C&O / GAP Forum

When does the tow path open for the season? Also, the guy at my local bike shop is telling me that my "department store bike" is not up to the task. it's only 2 years old. Is he just trying to sell me a new bike?

The Tow Path is never really closed. People cross country ski during the winter months if there is snow. Most people choose to thru-ride starting around mid April when the water pumps are turned on. Trail conditions can be rough early in the spring due to a harsh winter (like the one we just had.) People have ridden the Tow Path on just about every thing from a high end road bike to a beat-up paper boy bike. A hybrid or Mt Bike with wider tires would be your best bet and a nicer (more expensive bike) might give you better service and fewer mechanical issues. If your planning to haul overnight gear like tent, sleeping bag, cook gear, etc. A better built bike would be a wise investment. I ride a Trek Mamba 29'er with 2" to 2.4" tires. Never had a mechanical issue other than tires. My wife and I met a group that had a ton of problems on the Tow Path due to extremely muddy conditions several had broken or bent derailers and other problems. They had a sag wagon so help wasn't far away. A nice well built durable bike will give you a comfortable, dependable ride.

Rick- how are the current conditions? I am planning a Mt. Vernon VA to Cumberland trip in about a week during my spring break. (I'm a teacher). I'm not so much worried about my bike as I am me being miserable! I've ridden in mid-April during a soggy time and it wasn't fun!
Thank you-

Small world, I work for the Newport News School System and am also on break a week from today. I haven't been on the Tow Path since last Oct. At that time there were stretches that were rough but that is normal. We had a pretty hard winter with all of the snows and rains. I'd guess that the trail is wet and muddy along most of the route. We are supposed to have warmer weather this week that might dry things out abit. Sorry I can't help more.

Have you ridden the Capital Trail? The newest completed stretch between the Chicahominy River and Charles City Courthouse is pretty nice. 13 miles one way.You can do a nice 60 miler if you start at Jamestown and head out and back.

Cap trail is going to be great! I guess this summer/fall it will finally be finished b/w Richmond and Williamsburg. I've been doing the CaptoCap rides the past 10 years. Always a lot of fun.
I'm hoping the trail will be on the dryer side of things. The first time I attempted to ride the whole thing we left in a cold mist and it didn't get any better. We got to Point of Rocks and had to stop. I might have to bump up my ride by one day too (less time for drying!) I haven't done any of the Western MD trail, so I'll try that b/w Hancock and Pearre.

Yeah the Western MD route is a nice alternate to the C&O. It would be nice if they could extend it to Paw Paw but the tunnels are home to endangered bats and I'm not sure if it will ever happen. It would be a great loop along one of the most remote stretches of the Tow Path. The weather has chased me off a couple of times also.
Have you ever biked the Greenbrier River Trail in WV? Nice 75 mile Rails To Trails route. We ride and camp along the route twice a year. We'll be heading that way April 24/26. We have room for one more rider if you can get a Fri. off of work. We bike 25 miles on Fri. and camp near Marlinton, 42 miles on Sat. camping along the river, and finish with 10 miles on Sun. Give me a shout if your interested. The group that participates is a mixed bag of skill levels.

Thanks for the invite!
I have a Boy Scout campout I'm doing that weekend. I've never biked the Greenbrier Trail, though I've heard good things about it. This summer I'll have to wander up there to take a look.
I'm worried about the weather this weekend- several storms are supposed to move through before I leave which would make riding miserable. I'm now having second thoughts about going this week.

Yeah, the weather is going to be a bit unstable at times next week. I was planning to bike the High Bridge on that Thur. but rain is in the forecast. If you decide to bike the Greenbrier at some future time feel free to contact me athiker80@cox.net. I've done about 8 thru rides. I'd be glad to share some info. It's a fun route.

Gonna do C&O/GAP in June. From NC and driving to DC. Need shuttle from DC to Pittsburgh. Looking for suggestions. So far the shuttles I've checked with want close to $500 for two people and two bikes. Sounds high to me. Wanted to use Amtrak between DC and Pitt but they don't allow roll on bikes, only boxed so that's out. What's my best option? I'm all ears. Thanks.

there is no easy solution. the powers that be have not cooperated yet . this forum may be your best bet in finding something that may work. i have witnessed others here over the years making connections for their rides. goodluck

I suggest renting a one way minivan or SUV if you only have 2 people and bikes. I did this from DC to Cumberland and it was around 115ish. Too bad Amtrak seems unable to copy their format of allowing roll on service along the Katy trail.

