C&O / GAP Forum

Three of us are biking to DC in July and ticketed to come back to Pittsburgh on AMTRAK. We would like to bring the bikes along. In DC, where does one get the boxes to bring bikes along back and what is the cost?

Get your box right at the Amtrak ticket check-in. $15.00 for the box and $10.00 for checking it in. Be sure to take tools to remove your handle bars and pedals, tape and a black marked for the box. Buy your ticket more the 24 hours before leaving or the price goes way up. All the info you need is at http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak
Have a nice trip.

Stillriding--Thank you. Very helpful on the details tape, tools and all. We already have our tickets, so we'll need to pay an additional $25 per bike on boarding. Until AMTRAK does the take bike on board policy, we'll go with this.

I'm pretty sure you pay for the bike and box at the ticket counter, but you get the boxes, and check the boxed bike at the baggage department. It is around the corner from the ticket counter, facing the departure gates.

Also, I've never had to remove threaded stem drop bars, just loosen them and rotate them parallel to the bike. It's the threadless stem mt/hybrid handle bars that stick straight up in the air when you rotate them, and you have to let them dangle loose in the box.

We are doing this very thing next month. Buying the boxes from AMTRAK, etc does anyone know if the information we got is accurate in that we do have to remove fenders and racks? This will make a big difference in our approach. We are bringing loaded touring bikes w front & rear panniers.

The boxes are 70 inches x 41 inches x 8.5 inches As the saying goes, if it fits, it ships. Can't be over 50 pounds. Here is the Amtrak web page for all the information. Hope this helps. http://www.amtrak.com/bring-your-bicycle-onboard

Thanks for the link Stillriding. While we can read their stock answers, when it comes down to the day of, I know from my travels, it's who you are looking at face to face who can & will make the final determination.

We will measure. We were told we cannot put our panniers or any luggage inside the box, so hence the question, it sounded to me they were micromanaging what you can add to a box, so logically we are curious about our bike touring fixtures. I would love to really hear from someone who has done this very thing.

Bluebearee I understand your concern and hope someone with more info does a comment. I am doing this ride in May and taking the train from Pgh. to DC. You should go on youtube as they have a few videos that show riders boxing up there bikes with the racks still attached and some panniers going inside the box. I plan on doing the same thing but I also am using an old suitcase to hold everything else that don't fit in the bike box. You are allowed one free bag. When I get to DC. I plan on giving the suitcase to a homeless person or throw it away. If you don't already have an old suitcase just go to a local flea market and pick one up. Just a suggestion and hope it helps.

Thanks - I had a typo in my OP : we were told we did *not*have to remove fenders and racks. Box size seems ample. Plan is to bring gear and flattened panniers inside a duffel which we'll stuff into our panniers and carry back. Or else give to my husband's cousin who we have convinced to pick us up @ 11:45pm!

What goes in the box depends a lot on the mood of the guys at the baggage station. I tossed in the pannier with all my tools after I took off the pedals and detached the handlebars. Racks and fenders stayed attached and went in with no trouble. The baggage guys had tape and markers and a $5 tip for their help made everything pleasant. I thought Amtrak was a strict about the two item carry-on bit from the website until I watched people bringing many garbage bags worth of stuff into the coach, so three panniers (or even four if I hadn't tossed it in the box) didn't cause a stir at all.

Can you get your boxes from Amtrak in advance, then pack'em(under 50lbs) and take them to the train station?

Yes and sometimes they have good used ones that are free.

Since I appear to be the Amtrak veteran here (14 nights in a sleeping car in 2013 and 8 already in 2014 as of May 31) I would like to qualify a few of the comments.

"Buy your ticket more the 24 hours before leaving or the price goes way up." Not necessarily. Amtrak uses what is known as a bucket system, with about 5 buckets, whereby each bucket contains a certain number of tickets at a given price. When the lowest bucket is empty, you move up to the next higher bucket and so on. So if the train is almost sold out on the day of travel, your comment is correct. If it's almost empty, then you could be getting low bucket. In recent years, Amtrak has gotten smarter, On certain routes at certain times, if it thinks it can sell out, it doesn't place any tickets in the lower buckets. Then, if it doesn't sell well, it puts some in the low bucket, effectively lowering the price. Also, when someone cancels, the price call also drop. If your travel plans are flexible, check out amsnag.net to find the best deal. It also has a fare watch option that notifies you if the price drops.

