any recommendations on this itinerary?

This is a really good site.

Planning Pittsburgh to DC in first week of October: 5 days, planning overnights at Connellsville (River's Edge KOA), Cumberland (prob. chain hotel--big mileage day), then hiker/biker camps at Hancock and Harper's Ferry. 60+ miles/day except for 2nd day at 88. Planning to rent a van one way for bike and gear & drop at Pittsburgh rental office near the Point.

Any tips, particularly campgrounds to avoid in Hancock/Harper's Ferry area would be appreciated !

Good itinerary. I would recommend the C&O Bicycle Bunkhouse in Hancock. $10 I think, just layout your sleeping bag on their wood bunks. Screened in, shower, can leave your bike locked up there safely behind the gates to walk into town. All of the Hiker/Sites should be safe. Huckleberry Hill near Harper's Ferry seems the closest. Don't forget to catch the Western Maryland Rail Trail which parallels the C&O for 22 gloriously paved miles before and after Hancock. It's a nice break from the C&O as you don't have to constantly keep your eye out for tree ruts and rocks.

Thanks for the advice!

If your going to stay at Connellsville you can stay in the trailside shelters for free.

The Tea Horse Hostel in Harpers Ferry is a great place to stay!

Just finished GAP/CO last week. KOA outside Connellsville was decent. Nothing for food though unless you want pizza. 3 miles to Connellsville for food options. Fairfield Inn in Cumberland allows bikes in rooms,plenty of places to eat and a bike shop about a 100yds from the motel. The trail is just outside the back door. Very nice. Had reservations to camp in Hancock but opted out for another motel night. KOA in Harpers Ferry is about a mile or so outside of town and uphill. Wasn't happy about climbing steep grades to get to campsite but we did it anyway. Overall a most wonderful trip. Next time in the fall with all the colors. Enjoy!

thanks again all, great advice, esp. the recent tip about the Fairfield Inn...I was wondering how the hotels took to bringing in the bikes.

I was thinking of pulling a bike trailer with gear & stuff, but the more I read I'm thinking it might be more practical to wear a backpack or use panniers. Any thoughts on that ? I'm figuring to camp at least one night, so will need to pack a tent.

Related, how much bike repair stuff should I be carrying...a couple tubes is obvious, but is it really practical to pack anything more ?

Towns are pretty close together...every pound is a little less enjoyment of what you're out there to do.

I saw some trailers being pulled and I think it would be fine as long as it was dry. The C&O was muddy from Cumberland to DC. I don't know if I'd want to pull a bob or yak thru the mud. It wasn't deep mud but the outer edges were slick and there's not much room for error as far as keeping your bike in a straight line. We went totally self supported with racks,panniers and all. Had no trouble, no issues. No flats and only 1 broken spoke and that was with only 6 miles left on our journey of 368 miles each. I'd go as minimal as you can stand. All of my gear weighed less than 30 lbs. That's significant. Trailers are a lot like suitcases or SUVs, the more room you have to carry stuff, the more stuff you carry. But, to each their own. Regardless, enjoy the adventure.

I just completed the GAP/C&O yesterday. We stopped at the KOA in Connellsville. It was mostly camping trailers. I'd recommend staying in Ohiopyle, if you prefer a better nightlife. Be aware the state camping site is up a steep hill, so be sure to factor that in after a long day. At any campsite, I'd ask specifically, whether there are any things, like trains, that come through at night and also how close the campsite is to town. Our first night's sleep in West Newton was ruined by trains every 2 hours. Once you have that info, run the accommodations and info provided by the local bike shops over the phone. The bike shop in Confluence gave us great tips when we visited them. Such as the fact that the first 2 hiker/biker sites east of Cumberland are adjacent to the freight yards, so they're noisy all night. Definitely stay in Cumberland in the hotel. It's convenient and your bikes will be safe. We stayed in Frostburg this year and were disappointed b/c getting into town meant climbing 2 large hills and the night food and drink options were limited. Continuing on to Cumberland would have been easy. 14 miles downhill. Also, be sure and check if the places you're planning to eat will be open. We stopped at the Schoolhouse in Oldtown on a Monday to find out they were closed. Bill's in Little Orleans closes between 4-5, so don't plan to have dinner there!
Other tips: wear padded gloves. I didn't and i have some numbness in my ring finger and pinkie,
Pack lighter than you think you need. I brought 2) batteries to charge my phone and only used one. If I had it to do over again, I'd only have brought one. If you don't bring it and you really need it, you can almost certainly get it on the trail.
Hit up the bike shop in Cumberland. They're a great resource and are very friendly to cyclists.
Bring or buy chainlube. I didn't and had to listen to 30 miles on my chain squeaking on the last day after washing off my bike with a hose.
Repair stuff: i brought 3 spo

Congrats on your ride, and thanks for the advice. I decided to stay in Ohiopyle at the campground. I'll just have to deal with the climb up there. I'm planning to camp along the c&o, and for better or worse I'm going to pull my bike trailer. Mainly because I already have the tent & trailer, & would rather err on the side of self-sustaining. I've pulled my kids in that trailer over many miles thinking I can do this too!