Also, it's possible to rent a moving truck for fairly cheap.

They will box your bikes at the Amtrak Station in D.C. I have made this trip plenty of times and the train is not as much hassle as everyone makes it out to be. The box will cost you $15.00. There are plenty of places to stay near the train station in Pittsburgh. A Hampton Inn is located less than a mile from the station. You will start your ride from Point State Park which is about 2 miles from the Hampton Inn. Cost of 2 train tickets plus boxes along with a hotel room should be less expensive than the shuttle service you priced.

Hancock Md. Bike Shop has the best price of any shuttle service. Contact me athiker80@cox.net I've use their service almost exclusively for all of mu shuttle needs.

Last summer (2014) my wife and I rented a minivan from Enterprise in Bethesda, MD, parked our car at Great Falls, drove Minivan and dropped it off at Enterprise near Point Park in Pittsburg. It cost us less than $200... We rode GAP and C&O back to Great Falls.... make sure you register your car with C&O park rangers...

Roll on service, if actually happening, is the best bet. Until that is 100% a sure thing, I would look into one way rentals. I rented from Pittsburgh Airport and drove to Dulles, checked the car in, connected by bike to the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, got off the W&OD and took my bike on the Metro at Dunn Loring (it was a Sunday, you can't do this during weekly rush hours) and got off at Foggy Bottom. From there it was a short ride to the beginning of the C&O. Maybe I didn't look hard enough but the 3-4 rental places told me they didn't do one way rentals at Reagan National Airport which would have saved me 15 or so miles but I suspect you can do this.

Keep in mind for shuttles the driver has to drive twice as many miles and spend twice as much time as you do.
Google maps shows it being 242 miles DC to Pittsburg and 4 hours 4 minutes. so that translates into 484 miles and over 8 hours for the shuttler. Maybe 500 isn't so unreasonable after all.
Others have suggested cheaper options.

Thanks all for the ideas/suggestions.
We've got it figured out now. Leaving vehicle in long term parking at Union Station and picking up rental there to drive to Pittsburgh. Then we ride! Can't wait.

The main problem with Amtrak west is the train leaves DC in the evening and reaches Pittsburgh around midnight.

Why not use the boxes? We took the train from DC to Pittsburgh last summer and Amtrak staff were very helpful packing the boxes. The main issue was unpacking and riding to hotel at midnight but not a problem if you have decent lights and know the route.

Concur with Rick; call Dennis Hudson at the C&O Bicycle shop in Hancock, MD (301) 678-6665 candobicycle.com. His rates are very reasonable and the price covers up to I believe six passengers and gear. Great deal if you ask me.

The Amtrak line "Capital Limited" is one of two routes piloting "Roll on, Roll off" services for cyclists. Pittsburgh is on the route. I intend to use the services for the return leg from the Georgetown Station to Pittsburgh.

I know Bill passed away a couple years ago. RIP.
**
Has anyone been to Bill's Place recently? How is the place? Does his family run the business or did someone buy it out?

We were at Bills Place during our late June ride. Open and ready to serve!

Bill’s son Jack and his wife are running the place now. Not much has changed and I am sure if Jack did make any major revisions that Bill would raise from the grave and give him such a talking too. Still the only place in town to get a cold one and the grill still serves the best-fried chicken in Allegany County.

Where/what is the best places to camp around Hancock? Looks to be several in that area. Food and plumbing is main concerns. Thanks in advance.

There are two hiker-biker campsites very close to Hancock. Little Pool mp 120.6 is a little over three miles from the center of Hancock mp 124.2 while White Rock mp 126.4 is only two miles away. Both are free and have a port-a-john, but the pump handles have not yet been installed by the NPS and most likely won’t be until the second week in April. There is no camping available within the city limits of Hancock. There are two grocery stores, several restaurants, a hardware store, bicycle shop and a library with internet access in town. The other option is Happy Hills Campground at mp 129.2 but you’ll have to pay a daily fee to pitch your tent and it’s a five mile jaunt on the towpath or WMRT into Hancock. If your heart is not really set on camping but looking for an inexpensive alternative, there is the bunkhouse at the C&O bicycle shop on the towpath in Hancock but they won’t be open until the first weekend in April. Rate is $10 per person; I think youths under the age of 16 are free. There is water, showers, a deep sink and a fire pit. So pick your poison and enjoy!