" We were told we cannot put our panniers or any luggage inside the box, so hence the question, it sounded to me they were micromanaging what you can add to a box, so logically we are curious about our bike touring fixtures. I would love to really hear from someone who has done this very thing." This sounds like the ticket agent/baggage handler was making things up as they went along. There is nothing that says you have to pack the box within the agent's sight. Usually, they are too busy to pay attention to what you are doing. As long as you tape it securely and don't go over the weight limit (I've never seen them weight bikes (checked baggage, yes), you should be good to go.

" You are allowed one free bag" Checked baggage: 2 Bags - 50 lbs. — 75 Linear Inches, Additional Bags — $20 Each. Carry on: 2 each not to exceed 50 lbs. (23 kg), 28 x 22 x 14 inches (700 x 550

Looks like there is a character limit per post. So I'll finish here.

" You are allowed one free bag" Form Amtrak.com. Checked baggage: 2 Bags - 50 lbs. — 75 Linear Inches, Additional Bags — $20 Each. Carryon: 2 each not to exceed 50 lbs. (23 kg), 28 x 22 x 14 inches (700 x 550 x 350) plus laptops, purses, etc. The real rule for carryon luggage is that if you can schlepp it on without creating a ruckus, you are good to go. With the exception of Viewliner sleeping cars, there is plenty of luggage space.

" I thought Amtrak was a strict about the two item carry-on bit from the website until I watched people bringing many garbage bags worth of stuff into the coach" Absolutely. The only time I've had a problem was when I tried to board a superliner coach on the California Zephyr in Chicago with a folding bike inside an "airline legal" suitcase. Problem was someone had gotten a red cap to board 3 oversized tupperware tubs that took up the whole community luggage rack and the coach attendent refused to let me put it in the large empty space in the front of the downstairs seating area. The conducter gave me a hard time. The total linear inches of my bag was 2" less that Amtrak's limit, but one demension was 2" to wide, not that he knew that. But both the conductor and attendent went on to more important tasks and soon I was able to put the bag on top of a pile of junk which in the meantime had filled the open space.

Finally:

For quite a while Amtrak hasbeen promising the GAP crowd roll-on, roll-off bike service on the Capitol Limited when the new Viewliner II baggage cars go into service. Due to technical difficulties (lack of qualified stainless steel welders?) or cash flow problems, the producion order continues to be delayed. Finally, one baggage car emerged from the factory and has been sent to the New York area for testing; and if all goes well, they should begin seeing service this Fall. But who knows which trains will get the first ones.

I did see a picture of one still in the factory.

http://history.amtrak.com/archives/viewliner-ii-baggage-car-interior-2013

I hope the bicycle in the picture is an indication of things to come, not just a factory worker finding a nice place to stash his ride.

For the remainder of the weekend train season (Thursday through
Sunday), riders wishing to take their bikes to Frostburg and enjoy a
leisurely downhill trip back into Cumberland along the Great Allegheny
Passage, will also experience a 50% savings in carrier fees when
purchasing tickets 48 hours in advance. All standard bicycles will
now be charged only $5.00, with additional fees applying to trikes,
carts, tandem, etc., added onto the cost of the ticket. The former
stand-by rate has also been cancelled. Local residents may benefit
even further by taking advantage of the $25.00 package rate with
advance reservations.

Frank Fowler, General Superintendent, for the WMSR, is pleased to
offer this benefit and fully understands the economic benefit this
partnership provides to our region, but offers this caution, “Since
our computer reservation system isn’t designed to handle this
promotion on the internet, local residents must call the reservation
center at 1-800-TRAIN50 for reservations.”

“Ridership (cyclists and their bikes) is up 35% over July 2009 with
nearly 480 bikes being handled month-to-date as opposed to only 168
last year. Season-to-date (May through the current month), over 1,065
bikes have been handled compared to last year’s 362,” notes Fowler.

With a capacity to handle approximately 60 bikes per excursion, this
is a wonderful way to enjoy the full benefits of rail/trail
experience, but planning ahead is key. Fowler adds “it is important
to note space is restricted during October weekends when 600
passengers take advantage of a relaxing way to admire fall foliage.”
Don’t get lost in the steam!

This is an old post but has anyone ever used this service to get to Frostburg and how was it?

