GAP and C&O Canal

The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and C&O Canal trails run 333 miles from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC. The GAP is owned by a variety of public and non-profit entities. The C&O Canal is managed by the National Park Service. This difference is important, because although on paper they seem like one long connected trail, in reality they are two very different experiences.

The GAP starts with 20 miles of paved urban / suburban trail leaving Pittsburgh, and then is mostly crushed limestone all the way to Cumberland, Maryland. The GAP is very well maintained, and long sections have recently received a surface refresh as of fall 2023. There are occasional free campgrounds along the trail, and enough potable water stops to keep you hydrated if you fill up when you have the chance.

The C&O Canal surface varies between two-track, occasionally single-track, and sometimes rough gravel roads. The first 30 miles coming out of Cumberland are mostly dirt and frequent pot holes. The last 30 miles heading into Washington, DC are rough gravel. The parts in the middle are in better shape as of Fall 2023, but mostly because they were nearly destroyed by flooding last spring and had to be replaced or refurbished. There are free campsites every five miles or so, with all including a water pump and porta-potty. But, the water is NOT potable. You must bring a water filter or other treatment system with you. Also, at least one of the pumps was not functional on my trip.

I had a chance to visit the Baltimore area in early September and brought my bike along. So this trip starts with two park camping experiences not included on the GAP / C&O Canal trails.

Cowan’s Gap State Park - Fort Loudon, Pennsylvania

Cowan’s Gap State Park is a 1,000 acre park in Fulton County, PA. It’s a nice little park down in the valley  between and north of McConnellsburg and Fort Loudon, with Mercersburg a bit further south on the Fort Loudon side. What makes the park significant to me is that it is where my parents met. My mother’s family rented a cottage at Cowan’s Gap for the entire summer throughout her teens. She essentially “grew up” at the park and was one of the park’s lifeguards in the late 1940s. My father’s family lived in Mercersburg and he visited the park often enough one summer to strike up a relationship with that lifeguard.

We visited the park occasionally when we were younger and hiked across the mountain once toward Knobsville. I stop in sometimes when I’m in the area to reminisce. The park is on the Tuscarora Trail, and so would be a very nice hiking destination. I’m not sure it’s very good for biking, but I was able to drive in and car-camp this part of the adventure.

I arrived just before dark and set up my tent mostly by flashlight. The campsite itself wasn’t particularly good. The campsites in my area were dirt and rocks (muddy after a very recent rain) and there was nothing resembling level. Other parts of the park would have been better choices for tent camping.

The park itself has very limited to no cell service. For Internet and phone calls I drove about five miles back up to the top of the mountain to near the cell tower by Route 30. But while there I also visited the location of the old fire tower, which provides a wonderful overlook of the valley to the east and beyond. The views of thunderstorm lightning to the east were spectacular.

I did ride my bike around the lake the next morning and the fog on the lake was beautiful.

Patapsco Valley State Park - Ellicott City, Maryland

Patapsco Valley State Park extends for 32 miles along the Patapsco River near Ellicott City, MD. I stayed in the Hollofield campground. Campsites were nice, well separated, and completely level. But they were also surfaced with crushed limestone. Pounding tent stakes in was challenging, to say the least.

There is a rough, rocky single-track trail that leads down into Ellicott City, and from there to anywhere you would want to go. While at the campground, I met another biker who was on his way south and west, with California as his final destination.

There is a nice single-track trail along the other side of the river, but because of the train track in between, there is no convenient way to get there. Since I was visiting family, we drove and parked on the other side and then walked that part of the trail. We passed several hikers and bikers along the way.

Ellicott City to Washington, DC, and then Pittsburgh

Day 0: 40 miles, 1,600 feet of elevation gain. For me to ride the GAP requires an Amtrak trip on the Capital Limited. I decided to bike from Ellicott City to Washington, DC to board the Amtrak train there for the trip to Pittsburgh. This part of the journey was surprisingly pleasant, for the most part. The first 20 miles were wonderful, and I would ride those trails regularly if I lived in the area. The next 10 miles were less fun, road riding with minimal shoulders. It wasn’t really unsafe, but there were a couple of drivers who were less bike-friendly than I prefer.

