Reply to Alternate Route from DC to Harper's Ferry

I finished riding from DC to Pittsburgh this week. However, rather than riding on the C&O Towpath from DC to Harper's Ferry and worrying about the washout at Catoctin Creek, I rode the Washington and Old Dominion (WOD) Trail from DC to Purcelville and then local and state roads on down to Harper's Ferry. This route is fully paved except for a small stretch of the WOD that was being repaved at the time. It is generally down hill from Purcelville to Harper's Ferry. This alternate route added about 20 miles to the overall distance of the trip o Pittsburgh. If you are not comfortable riding on public roads, I would not recommend this alternate route but I, myself, felt safe riding them perhaps with the exception of the short stretch of Rt 340 into Harper's Ferry which was heavily traveled by cars at fairly high speeds. Of course, after arriving in Harper's Ferry you must pass over the pedestrian bridge to the Maryland side of the river and carry your bike and gear down the spiral stairs to rejoin the C&O Towpath and continue northward. I stayed in Leesburg in a hotel as I was not able to find a camping site at the north end of the WOD.

It's just another option for the trip.