My wife and I did this once, just to say we did it. We rode the train to Frostburg and then rode our bikes to Meyersdale and stayed at the Levi Deal mansion. We rode back to Cumberland the next day. If our memories are correct, we called ahead but bought our tickets that morning, (the train was not even close to full). We rolled on last and were last to get off. That is about all I remember from that trip. It was fun!

We did it last October to ascend the steepest 16 miles of our westward trek. The other cyclists on the train were doing the loop back to town as the article suggests, some with rental bikes.

For us, it was a great way to travel. We only had 8 miles of uphill left to the Continental Divide.

But we had to schedule this on a weekday, because during some peak travel weekends (all of October due to the fall colors), they do not offer bicycle service. Not sure if other holidays are affected. Definitely check in advance.

Our Friday train was full, especially since we were the last to board as JJB noted below.

A plus was that it didn't leave until 11:30, so we got to sleep in and have a lazier start that typical on the trail. Also, the deli upstairs in the train station was excellent. Much better than what one might expect in such a setting. We ate lunch on the train and were ready to roll when our bike was (finally) unloaded.

Has anyone ever taken the time to hike up "Lovers Leap" in Cumberland, MD. Are the views worth the hike?

One thing I haven't seen a list of in any C&O/GAP forum or guide books is what trail towns have public libraries? My phone has been unreliable with keeping a charge and I will not have a replacement in time for my trip. I am wondering what towns along the trail have libraries where I could send and check e-mail to stay in touch with family? Public libraries have served touring cyclists and long distance hikers well. I have to figure there is a list out there for the C&O/GAP that I haven't stumbled across yet. Thanks!

get a battery

The thread was about libraries along the C&O/GAP. Care to list any?

Confluence's library closes at 2:00 PM. Frostburg's is open 'til 5:00, maybe later.

2 years ago I rode between PAW PAW Tunnel and Hancock and had no coverage on T Mobile. Maybe it's better now? Or maybe other providers are better.

Thanks for the replies. Looks like Hancock, MD has one too: Mon - Thu: 9am - 9pm, Fri: 9am - 6pm, Sat: 9am - 5pm, Sun: 1pm - 5pm. Cumberland, MD also has one: M-Th Monday 10am-8pm, F-Sat 10am-5pm, closed on Sunday.

Connellsville does as well:

Carnegie Free Library
299 S Pittsburgh St
Connellsville, PA 15425
Phone: 724-628-1380

Monday & Wednesday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Tuesday & Thursday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday & Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Thanks for the info.

Spent the night their earlier this month; Dennis had a crew installing a new deck in the bunk house. Looked great. Had a wonderful stay, breakfast at Weaver’s before hitting the trail again. You can’t beat $10 a night. Highly recommended just remember this; it’s not the Waldorf Astoria. It’s a BUNK HOUSE!

I'm camping the entire DC-PIT trip the first week of June except for one night and that will be at the Bunkhouse in Hancock! Can't wait!

Bunk House in Hancock, Tea Horse Hostel in Harper's Ferry: why pack the extra camping gear weight if you're doing the C&O over 3 days/2 nights? Both are great places to stay!

I am in the process of planning 3-4 day trip from Cumberland to Harpers Ferry. Five to eight fit middle age people. Thinking about leaving cars/cars in Harpers Ferry. Planning to stay in hotels for the night What is the best way to get to Cumberland with bikes? How many miles should we plan on riding a day? Should we plan to start further then Cumberland? We will appriciate any advice!

I 70 WEST TO I 68 West

You could have the bicycle shop Cumberland Trail Connection pick you up and shuttle you and your gear to Cumberland. The shuttle they did for me and my wife last year was a good experience.

I'm doing Pgh to Cumberland on Thursday May 29th (weather permitting / looks good so far) and wanted to see if anyone wanted to join me.

I'm leaving about 5am on Thursday and trying to make it into Cumberland by 6-7ish. I'm renting a car and driving back that same night. Its a brutal ride.. If anyone is in to it, email me for more specifics.

Good luck! No offense, but you're really not enjoying the trail with a Marathon Ride.

For all of you riders new to the towpath and passage, cell coverage is bad or none existant except near the major trailheads.Rockwood has a booster. Don't know of any others.

Thanks for the info. I was wondering about that. My phone is with AT&T and their coverage is not very good anyway.

