The C&O Canal Towpath Trail and Great Allegheny Passage

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Reply to Pgh. to Wash. D.C. starting March 30, 2013

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Stillriding from Pittsburgh, PA. on 12/19/2012 1:39:54 PM:

I realize a lot has to go right with the weather for this to happen. Especially with the Big Savage Tunnel to open early. But here is my concern, I have never ridden on the C&O Path and I have heard that the GAP is like a highway compared to the C&O. Can someone truly tell what to expect once I get past Cumberland and onto the C&O. Thank you.

Roy from Middletown on 12/19/2012 7:42:08 PM:

Rode the C&O into D.C. this past June. My experience was entirely different from a friend's, who rode the same route a couple years earlier. The trail is intended to be representative of the way it was when used as a mule path. That means rough, stones, roots, mud, loose gravel &c.
I was fortunate on my ride. The weather had been dry for a couple weeks. There was very little unavoidable mud, but lots of zig-zagging around remaining water/mud. There were lots of bumps and rocks to ride around. Poison ivy seemed to hang from every branch above the trail.
My friend's ride was all that plus unavoidable mud all over the place. He was a mess to see pictures of him on the ride.
That said it was great and I will be doing it again sometime soon, if not this coming summer.
Be sure your core is strong. I made mistake of riding GAP/C&O into D.C. in 5 days and focused training on just legs. I picked up a couple "souveniers" on trip: carpal tunnel from hours on handlebars and a crick in neck that hasn't stopped loving me, yet.

lenny on 12/20/2012 4:04:06 AM:

The weather is the key-how bad of a winter and the condition of the trail, and the unpredictability of the spring weather. All of these factors, and your condition will affect the ride. Personally I would wait at least a month. for warmer, more predictable conditions.

JJB from Fairmont, WV on 12/23/2012 3:10:09 PM:

I think Roy summed it up very well. The GAP is one of the best trails there is. The C&O has been one big mud puddle the times we have rode it. There is a lot of zig-zagging. If your bike is loaded down or you are pulling a trailer you will expend a good deal of energy trying to get back up to speed after going through the unavoidable mud puddles. And they are MUD puddles. On our last full ride of the C&O/GAP, both of our cassettes filled up with mud so much that the chain started "skipping". I had to take a multi-tool and clean the mud out of the cassette.

With all that being said it is a beautiful, scenic trail. The Potomac has some wonderful views. As long as you go into it knowing the trail is not as good as the GAP and you plan accordingly, you should have a good ride.

Hondo from West Virginia on 12/26/2012 8:47:30 AM:

I totally agree with these guys. They are dead on. I do have to say I really enjoyed the primitive campsites every 5 miles on the C&O.They have water,toilet,place to set up a tent and best of all, solitude.

Stillriding from Pittsburgh, PA. on 12/26/2012 6:51:06 PM:

Thanks for all the comments, I really appreciate the feed back. I am choosing this time of year only because of vacation availability. Because of the mud and roughness of the C&O I am thinking an avg. speed of 8 1/2 to 10 mph and doing around 60 to 65 miles per day. I and thinking that some kind of mud deflector set up for the chain area will be a good thing. I will be using the hike and bike camp sites and was glad to hear that they have toilets there. I am thinking of taking an air horn for any wild animals during the night. Last is the poison ivy problem, just hoping I don't get it.

One last question if anybody has an answer. Is the Amtrak Capital Limited set up for taking your bicycle home without have to box it? I have heard that want to set it up so you can carry your bike on the train and lock it in a bike rack But don't know if that has happened yet. Thanks again for all the feedback.

lenny on 12/27/2012 3:35:58 PM:

As of right now you must box and load freight at Union Station, and unload at Pittsburgh. No roll on service...yet.

Stillriding from Pittsburgh, PA. on 3/18/2013 6:45:50 PM:

I wanted to thank Roy, Lenny, JJB and Hondo for your feedback. Since the weather did not cooperate this year I have cancelled my ride to DC till mid May. Hope I bump into you guys on the trail sometime this year. I am still driving to DC early April and taking by bike along to ride up and see the Great Falls. I will follow up and tell all how the trail is in that direction.

Hondo on 3/19/2013 7:16:59 AM:

The middle of May is when I rode last year and outside of one downpour it was great.Infact if everything works out Im going to hit the trail the 2nd week of May this year.Amazing how quickly summer plans fill up. Again, one trail isnt better than the other, just different.So if you see some white haired goateed dude on a black bicycle talking to himself its me.The Paw Paw Tunnel? I will deal with that when I get there. Lenny, when you going?

Stillriding from Pittsburgh, PA. on 3/19/2013 9:07:49 AM:

Hondo, I have watched your videos and will be looking for you. I have a black Schwinn. I'll be wearing a Steeler hat and have ear phones for my music.

Hondo on 3/19/2013 11:45:50 AM:

Sounds great. My wife worries that I go by myself and I tell her you arent alone because you are always running meeting to talk with.Thats the really fun part. Heck, we may even share a campsite and campfire one night. See ya on the trail hopefully.

Denbo from Louisville KY on 3/20/2013 7:12:11 PM:

My brother broke his carbon forks on the Towpath a few years ago and broke the hanger for his rear shifter last summer, both because of debris on the trail. It is rough on bikes and riders, but worth the difficulty. A great ride, when it is not muddy.

Randy on 3/27/2013 2:59:13 PM:

In May and June you will have more cooperative weather, plus I'm not seeing any really hot weather in my long range forecast. We did not get a heavy snowpack this past winter, so I don't think we'll see major flooding.
As the others mentioned the C&O is not your typical Rail Trail. It is hard packed dirt with rough stone and in some places roots from trees. If you get heavy rains it will tend to lay on the trail especially in shaded areas. My favorite part of the Trail is heading North/West from Hancock, Maryland to Cumberland. The trail is more remote and the Potomac is also very clean and scenic in this area. During your trip, be sure to take in the scenery. You may encounter Black Bears going North/West after Hancock, so your airhorn is a good idea. Be sure to practice the standard Bear Safety precautions when camping in Bear Country. (A Black Bear can run 40 MPH). Keep your distance and sound your horn if you see a Bear. They will move on. Enjoy your journey!

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