The C&O Towpath is a bike trail that runs 184.5 miles between Cumberland, MD and Washington D.C. The trail is connected to the Great Allegany Passage (GAP) in Cumberland and many people think of it as a single trail. I have previously ridden the GAP but never the C&O. I rectified this with a ride facilitated by Crossroads Bike Tours in October 2014. Crossroads arranged lodging, GPS directions and shuttle service for my luggage and a ride back to Cumberland at the end. With the exception of a few miles from the trail to the lodging the GPS wasn't necessary. The shuttle service was subcontracted to Wheelzup bike shop in Cumberland.
I arrived in Cumberland the day before and did a ride up the GAP from Cumberland to the Continental Divide vista for a 40 mile roundtrip. I stayed at the Fairfield in Cumberland. the hotel is on the trail a couple of hundred yards from the start medallion. The next morning I was off on my adventure.
The first day the plan was to ride to Little Orleans, a distance of about 43 miles. A lot has been written about the trail being muddy and rough compared to the GAP. I found the trail to have a rough texture with small pebbles protruding from the packed dirt surface. There were not many potholes or roots so the roughness was mostly a vibration. The weather was dry so I didn't have any issues with mud. I did see many spots that looked like they would be very muddy in wet weather. It is important to point out that many portions of the trail have been resurfaced with a stone dust material. These portions were smooth and dry similar to the GAP and other well maintained trails. The resurfaced sections seemed rather random leading me to believe the worst sections were addressed first. Other than some occasional vibration I had no difficulty with 700X40 tires. I think even narrower tires would be fine in dry conditions.
The first highlight was the Paw Paw Tunnel at MM 156. This tunnel is a bit over a half mile long and you will need lights. Most trail tunnels have signs admonishing cyclists to walk their bike in the tunnel. For this tunnel I highly recommend following that advice. The tunnel carries water from the canal with a retaining wall on one side. The path is on top of the retaining wall. There is a fence between the drop off and the path. The other side of the path is the tunnel walls. The width of the path is rather narrow, perhaps 5 feet. The biggest problem is the surface. It is akin to an irregular washboard with potholes thrown in. These issues combine to create a significant danger to cyclists.
There are two recurring features of the trail, canal locks and campsites. The locks are numbered and I noticed numbers in the seventies. That seem about the number of locks I rode by. The trail also has campsites that seem to average every 5 miles more or less. These sites have a nice, flat grassy area for tents, one or more picnic tables, a water pump and a porta-potty. The water is non-potable so it needs chemical treatment or filtration before it is safe to drink.
Starting around MM140 the Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) parallels the towpath on the other side of the canal. In most places it is only a few yards away and you can see it from the towpath. When I rode, there were a couple of detours on both the towpath and the WMRT. This necessitated going back and forth between each. The WMRT is paved and a much smoother ride than the towpath.
I exited the towpath near MM141 at Bill's Place. Bill's Place is located across the street from the WMRT trailhead. This seems like a source of food and drink but was closed when I was there. Instead I stopped there as a pick up point for a shuttle to Town Hill B&B, The shuttle driver kindly stopped along the way at a dinner/convenience store. The roads to the B&B are narrow, curvy and have no shoulder. There is no safe way to cycle up several miles to the B&B. There is also no other options nearer the trail in this area. I was asked to place my bike in a bike rack under a pavilion roof for the night. I was nervous about the bike not being in a more secure location but the B&B seemed to be far from almost anything else and crime is likely not an issue.
The next day, after a buffet breakfast it was another shuttle ride back to the towpath and starting my ride to Williamsport, MM 99. After a couple of back and forths between the towpath and the WMRT the Round Top Cement Mill was at MM 127. The limestone kilns still stand along the towpath and are an interesting historical artifact. More locks and a dam on the river before getting to MM 100 where there is an interesting aqueduct. The Conococheague Aqueduct consists of three 60 foot arches. Then it was time to exit the towpath at MM 99 for a short few blocks into town and my stop for the night, Bay Farms B&B.
Day 3 on the tow path was a 45 mile ride to Brunswick (MM 55). The most interesting feature thus far was found at MM 85. It is the Big Slackwater area. Here the river is very wide and slow moving giving the impression of a lake. The tow path is a concrete walkway type structure between the river and rock cliffs. This is cantilevered over the water in several sections. This nearly three mile portion of the ride was fun and different than most bike trails.
At MM 61 is Harpers Ferry. This historic town is across the river from the trail but there is a pedestrian walkway on a railroad bridge across. There are steps to ascend to the walkway and cyclists usually park and lock their bikes on one of several bike racks provided for the purpose. In addition to a stroll around town, I had lunch here.
Lodging at the end of the day was a Holiday Inn in Brunswick (MM55). The hotel was two or three miles from the trail but just a few blocks in town led to a trail that took me almost to the hotel. As with most hotels, I was able to take my bike to my room.
My fourth and final day was planned to ride to DC, starting at MM 55 and finishing at mile 0. Along this stretch there are several aqueducts and tunnels to see. There are also several more locks with two sections where there are six and seven locks in a row. The first section with six locks is also the area of the river called Great Falls (MM14). The falls are only about twenty feet high but there are several grouped together. Viewing is facilitated by a pedestrian bridge over the falls. I found the falls to be the highlight of the entire trip.
The last portion of the trail is in DC. Here the trail was difficult to follow even with GPS. It is not well marked. A bit of construction didn't help. That being said I had no difficulty getting to the MM 0 but I probably strayed from the trail a couple of times along the way.
I love seeing wildlife on my rides. The towpath afforded opportunities to view deer, turkey, heron, turtles, black and gray squirrel. The first couple of days was a bit repetitive and even boring at times. I found the last couple of days, approaching DC to be more interesting. Overall I loved the trail and glad I took the time to finally experience it.
Below is a highlight video of the ride followed by photos I took along the way.
For more information about the trail visit the NPS website.
Day 1 Cumberland (184.5) to Little Orleans (141)
Day 2 Little Orleans (141) to Williamsport (99)
Day 3 Williamsport (99) to Brunswick (55)
Day 4 Brunswick (55) to Washington DC (0)