Verison was pretty much dead from Cumberland to DC on the trail, too. My tracker app still worked on GPS and whatever location services were around, but there was no phone signal.

This was so true. Just turn your phone off and save the battery.

Anybody have a current condition update on the trail
from Snyders landing to Great Falls?

How about around Brunswick?

We had heavy weather last week and DC had another sewerage overflow near Great Falls, the last report I heard was the repair had been completed and the abatement/cleanup was underway and was scheduled to be complete by last weekend

just got this off the Park website at C&O Canal National Park "THIS PAGE CONTAINS UP TO DATE INFORMATION ON TRAIL AND TOWPATH CLOSURES AT THE CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.

----Update May 21,2014----

Capital Crescent Trail has been reopened from Fletcher's Cove to Water Street/Washington Canoe Club.

**Billy Goat Trail is closed due to high river levels. It will open when trail conditions have been assessed.

The Towpath Detour at Big Slackwater remains in effect due to high river levels. Visitors are advised to utilize the Big Slackwater Detour as marked due to towpath flooding at McMahons Mill (Towpath miles 84.4-88.1)"
GOOD LUCK, enjoy

Just got back from our ride, on the 17th we where pushing are bikes in three feet of water for two miles before taking a road detour at marker 31. Campsites where flooded. Should be better now.

I'm doing a trip june 7th for about a week from Pittsburgh to cumberland and then I'm going to see how I feel if I will continue to DC. I just took up cycling about a year or so ago and none of my motorcycle friends have a desire to share this trip with me. I'm going to camp or stay in hotels what ever works best for that night. I have no problem eating hot dogs by the camp or eating steak in the hotel restaurant. Anyone looking to share a trip email me at jboyle464@gmail.com Never did a trip of this size and I'm a little hesitant of going alone but will if need be. Male 50 yrs old MT bike I have a ride from NJ to Pittsbugh and my wife will pick me up when I had enough or in DC what ever comes first.

Hello, I am taking the trip leaving on May 3 and I can't wait. I just wanted to tell you there is a site called bikepacking.us and they are doing a ride on the GAP June 5-9 and I think it's free. Good luck.

You may start out by yourself but you wont be alone. All kinds of nice people you will meet along the way. Thats what makes it fun.

That makes me feel good. OK I'm rolling as planned rain or shine wish me luck.

Hi
How will you get to Pittsburg
.i'm planning to do the same towards the end or beginning of June/July

Good luck!

When nearing confluence, rockwood meyersdale area on the trail stop in at the Rockwood Millshoppes and hostel. You will enjoy the food and appreciate the accommodations.

Just got this from C&O Canal Association:

Yesterday’s heavy rain is having an impact on the C&O Canal.

The park service reports that the Capital Crescent Trail is closed between Fletcher's Cove and the end of the trail at Water Street, because of a large sewage spill. The tunnel below Canal Road near Foxhall is also closed. Trail users and commuters can use the canal towpath downstream of Fletcher's Cove as an alternate route but should be prepared for wet and muddy conditions. The closures are expected to remain in place into the weekend. DC Water and Sewer Authority is working to resolve the issue.

Billy Goat Trail A was closed as of Wednesday, April 30 due to rising river levels. Call Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center for more information at 301-767-3714.

Park rangers remind visitors and cyclists to obey all closure signs and barricades as they are in place for their own safety while crews are working to resolve the situation.
You can check the C&O Canal National Historical Park home page for further alerts. The National Weather Service website offers information on the river flow at Little Falls and Point of Rocks.

You can always find a more complete list of activities along the canal by viewing the calendar on the C&O Canal Association website, www.candocanal.org.

Can you please give me some further information. I leave, or was planning to leave, from Georgetown visitors center tomorrow around lunch, it sounds like this will impact that plan. I am coming from out of town and don't know where anything is, my map is packed but I guess I could get it out. What do you suggest? Should I find another start and if so where. It's go time for me, any help is greatly appreciated.

What the title says. I leave tomorrow on the C&O headed to the GAP to Pittsburgh, Pa and watching the news everything looks wet. Any word on the trail, should I be worried. I'm not talking about mud but flooding. Any help is greatly appreciated.

My wife and I hiked the GAP in the summer of 2013. We found that there was camping available in Meyersdale. Ask the folks at Donges Drive In about it, that's where we registered.

