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Reply to Which Camps have Hot Showers on the GAP & C&O


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Reply to Which Camps have Hot Showers on the GAP & C&O
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Dany from West Bloomfield Township, MI on 4/20/2024 5:01:04 PM:
Planning on riding from Pittsburgh (leaving Wed 05-22-24) towards DC (arrival on Sunday 05-26-24).
Which campsites have Hot Showers?


 
Rivnuts from Homestead, PA on 4/20/2024 8:38:55 PM:
The following campgrounds have hot showers:

Gap Trail Campground - West Newton, PA
Uniontown KOA - Connellsville, PA
Outflow Campground - Confluence, PA
Ohiopyle State Park - Ohiopyle, PA
Maple Festival Campground - Meyersdale, PA
Frostburg Trail Inn - Frostburg, MD
Cumberland YMCA - Cumberland, MD
C&O Bicycle - Hancock, MD
Brunswick Family Campground - Brunswick, MD

These are all pay-to-stay outdoor camping facilities. I'm unaware of any free campgrounds with hot showers. The campgrounds themselves and other amenities vary from site to site.

Other forum contributors may know of others in case I missed them.





 
Crazy Hiker on 5/19/2024 10:19:43 AM:
I can only speak for the C&O since I've never been on the GAP.

None of the free hiker/biker campsites on the C&O have any type of shower facilities, and none of the drive-in sites along the towpath have showers either. The only amenities these sites have are water pumps, port o potty, table, and fire ring.

Only choice to clean up a bit is using the available water pump, or some of the places Rivnuts suggested. Note that at a lot of the sites, you have to pump the handle for a while before water comes out.

When I lived in Cumberland in the 90s and early 2000s, I biked the trail from Cumberland to the Paw Paw Tunnel every couple weeks, and the only pump that never worked for me was at the Potomac Forks site. It's been years since I've been there, so it's possible it could be working now. But always have back-up water with you in case a site doesn't have a functioning water pump.

Enjoy the ride!

 
Andy from Pittsburgh on 5/24/2024 9:25:59 AM:
Fort Frederick State Park (downstream from Hancock) has outdoor showers (rinse off station) at one of the buildings across from the fort. Not heated, but may be nice to access if you are staying at one of the nearby hiker-biker campgrounds.