Planning to the GAP and C&O over 9 days (starting and ending in DC) starting later this week! Seems a bit much for the few days I have -- anyone done it before? Any recomendations? Will be camping along the way so carrying own gear (panniers only). Thanks in advance!

Andrea, unless you're limiting your mileage each day to 40 or so miles (the 9 days you're predicting) you can probably finish in 5-6 days doing 60-65 miles a day instead if . For five days I would recommend camping near Harpers Ferry, Hancock, Cumberland, Ohiopyle or Connellsville, and ending in Pittsburgh. There's a bunch of free hiker/biker campsites on the C&O. There's adirondack free shelters around mile 88 of the GAP near Connellsville. But if you want a slower pace, maybe 7 nights? It all depends in your desire to grind out miles or sightsee.

Andrea - You didn't mention your return arrangements, but I highly recommend the Amtrak rail service. It costs about $50-60 one-way, plus $20 extra for bike handling service and box. Well worth the cost, but you do have remove stuff from your bike (eg, no panniers). Train only runs once a day.

We took the train from DC to Pittsburgh and rode back on the trails. Train leaves DC about 4 pm daily and arrives in Pitt close to midnight, so you have to ride to your hotel in the dark and need lights (which are a good idea for tunnels anyway).

Actually, I meant I was riding back and forth to Washington (so approximately 700 miles return)- 9 days total is what I have -- somewhat thinking of about 80 miles/day. Perhaps a bit too much? I do a lot of cycling and done some long routes previously overseas -- am I being a little too unrealistic? Train is a good idea -- any chance to catch it along the way, or just from Pittsburg? Never been to Pittsburg so perhaps I can stay and enjoy it a bit and then train it back to DC?

John and Tom - forgot to say thanks! I appreciate the advice! Trying to do the trails a little faster -- perhaps the route isn't as easy as I am imagining it to be...the last few years I have really only been road biking, so 80-100 miles is not too tough (without any gear) -- but I am trying to stay light with only 2x12L panniers, plus tent (hopefully no more than 20 lbs of gear). Will stop for food along the trails, so no cooking gear. Feel free to tell me it is a bit unrealistic to do both trails twice in 9 days...I just have to be back in DC by the 26th (leaving on the 17th)!

Hi Andrea. Wow, round trip! Good on you. I would do Harpers Ferry, Hancock, Cumberland, Ohiopyle, Pittsburgh. If you can stretch the trip one more day, you could do the reverse in 5 days also. If you can get it in time for the trip, I highly recommend purchasing the GAP Trail Book. Tons of detail, restaurant listings in town, suggested itineraries, camp site listings, and most importantly, an indestructible water proof map. Bring ear plugs for the camping near railroads (some come through every couple hours), make sure you have lights for your bike if you get caught out on the trail after dark (the C&O is very dark especially plus you'll need it for some of the tunnels), and bring a lock for your bike when eating in town (just to be safe).

We averaged about 60 miles/day at a 12 mph pace, carrying panniers. This was a comfortable pace allowing time for a leisurely start (9 am or so), breaks for lunch and coffee, plenty of stops for photos and finishing by 4-5 pm most days. We rode about 80 miles on a couple days, but I wouldn't want to ride that far every day. You can't maintain the same average speeds you would on a road tour due to the unpaved surfaces, mud, and stops for scenery -- so we ended up with the same amount of saddle time as a road tour averaging 80+ miles a day. You might want to consider a more leisurely pace with some stay-overs at some of the cool places along the way, such as Harpers Ferry, Pittsburgh and Georgetown/DC.

Tom/John -- thanks so much for the advice!! I found out about a shuttle service, so if I cant do it as planned, I can call on them to pick me up and take me back to DC! Hoping to do the first part (DC-Pittsburg as quick as possible), then take a bit more time to come back -- but will see how trails are the first day or so. I definitely plan on spending a night or two in Pittsburg, so if either of you know the city well, let me know any great places to check out. I know DC well, and staying there for a month at the end of my bike trip. Thanks again -- really appreciate it!