I am looking for some advice, if anyone has any ideas I would appreciate it. I am leaving DC on May 3, 2014 and riding the C&O/GAP Trails to Pittsburg, PA. I have set aside a week to make the trip, 6 days would be nice.

Anyway, once we finished the ride the plan was to rent a full size truck from Enterprise and drive back to Virginia. Today I spent over an hour on the phone with Enterprise and I am absolutely disgusted. They will not have a truck and they did not seem as if they really cared. There is three of us, I'm the smallest at 5'10" 215lbs and the biggest coming in at 6'8" so we need some room and we will need the bed space for our bikes and gear. I really thought this would work and had been the plan for about 6 months, glad I called trying to reserve today and found out that this is not an option.

What do you guys suggest? I talked to Iron City Bicycles today and the guy on the phone was really helpful, I will certainly be visiting that shop when I arrive. He said they will break down and package our bikes to be shipped but we would need to deal with UPS/FED EX. Anyone know what it cost to ship a bike? I will have a BOB trailer as well so my cost is starting to climb. Anyway, I am looking for any ideas? Your help is greatly appreciated.

Take the train. cant cost to much more to stay at a hotel overnight, and freight them on the train.

Shipping via UPS was going to cost me $210 from D.C. to home in Ohio. Instead, started in Connellsville PA and took train back then drove to DC overnight...with gas, not counting wear/tear on car, cost less than $50 extra. Never found cost for FedEx as they didn't have a box big enough to ship bike/even taken apart. If you allow enough time, shipping on Amtrak might be your best bet and shouldn't cost too much.

You can take the Amtrak from Pittsburgh to DC for less than $100. There are a few logistics involved, but very doable. Another suggestion would be to check Craisglist for ride sharing options.

I am going in the opposite direction but this should still apply. I priced a U-Haul (the smallest truck) it is about $200. the train is $50 plus buying a bike box (2 with your BoB) @ $15 plus the bike fee $10 again probably twice with the trailer.
The train is still cheapest. I even checked several of the shuttle services but they are $$$

Thanks for the ideas everyone, what a pain In the rear end. Train sounds good but there are a lot of moving parts and then how do I get from DC home? That's another 2 1/2 hours. By the time I take the train and pay all of the fees, rent a car from DC, ship the bikes the rest of the way I am paying more.
There is a train from Pittsburgh to Ashland, Va that puts me an hour from home but I could not get a clear answer on the transporting of bikes. It's not cheap at all and it's about a 14-15 hour ride.
Uhaul has nothing in Pittsburgh but a small box truck, can't get a pickup and can't get a van, already checked. So, the smallest they have will be $454 one way from there to home.
I never thought in a million years that this would be an issue.
I'm gonna consult with my partner and see if he wants to cancel, it's been a real big hassle and I cannot lock anything down and quite frankly I'm tired of trying to figure it out.
I guess I was an idiot for thinking I could rent a van or a truck, not gonna happen in Pittsburgh....I thought that is what rental companies did?

I'm doing the opposite trip of yours. I live in PGH and am going to start my trip in DC and ride my way back home. How am I getting my bike there? I am renting a van/SUV one-way to carry my bike to get there (I did not want to disassemble the bike to ride Amtrak like I did last time). The only hitch is that airports are typically the only place where you find one-way car rentals. My wife is dropping me and my bike off at PGH airport and I'm driving to Dulles Airport (tried to go to Reagan National but they didn't do one-way's there). From Dulles, I'll catch the Washington & Old Dominion Trail (W&OD)then onto the Metro at Dunn Loring and get off at the first stop in DC proper (if the Silver Line was open on time I could save a few miles that way but no dice). Then onto Georgetown and the C&O Canal to begin.
a little inconvenient but it will work. If Amtrak had proper roll-on bike service, I wouldn't hesitate to use that each and every time.

Drive your car to Washington. Park at Union Station. I think its $20-$25 a day, not cheep but maybe cheaper than a one way rental. Put your bike in the Amtrak box in DC. Take the train to Pittsburgh. Ride back to DC.

I have about 7 days to take a bike trip on the GAP and C&O trails. I was wondering about starting around "Falling Water" and connecting to the trail near Ohiopyle State Park and try to continue to Georgetown. Is the connection from near Falling Water an easy one to make? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

Dangerous piece of road from Mill Run to Ohiopyle...but doable.