Any photos from your trip?
2009-07-27 16:06:44
7
Things to Know about the C & O Towpath
The girlfriend and I just got back from doing the Pittsburgh - DC ride. The first part, the Allegheny Passage, was nothing new or special. Atatrail.org has an excellent collection of detailed maps and lists of amenities. However, the tow path was all new to me, so here's a few things I wish I had known:
1) There are NO amenities from Cumberland to Hancock. Stock up on food in Cumberland. We were lucky to run in to two park workers who told us how to leave the trail and get to Paw Paw West Virginia as our food was running out. Otherwise, during the first 30 mile leg, we saw only one other cyclist.
2) Stopping means that the mosquitoes catch up with you.
3) You're probably going to want to ride something with at least 30mm tires. If there's been any rain in the last week, you're definitely going to want fenders.
4) The Harper's Ferry international hostel is not in Harper's Ferry. Harper's Ferry is a historical park with businesses catering to tourists. To get to the hostel, you need to stay on the trail for another mile, take a foot path over the adjacent train tracks, get on the road, and climb a small hill. Otherwise, be prepared to spend $$$ at a bed and breakfast in the town, or get devoured by insects at one of the primitive camping sites.
5) As someone who primarily does road cycling, I found the tow path to be very, very boring.
6) The bike shop next to the trail in Hancock has a "Sleep and Go" out back, which is essentially a large chicken coop for hikers and bikers. They had showers, so the stay was definitely worth it.
7) Finally, boxing up a bike at the Greyhound station will always be a huge hassle.
2009-07-27 16:04:44
I am hoping to do the trip, out and back, next year with a few friends. I was planning on 32mm tires( I normally ride on 25mm). Was it mostly the mud that had you thinking 35? or rougher terrain?
2009-07-27 16:16:29
Here is a link to the blog I wrote a couple of years ago about this trip www.iadcbiketrip.blogspot.com
2009-07-28 14:45:22
djrbikes: You said in your blog you had knobby tires. Do you remember offhand what make and size?
2009-07-28 17:03:44
I did the trail round trip this spring.
Between Cumberland and Orleans, there is a restaurant in Oldtown taht ahs take-out snacks.
I left the trail a few times and took roads because of heavy rain and mud. Maryland ahs good biking roads. There's hills, for sure, but even the dirt roads are better then the trail.
I took the Oldtown-Orleans road, for example. It turned out to be dirt, and quite hilly, but faster than the mud.
My experience is the trail is not too slow during rain (messy, but not slow). When the rain stops, all the puddles gel and it gets slow.
The roads shown on the vinyl map with the $10 Trailbook are all pretty useful. The roads you might want are shown better on there than they are on the Gazetteer or regular state maps.
There are paved Rail-trails around Hancock and from Leesburg into DC. You miss Great Falls if you take the Leesburg trail (Washiungton and Old Dominion, I think it's called), but it is a relief to be out of the mud.
The guy that runs the bike-shop/sleepover in Hancock seems like a good guy.
The mosquitoes on the C&O sneer at repellent that would work fine up in the mountains. In the bad parts, they swarm so fast you'll get 5 or 6 bites by the time you can slap some repellent on you.
The C&O in general was made into a park with hiking in mind. There are folks that want to preserve it in a historically accurate manner. Fine for mules, not so good for cycling.
The Western Maryland Rail-Trail, which goes for 22 miles around Hancock, will eventually cover most of the cumberland-DC stretch.
Sooner or later we'll have a U.S. coast-to-coast off-road bike trail. If Sandastle ever gets dosed with ex-lax, the trail will most likely come through here.
2009-07-30 22:01:00
Yeah, we were rained on three times during the trip last week. One hour and a half downpour hit us in the 17 miles between Connellsville and Ohiopyle. I don't think I'll ever get all of the trail muck out of my components. We hit a lot of muddy stretches full of puddles. I think we only managed to average 8 MPH during some parts.
We did end up taking the paved capital crescent trail for the final few miles in to DC. I would have liked to stay on the path in order to experience the triumphant climax of reaching mile marker zero, but she had had enough of the rocky terrain by then.
I wasn't aware the Oldtown and Orleans were close to the trail. However, I can't say that my research of the towpath was that extensive.
I can see how it was intended for hikers, but I can't see how it would be appealing for that purpose. Isn't hiking supposed to be made interesting by trails that twist and turn and cover a variety of terrain and elevations? I guess the C & O would be great for a novice hiker.
All in all, I'd like to do it again next year, but in three days rather than five.
2009-07-30 23:01:13