The last 10 miles were again surprisingly pleasant. Washington, DC has wonderful bike trails and paths, to the point where I was only a couple of miles from Union Station before it was clear that I was in a major metropolitan area. More cities should be this bike-friendly.

Riding the train with a bike was a new experience for me. For those who haven’t done it before, you reserve a spot for your bike when you purchase your ticket. There are eight bike slots in the baggage car. I got the last slot for my train, so plan ahead to ensure you can bring your bike with you. When they open boarding, those with bikes get to load first with those needing extra assistance. You take your bike directly to the baggage car and lift it up to the handler. You have to remove panniers, but you can leave water bottles and frame bags on, if you like.

At the end of the train ride, you go directly to the baggage car to retrieve your bike. One important note, be sure to visit the Amtrak office to get a baggage tag for your bike, and panniers if you want them to take them. I didn’t know about this. I had no trouble putting the bike and panniers on the train, but getting them back off without tags required a bit of negotiation and blaming people in DC for doing things they weren’t supposed to do.

The train ride from DC to Pittsburgh was uneventful. But be aware that significant parts of the journey have no cell service. Also, be aware that you arrive in Pittsburgh around midnight. The ride from the train station to my hotel was also uneventful. But in the “be aware” category, note that the street the train station is on is paved brick rather than asphalt, and many of the bricks are loose. They rock back and forth as you ride over them. It’s a bit disconcerting as you discover that in the middle of the night and can’t really see what’s going on.

Another “be aware” that surprised me was a tent city along the river essentially right in front of my hotel. I didn’t have any issues, but I wasn’t expecting to see this part of the city experience.

Pittsburgh to Ohiopyle

Day 1: 81 miles, 1,500 feet of elevation gain. As I left the hotel and found the GAP trail, I met another biker at a stop light and asked whether it was worth going to the official beginning of the trail. He said, absolutely, yes. So I headed west for a mile to visit Point State Park and start at Mile 0. I’m glad I did. It’s a pretty park, right across the river from Three Rivers Stadium.

As noted above, the first 20 miles of the GAP are typical urban / suburban bike trail, concrete or paved. There are a couple of river crossings. If you are a fan of steel architecture bridges, this part of the GAP would interest you. Otherwise, I’m getting a bit jaded in terms of urban riding along a river. The best ride along a river I had this year in terms of views was headed north out of Rockford, Illinois along the Rock River. That was beautiful. The Mississippi River around Davenport, Iowa is expansive, and to me also nicer than Pittsburgh.

After leaving the Pittsburgh area, the GAP is mostly crushed limestone all the way to Cumberland, Maryland. There are occasional water stops, and relatively rare free campsites. There is other camping available in private campgrounds, but I didn’t try any of those.

The GAP is always mentioned as a top-ten bike adventure. From my perspective, this must be because you can ride for so long on a trail with minimal grade change. There are just a few places with a really gorgeous view. Most of it is a “green tunnel” with an appreciation that a river is over there somewhere, mostly just out of sight. Particularly this first day, there just wasn’t a lot to see.

As with other bike adventures, I’ve found you have to plan out your food stops if you want to eat something other than what you are carrying. I stopped in Connellsville and I’m really glad I did. The first two places I tried were closed, but the third was open. Marlene's Corner Bar and Grill is a typical small town bar downtown with a long history. The bartender said “back in the day” they used to open at 7 a.m. to meet the needs of the third shift workers when their shift ended at the local manufacturing plant. I presume the plant is now closed and things are slower in Connellsville. But the beer and burger were good and it was a nice stop.

