C&O / GAP Forum

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.

Great place to eat any meal, but we especially like the breakfasts, with the amazing smiley pancakes and home town sausages. Good prices, fast and friendly service. When you leave you know that you have had your fill of delicious food.

That is a great home town place for breakfast and coffee, diner style. The smiley pancakes were great and the food very filling. Starts your biking off perfectly and a block to the Morgeun Toole Company - which is a great place to hang your hat and put you head on a pillow on your biking trip.

I've been eating breakfast at the GI Dayroom for the past 5 years or more during my Passage rides. In fact, when we stay at the Hostel in Rockwood we don't eat breakfast till we bike the 12 miles or so to Meyersdale then ride down the steep hill to town (it's only steep if you have to ride back up after eating)if we're continuing to Cumberland or further east. The waitresses are always so nice to my wife and I. They don't know me by name but they know I'm from VA. and always recognize us. Another thing to remember...if spending the night stay at Yoders Boarding House. Mrs Yoder is such a great lady. The Boarding house is clean, each room has a bed and bathroom, and the rayes are very fair. Cash or check only.

I am THINKING about a Pgh. to DC. ride starting May 24th, 2014. Being the holiday weekend my concerns are that the camping sites may be too crowded. Does anyone know how busy they may or may not be during Memorial Day weekend? Thanks.

Actual camping options are further apart along the Gap and it seems to me that a lot of people do indoors stays. I've used both options on several trips. The c&O is totally different with campsites every 5-10 miles average. Along the Towpath you'll meet like-minded people who don't mind sharing a campsite or at least that's been my observation.

I did the Pitt-DC thru ride this past summer during the memorial day holiday. No problem with campsites. As Rick stated, campgrounds on the GAP section are few and far between but you won't have any problem getting a site. Most of them have special areas set aside for bike campers. You'll need to do your homework and plan your ride along the GAP to determine where you'll be camping. As Rick said, there are trailside campsites every few miles on the C&O.

Found this partial list of camping rules along the C&O.
1st come 1st served basis. No fee.1 family or camping unit allowed per site. Park defines "family" as 1 head of household plus family. A camping unit consists of up to 6 persons per site. Campsites may not be reserved. I've ridden up to an occupied camping site several times and set up after introducing myself. I've also extended an invitation when I was there first. Just common courtesy and a simple bending of the rules to accommodate like minded people out having fun. Like I mention in my other post the C&O is easy to plan camping options. The Passage requires some thought mainly to adjust your mileages.

Didn't think to mention but my wife and I plus 2 friends will be departing from Pittsburg on Fri. May 23rd and biking to Cumberland. We might see you on the trail. Also check out the trail side shelters as you enter Connellsville from the west. There are 2-3 small Adirondack type 3 sided shelters that are free for overnight usage. Also, I can't remember where but along the Passage there was a small park/campground that had a small 3 sided shelter with a stone fireplace directly in front complete with cast iron cooking utensils. It was a pretty neat set up.

Thanks for the info Marc and Rick. It's appreciated.

make sure the tunnels are open before you start your trip from Pit to Cumb.

"Also, I can't remember where but along the Passage there was a small park/campground that had a small 3 sided shelter with a stone fireplace directly in front complete with cast iron cooking utensils. It was a pretty neat set up" - - -

We used this shelter last year when we went through. It is in Cedar Creek Park. It was great for us, due to the rain. We set up our inner screen without the rainfly and were able to keep out the bugs. If I remember correctly, the cast iron implements consisted of the means to hang pots over the fire, but you needed the basic cookware.
One thing, ...if you are bothered by noise when sleeping, the open side of the shelter faces the river and the train tracks on the opposite bank. It really catches the sound. Of course, you do get the train noise the whole way along the trail system, so one has to get used to it.

That was the place Cedar Creek. When we rolled through there were a few cast iron pots/skillets hanging over the fireplace, very rustic but they may have belonged to the people that were there for the Indian Pow Wow. Your right about the noise but I tend to sleep pretty good regardless of the racket.

I,m also leaveing from around pitt on the 23rd.for dc and back.Did pitt to frostburg md.last oct.camping is hard to find.might see you on the trail.I,m riding with my little jackrussel

Thanks all for the feedback. I have decided to go from D.C. to PGH. leaving the week before. Kurt, maybe I will see you and your little Terrier at the end of my trip. How do you plan on carrying him?

Planning to ride from DC to Hancock, starting May 23rd. First time on the trail, I have a Trek DS 8.3. I don't intend this to be a grueling event. DC to Whites Ferry the first day, and then hang out, Whites Ferry to Shepherdstown the second day, stop and enjoy the area, and the last day Shepherdstown to Hancock. Any recent terrain or trail issues worth mentioning? Any ride sugggestions?

I have a Trek DS 8.3 too and did the full Pittsburgh to DC ride last Oct. Perfect bike for this! Very efficient ride. I had no problems at all. You'll have a great time.

Trail conditions should be good at the end of May. When I rode, it was the week after some heavy rains and the trail was muddy in spots. Also, it was during the govt shutdown and there was no trail maintenance, so I had to lift the bike over a few downed trees. Still, it was a pretty easy ride. Your trip should go even smoother. Good luck!

Can you get from the car rental place at the airport to the trial easy enough??

And how far is it??

Which airport? Pittsburgh? Dulles? National? I do know that National is the closest to the beginning of the C&O