I normally don’t like to post negative comments about an establishment, but after our bicycle experience at Little Orleans Lodge last summer I must convey a warning to anyone considering a stay here. Judging from the photos on their website the lodge was at one time well maintained and managed, but unfortunately, the place is now a dump. There was trash and litter stunned allover the lawn and commercial grade restaurant equipment stored on the front porch collecting dust. The real shock came when my youngest daughter caught a glimpse of the kitchen. It was disgusting. To ad insult to injury, I had booked two suites with king size beds but apparently we had arrived late so our rooms went to another party and we were offered two rooms (more like one room with a divider through the middle) in the basement that reeked of animal urine. After confronting Steve the owner about the unsatisfactory room situation, we all decided to forgo our nights stay and peddle on into Hancock where we stayed at the Riverrun Inn. While getting some repairs done at the bike shop in town we ran into some other cyclist who had similar experiences at Little Orleans Lodge and encouraged us to contact Allegany County Commissioner Bill Valentine to file a complaint. I did exactly that upon our return home to Vienna and discovered that Commissioner Valentine routinely receives complaints about the filthy kitchen conditions at Little Orleans and other discrepancies like double billing, over booking and false advertising. In closing, I encourage anyone who has stayed at the Little Orleans Lodge recently and personally witnessed the horrible sanitary conditions in the kitchen to please call Commissioner Valentine at (301) 777-5911 or commissioner.valentine@alleganygov.org and file a complaint.

There's nothing wrong with placing a valid complaint concerning a business along the Passage/C&O. Many people who ride the trail come a great distance to enjoy this activity. I happen to have ridden the routes enough times to know the good from the bad but if it were my first time along the route I'd appreciate the info. I too have heard several complaints. About 3 years ago I tried to contact the owner about lodging but no one ever answered the phone, sounds like I got lucky.

A friend has suggested we do the Pittsburg to DC route this summer. Does this ride go through towns, or just close to them? Is the scenery canal and trees, or something more varied? Thanks for your help

There are quite a few youtube videos that showcase the GAP and C&O which will give you a good idea of what the trails are like.

On the C&O portion, you have the canal on one side and the Potomac river on the other. There are plenty of great sights along this section. The GAP has a whole different look to it. You will ride through some towns, or at least part of town and you will ride close to others. You will not have a day of riding where you don't have a chance to stop at a town.

As you travel the trail you'll get a nice mix of town and country. You'll go past the edge of plenty of towns and right through a few of them. There will also be times that you won't have to bother with the rush and crush of a town.

As for the GAP section, the trail passes through the towns of Connellsville, Confluence, Ohiopyle, Meyersdale and Frostburg. There are places to eat and lodging in each and a bike shop in Connellsville. As for the C&O it passes through Cumberland, Hancock (a serious bike shop here), Williamsport (Hagerstown is about 6 miles north on US 11) Brunswick and Point-of-Rocks. The towpath skirts Oldtown (there is a diner about .5 miles off the towpath next to the Post Office), Paw Paw, WV (about .6 miles on Maryland 51 then cross the Potomac River), Little Orleans (you have to pay attention to the signage but best just to get off at Fifteen-Mile Creek Campground, Bill’s Place is 100 yards north), Sharpsburg (about .5 miles north on Snyder’s Landing road into town) or Shepardstown, WV (cross the highway bridge at lock 38 then about .5 miles into town) Harpers Ferry, WV (.3 miles across the bridge over the Potomac River) and Dickerson (get off at the Monocacy aqueduct, take Monocacy Rd the right on Maryland 28 into town). Enjoy

Four of us are planning to ride from Pittsburg to DC in late May 2015. We will be self supporting, staying in B&B's along the way (already reserved).
My concern is what options are available if something goes wrong - such as a bike crash, illness that prevents someone from riding, etc.

Is it feasible for someone else in the group to ride to a 'nearby' town to rent a car, hire a taxi or something like that. In the worst case, is it feasible for someone to return to Pittsburgh (via train, taxi, rental car, or whatever) to retrieve our car and allow the out-of-commission member to drive the remainder of the trip while the rest of us ride it?

Thanks,
Bob

My wife and I did our 3rd thru ride along the Passage and part of the C&O this past fall. Had a few mishaps and will do some things differently next time. If you'd like to contact me via email I could forward my cell # and give you some real life advise. I will be out of town this coming weekend Nov. 14/16 but you could contact me early next week. Feel free to get in touch. athiker80 [at] cox [dot] net

I rode from Pittsburgh to DC last June with 3 friends, staying in B&Bs and inns along the way. Generally there are towns within 20 miles along the entire route. Some are larger and have more services, but I would think that you could arrange support if needed in most of them. The trip planner on this site shows the locations of all bike shops, and some of them provide shuttle services. The most remote sections are from Cumberland to Hancock MD, and from Harpers Ferry to Georgetown.