I should have stopped there and made camp for the evening. But it was late afternoon and I felt refreshed and ready to go another 20 miles. So I headed off just as it started to rain. It poured. For the next three hours, it poured. The trail was fine, and with appropriate clothing, riding in the rain wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. I kept a good pace, and arrived in Ohiopyle with about 45 minutes to go before dark. Here’s where my day, and really my whole trip, turned sour.

What I didn’t realize was that Ohiopyle State Park is at the top of a 0.4 mile 10%+ grade gravel path. Pushing my bike up the hill in the rain sucked. But then it got worse. I make it to the park, only to find that you have to go up to the park entrance to check in, and that’s another quarter mile plus of asphalt climb. By the time I got to the entrance and reserved a space, it was after sundown. By the time I found my campsite, it was almost dark. None of the sites in the area were at all level, and the site I had picked wasn’t even bike accessible. It had a long set of rock stairs to get to it. So I picked another site that had a semi-flat area and set up there in the dark by flashlight.

Then I went to take a shower. No dice. The facilities in this area of the campground were sinks only. So I sponged off and headed back to my tent to listen to the rain and/or trees drip for the rest of the night.

Ohiopyle to Cumberland

Day 2: 74 miles, maybe 1,000 feet of elevation gain. There are a gorge and a tunnel on this part of the trail that really confuse map software. Ride with GPS says I did 4,700 feet of elevation gain. There was nothing of the sort. It’s a 1% climb for around 80 miles, followed by a 20 mile 3% to 4% descent into Cumberland.

There is a very pretty gorge in Ohiopyle, and beautiful views coming down into Cumberland. You also get to cross the Eastern Continental Divide and the Mason-Dixon Line. That’s about it. Otherwise, it’s a lot more green tunnel, with occasional nice views overlooking the river. Day 2 of the GAP is certainly nicer than Day 1. If I were to do this ride again, I would consider starting in Connellsville rather than Pittsburgh.

When I got to Cumberland, I stopped for dinner at Baltimore Street Grill, a very nice place. This was still on the GAP part of the trail. After dinner I headed toward the C&O Canal. Cumberland makes a really big deal out of being the canal endpoint, with a big marker and about a half-block dedicated to touristy canal things. And as I looked up from there, there was a hotel in front of me, almost right in the middle of the trail. That’s a sign.

I got a room for the night and took everything out of my packs. I washed the tent and ground cover, washed most of my biking clothes, and hung everything to dry in the bathroom. I ran the fan all night, but by morning most of the mud and camp smell was gone, and I did my best not to leave any dirt or mud for the cleaning staff. This evening of recovery was desperately needed to improve the rest of my trip.

Cumberland to North Mountain

Day 3: 75 miles, 600 feet of elevation gain. Outside of Cumberland, the C&O Canal is two-track dirt with some mud and potholes and occasional rocks and roots for 20 or 30 miles. After that, it’s still two-track, but with limestone or gravel mixed in, so it seemed to be in pretty good shape for most of my trip. There are occasional gorgeous views of the Potomac River, but, again, it’s mostly a green tunnel. You can usually tell there is water over there, with a sparkle or two here and there. But only rarely do you get to see the river itself.

In terms of food planning, be aware that many trailside or trail town restaurants are only open in the summer, or only on weekends, etc. My plan for a nice breakfast fell through when the restaurant was closed. The next option was another 30 miles down the trail. So I was able to stop for lunch. But it was a late lunch and that meant my plan for dinner in Hancock was now unnecessary. So, I kept riding.

This time, I was rewarded. I picked out a really nice campsite along the Potomac River. I got to clean up sitting on a rock in the river, and made a small campfire to enjoy as the sun set. In terms of camping, it was my best night on the trip, and I slept without the rain fly and enjoyed the view of the stars whenever I woke up.

North Mountain to Chisel Branch

Day 4: 80 miles, 700 feet of elevation gain. In terms of river views, this part of the journey is the best. I think this is what they refer to as the lower Potomac. The river is much rockier, with a series of dams and small hydroelectric power generating stations.

