals. This is money that could have been spent improving the trail and infrastructure. We can all help out here. If I witness it I will report it. Please help!

I am planning a Fall 2015 trip self contained from Pittsburgh to DC. I will stay over in Pittsburgh area, park , start at Point Park and travel to DC, rent car in DC, drive back to my car in Pittsburgh. My questions are; where would be a decent place to stay close to start of trail, where would be a good place to park for the week or so I will be gone? Any suggestions? Thanks,

im planning a trip from Pittsburgh to DC. Would you recommend an older steel framed road bike or a mtn bike? I understand a hybrid/touring is ideal but purchasing or renting a bike isn't in my budget. Thank you for your help!

would use the mt bike but put a less agressive tire on it, if it doesnt already have them.

okay, thank you for the quick response.

If your road bike will fit larger tires, at least 32 mm wide, and has mounts for fenders and racks, it should be fine. I rode the entire trail on a touring bike with 32 mm Panaracer Paselas and it was fine. Next time, however, I will put cross tires with some tread on my bike.

If I'm planning on completing the entire trail from DC to Maryland, would I need to pre plan/ reserve a lodge or camping ground to stay in, or do people usually play it be ear? and how much would it normally cost to complete the trail with the use off all the necessities (eat,sleep,drink,shower,etc.)

We usually have a support vehicle and camp. There are campgrounds every 5 miles with water, picnic table and porta-pot. Some are free - others cost $10 to put up a tent if they are road-accessible. If you stay in hotels, cost would be more. Meals extra, accessible at limited places - carry snacks with you.

Gracie, Last year my wife and I rode from Pittsburg to Dc. This was a credit card trip (no camping.) Due to the fact that it was mid Oct. and great weather we made all nightly reservations in advance. We ran into a snag about the 4th day when i had a tire rupture mid way between 2 major towns. Cost us part of a day getting a replacement tire. There was no way we could honor a reservation at a motel we'd reserved and cell service was spotty at best. We were able to contact and cancel the reservation but they didn't have to work with us as it was way less than 24 hours. I made a promise to myself at that time to always travel with at least a minimum of overnight gear. Tent, and sleeping gear.
So the answer is, if camping you probably don't need to reserve a space but if staying indoors I would likely reserve at least a few nights. Camping is a different matter the HBO's along the route (Hiker/Biker Overnights are free and have plenty of room. There is a fee for the group sites. As far as costs most B&B's are appx. $125, a motel might be anywhere from $65/$95, hostels around $25, etc. Meals would be about what you'd pay anywhere else, As low as $5/$10 and over $20 depending on the type of resturant. A nice option might be to switch between a campsite one night and a motel the next. There's something really great about a shower after a 40/60 miles ride! We generally do a 7 day ride for $600/$700 including a shuttle, meals, and indoor lodging. Nope this helps.

Hi Gracie. You did not mention when you plan on making your trip. If you are doing this during the summer, and you are planning on doing any B&Bs, I would absolutely make reservations. We book our entire through ride several months in advance. Some towns only have one or two places to stay, Paw Paw for example. Rick has some very good information in his post. Good luck!

A little word of warning about some of the Hiker/Biker campsites along the C&O towpath; some are very prone to pooling after a decent rainstorm (pooling in that there will be a pond of water about three to six inches deep). The most notorious sites are Cumberland Valley mp 95.2 and Turtle Run mp 34.4 but the best advice is to always seek the high ground when pitching your tent. There is also the issue of railroad noise especially from Harper’s Ferry to Dickerson, MD. There are two campsites I highly recommend that if you stay their that you use earplugs; they are Bald Eagle Island mp 49.9 and Calico Rocks mp 47.6 because the CSX mainline is less then 100 feet and it sounds like the train is coming right through your tent at night. Oh and they do blow their horns. As far as motel/B&B establishments, yes get reservations but always ask about their cancellation policy and will they work with you if your delayed by weather or mechanical breakdowns. I can’t speak too much about any of the establishments along the GAP, but along the towpath I personally recommend the Wernwood Inn in Paw Paw, WV or if you are going to push hard from Cumberland, you can stay cheep at the C&O Bicycle Shop’s bunkhouse for only $10 a night. Just remember to bring your sleeping bags if you plan to stay in the bunkhouse. Highly recommend that you avoid Little Orleans Lodge in Little Orleans and Candlelight Inn in Williamsport at all cost. Both are pricey, overrated, and have persistent cleanliness issues. The Tea Horse Hostel in Harper’s Ferry is very nice and a real bargain, also Laurie the owner is very hiker/biker friendly. In closing I want to invite you when you pass through Williamsport to stop at the Third Base Tavern for a libation and tell the bar tender that you’re “trail virgins”. Not to worry you’ll not be sacrificed in any pagan ritual but will be offered a shot of “Rocket Fuel” and a sharpie marker. After you down your shot, take a moment to scribe something on the ce

Gracie,
The Lockhouses are also available but you need to reserve those in advance with the National Park Service

I would just play it by ear, and that's what I did.

You get a lot more freedom and flexibility in your trip that way. There are campsites all along both trails that are free with no reservations needed. There are plenty of towns along the way where you can look for indoor accommodations for the nights you don't want to camp.

I rode from Pittsburgh to DC with two friends last June, and we stayed in inns/hotels the whole way. Our trip lasted a week, and we averaged about 60 miles a day. If you are in good shape and know how far you can ride each day, I would highly recommend making reservations. I would not want arrive at a town after riding 60+ miles and find there were no rooms available. If camping, you should have no problem winging it.