Well, I can only offer this advice...the one thing that nearly derailed my entire KATY trip last year (not the same I know) was a stick through the rear wheel that nearly broke my derailleur and broke some spokes... so my advice is to steer clear of brush and sticks in the way. I'm riding the GAP and C&O in May and will be heeding my own advice :) Good luck

Strongly recommend that do not stay at Little Orleans Lodge in Little Orleans, MD mp 141 and slug it out the additional 20 miles to Hancock, MD due to persistent health issues in the kitchen. There is plenty of lodging in Hancock ranging from B&B, motels and a bunk house for $10 a night per person. If you do say at Little Orleans Lodge pay up front in cash (do not charge it to your credit card) and plan on eating breakfast or brunch in Hancock. Also do not get any of the lower level rooms and check for wasp and other creepy crawlers. If you don’t believe me, get a good look of the kitchen if you spend the night. Better yet, get a photo of the mess and submit a complaint to Allegany County Commissioner Bill Valentine in Cumberland who has received numerous complaints over the years.

Ok guys I have been slowly gathering the necessary equipment for my July 3,4,5th ride down the C&O. I am getting tight on space and will need to have a handle bar bag or use a camelbak bag (which I do not want to wear).

I have no clue or if it is even necessary, summer rain gear. Any thoughts or ideas on this? I would obviously love perfect weather.

If it rains on you that time of year it should be a warm rain so what happens is you wear the rain gear to stay dry but you sweat underneath it so you are still wet. I only use and did use rain gain once I was off the bike and I was glad I had it. That being said, try Frogg Toggs rain gear. Its super light, breathable and I got the pants and bottoms for $20.00

Add.......I meant to say tops and bottoms. The whole set only weighs ounces.

Mount a water bottle on your bike and that should be enough. You'll be passing water pumps every 5 or 6 miles at the hiker/biker campsites.

Water is important. Along the C & O, there are pumps at the hiker/biker campsites and towns where water is available at convenience stores. If the ground is pretty soggy, the water quality at the pumps may be in question. My preference is bottled water.

I spent two glorious days on the GAP and three days of rain on the C&O that only ended when I was about thirty miles from Washington. Light rain gear will work for a few hours and keep you from getting soaked but water will find its way in and make you miserable eventually. On the plus side since you'll be under trees it's a uniform drip. It's also very loud.

The important thing about biking, or hiking, in the rain is to stay warm enough. Like Greg K. said, you'll eventually get wet. Also at all costs, keep a set of clothes to change into and your sleeping bag dry at all times.

I'm a long time backpacker (35 plus years.) Also thru hiked the AT. Been bike packing for close to 29 years. Typically I do without rain gear UNLESS the temps are colder. In any conditions, wearing any manufacturers rain gear, regardless of the cost you will get wet. I wear synthetic clothing that allows me to dry out quickly. I do favor the Marmot Precip Rain Jacket. When I do wear it it seems to keep me drier/longer without that "clammy" feeling. As stated make sure your spare gear is protected so that after making camp you can change into warm/dry clothing. Most people tend to carry their tent and sleeping bag attached to their rack in stuff sacks. If so I suggest that you double bag your sleeping bag or have panniers that are waterproof and large enough to carry your bag inside. I use a 20 degree down quilt so it does pack very small. I always use down bags and very rarely have any problem with wetness. Also, I'd do without the rain pants. Unless your on the small size the pants will constrict and make for uncomfortable riding. Feel free to email me and I can share a lot of info about being comfortable/safe during a multi day ride.- athiker80 at cox dot net

What's the weather like during the middle of June? I'm assuming a lot like around here, hot and humid with t'storms on occasion. Any advice for a first timer doing the trail? Thanks in advance.

I think you are dead on with the weather. My only advice is bring earplugs for the trains that run near the trail at night and either mosquito repellent or netting to keep the skeeters off you at night if you are camping.

I always have some backpacker meals and extra water in my panniers. There are some areas, particularly along the C & O where you may want to camp that are not near a town. Little Orleans, Confluence and Ohiopyle for whitewater rafting are all places I love to stop plus there is always great food available at these locations.