When I got up in the morning, I noticed some moths clumped together on the back side of a tree. My phone was still in the tent so I didn't take a picture of them. When I looked them up online later, I realized they were Spotted Lanternfly and I should have crushed them. I did try to report them after that, but the website wouldn't accept a report without a picture. So those got away. But they're pretty creepy looking, and definitely memorable. I'm sure I'll recognize them the next time I see them.

After the moths, I packed up and hit the trail. For some reason, I assumed Harper's Ferry was much closer than it actually was. I thought I would stop there for an early lunch. As it turned out, it was more like a very late lunch. And getting to Harper's Ferry from the C&O Canal trail isn't bike friendly. There's a two-story stairway you need to climb with bike racks at the bottom. So you leave your bike and all your gear (or carry your gear, which I didn't) and climb up and across the bridge. Once on the other side, it's about two blocks to Harper's Ferry shops and restaurants.

I stopped for lunch in several places. The first one didn't have any service. The second one didn't have anything low sodium. But I went up the hill and found The Rabbit Hole GastroPub with a nice view, good staff, and good food. After enjoying a burger and fries, I crossed back over the bridge. My gear was untouched and I started off again.

80 miles on dirt and gravel makes for a long day. I got into camp just before sunset. I didn't really experience mosquitos on the trip except for this location. Here they were really bad. I hurried and set up my tent as fast as I could, crawled in, and called it a night.

Chisel Branch to Ellicott City

Day 5: 76 miles, 2,300 feet of elevation gain. The last 30 miles of the C&O Canal were the most poorly maintained of the whole journey. Dirt turns to gravel and then gravel turns to large gravel. Not a very fun ride. But a few miles out from DC you look up and notice the Washington Monument on the horizon.

At the end of the canal trail is a marker indicating Mile 0. It's hidden behind a boat rental storage facility. I wouldn't have been able to find it without GPS. While I was in front of the marker taking a picture, a group of three young people came up and asked what I was doing. I explained the significance of the marker to my journey and they interviewed me for their blog.

After that, I went a block or so back up the canal and enjoyed an all-you-can-eat brunch in Georgetown. Very fancy. After brunch I headed further down the Potomac. About a mile down river, I looked left and saw the back of the Lincoln Memorial. It's just right there next to the river. I rode over and around the Memorial. The area in front of Lincoln's statue was closed for maintenance, but I stood in front of the Reflecting Pool where Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.

There's something about being able to stand in a place where significant history was made that really encourages one to reflect on the experience.

Afterwards, I rode along the Reflecting Pool and over to the Washington Monument. Then I went past the Monument and about half way down to the Capital building before turning and heading to Union Station and up along the bike trail back to Ellicott City.

The return trip was mostly uneventful, however the worst traffic experience I had the entire journey occurred just a couple of miles from my brother's house. Riding down a slow four-lane city road, a city bus passed me without moving over at all. There was no traffic in the left lane. The driver just didn't care.

So I really learned my lesson about "own your lane". It is safer to ride in the middle of the lane and force traffic to go around than it is to give them space and have them take all of it. I now take the lane and only move right after I see them move left. Either that, or bail out completely and head for the sidewalk. You can share the road but you can't share a lane.

Epilogue

Six days and 429 miles. I really wish I had taken an extra day for this ride. An 80-mile day on RAGBRAI where you're on paved roads riding with and behind dozens of other riders is very different from riding gravel by yourself. Seven days with 60 miles a day would have been much more enjoyable.

I was also surprised by the lack of food service on this trip, particularly the GAP and early C&O Canal portions. I think doing these trails between Memorial Day and Labor Day would be easier to manage. I can understand why this trip is rated as a top-10 adventure, but certainly not at the pace I did it, or not when I did it, or both. Of all the trips I did this year, this one was my least favorite.

I might come back and try it again sometime, particularly the portions east/south of Connellsville and west/north of Chisel Branch. On the other hand, there are a lot of other states and places I want to try first.