C&O Trail?

[BlackCloud]

I took the train to Cumberland and hiked back to DC in the 1970's as a teen. I recall being alone the whole way, but enjoyed the walk and camping. Went into towns for food, never had any trouble getting food or water. In the fall there are excellent apples in the orchards along the trail. Paw Paw tunnel is fun. Do a little research so you will appreciate the historical sites like aqueducts, buildings, locks, etc.

If you go the right time of year there are actually paw paw fruits on the trees up there too!

[Cookerhiker]

Just back from our "thru-ride." Started Friday, April 13, finished early afternoon Monday the 16th. Camped all 3 nights. The Park Service had just turned on the water for the season.

My bike is a hybrid. I've never ridden a road bike but it looks to me like the canal path is too rough for one, plus you're carrying more weight. Re. hiking, I wouldn't do it (personal preference) but it occurred to me that you'd see even more wildlife than we did if you're walking. And we still saw a lot - turtles, herons, mergansers, wood ducks, at least 4 kinds of snakes, deer, wild turkey, pileated woodpeckers, numerous other birds.

Agree with Black Cloud re campsites - some are fabulous, some are so-so. My favorite - our first - was opposite the confluence with the Cacapon River.

Harpers Ferry was a zoo - what do you expect when you arrive mid-day on a sunny, warm Spring Sunday? We couldn't even find space on the bike rack to lock the bikes so we just headed on.

If you enjoy long-distance cycling, this is the ride for you.

[Cookerhiker]

AMTRAK will finally allow bikes to be rolled on their Capitol Limited line. Previously, you had to check them in which ruled out stopping at stations w/o checked baggage e.g. Harpers Ferry & Cumberland. For details, see Post No. 4 of this thread which covers the Great Allegheny Passage.

I regret to report that this information, posted in good faith at the time, proved to be erroneous. My source was the Great Allegheny Passage's Yahoo Groups Discussion as well as their website. I think AMTRAK made some moves that got everyone excited but they didn't follow through.

So as before, the only way to bring your bike on AMTRAK is boxing it and checking it as luggage which you can only do in DC or Pittsburgh, not in the interim stops along the way (Harpers Ferry, Cumberland, etc.). You can't check it at DC and get off with it at these interim points.

[Cookerhiker]

For those unaware and planning a cycling or hiking trip on the C&O Canal, the trail is closed from this landslide around the Paw Paw tunnel. The Park's website states that a detour is marked out.

[Cookerhiker]

The Great Allegheny Passage, which connects with the C&O in Cumberland, is now 100% complete to downtown Pittsburgh. See links in this thread.

[Don H]

For those unaware and planning a cycling or hiking trip on the C&O Canal, the trail is closed from this landslide around the Paw Paw tunnel. The Park's website states that a detour is marked out.

That slide is cleared now, I went through there last month. It was small and people were going over it anyway.

[Coffee]

I live in Virginia within walking distance of the end of the C&O Canal trail in DC. I am planning to section hike the AT from Rockfish Gap to Harpers Ferry in mid-late April and kicking around the idea of continuing from Harpers Ferry on the C&O Canal to get back home. I could likely do the extra 62 miles in 3 days of hiking or even less since the path is totally flat.

I've used the C&O trail near DC frequently for running and hiked the area near Great Falls a few times but I've never hiked the majority of this path. I know that there are campgrounds located at intervals and that water is available at most of the campgrounds. So I kind of like the idea of just continuing at Harpers Ferry and heading home. Since I'm going to send a box with street clothes to the Teahorse Hostel anyway I could include a small resupply for the possible final three days and continue if I feel like it, or take the train home if not.

Does anyone have opinions regarding whether walking from Harpers Ferry to DC is going to be worthwhile or if it would just be tedious, flat and boring slog? Are the campsites along the trail attractive places to stay (stealth camping along the C&O is illegal)? Also, has anyone taken water from the Potomac for drinking (needed in case the campground water sources are off or disabled?)

I know that the C&O is much more popular for thru biking than thru or section hiking which is why I wonder if this is a good idea...

Thanks.

[chiefiepoo]

HF is about mile 60. Between there and mile 40, you'll have conventional water and food options at Brunswick and Point of Rocks. There are also 3 primitive hiker / biker sites along that section. Between MP 40 and 20 there is the Whites Ferry crossing that has a seasonal snack shop as well as 4 primitive sites. From there to the Watergate I don't think there is any camping as Swains Lock has been closed (?) and the Great Falls snack bar might have seasonal hours. A fun alternative to stay is the Lock Keepers house stays. The C&O Trust has restored several lock keepers homes and they are available for overnight stays. I think I paid $80 for a night at Lock 22. You could have the family meet you for a final night of your trip. The hike would take you past some history and the stretch below Great Falls has some interesting topography. Keep in mind Spring floods might affect the area around Whites ferry and several of the hiker biker sites are located in a flood plain. If you want to get a feel for the history of the canal and one of its strongest proponents, George Washington, check out "The Grand Idea" by Joel Achenbach. It is the story of the early canal and how the towpath came to be. As to water, I never dipped into the Potomac. There was always pump water available or I picked a side tributary. The canal water always looked nasty.

[Black Wolf]

http://http://youtu.be/eLnCu4q96SMhttp://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=445958

my journal on hiking it to Harpers Ferry .. Then on to the AT .. It's like taking a stroll down an old country road .. Rich in history .. Hit Great Falls ..for some diversion hit the Billy Goat Trails ..

[Black Wolf]

http://http://youtu.be/eLnCu4q96SM

http://http://youtu.be/eLnCu4q96SMhttp://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=445958

my journal on hiking it to Harpers Ferry .. Then on to the AT .. It's like taking a stroll down an old country road .. Rich in history .. Hit Great Falls ..for some diversion hit the Billy Goat Trails ..

[bfayer]

I would not drink the water out of the Canal or the Potomac unless I was dieing of thirst. There are wells along the C&O, and even they have iodine cartridges installed on the pumps to treat the water because of possible contamination from the Potomac.

I have done a big chunk of it over the years and I don't think it's boring to hike at all. Lots of places to camp and like chiefiepoo said, if you want you can rent the lock houses and have someone meet you there for a nearo.

[Coffee]

Great, it sounds like a potentially interesting option to finish the hike. The Potomac can get pretty nasty around DC especially after heavy rains. There are several signs in the area warning of sewage runoff overwhelming the system during heavy rain so I'd never drink the water near DC. Sounds like it may be a bad idea to drink the Potomac water upstream as well.

[Oak88]

I am hoping to go from Pittsburgh to DC in May with my brother. Should be lots of fun and mostly down hill to DC. Isn't going south all down hill? I remember a co-worker telling me I should do the AT SOBO as its all down hill going south. I am looking for some way to get from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh by train and from DC to Philadelphia after the finish. I believe Amtrak has a "roll on roll off" program.

Seems most folks go from DC to Pittsburgh rather than Pittsburgh to DC?

[Pedaling Fool]

I am hoping to go from Pittsburgh to DC in May with my brother. Should be lots of fun and mostly down hill to DC. Isn't going south all down hill? I remember a co-worker telling me I should do the AT SOBO as its all down hill going south. I am looking for some way to get from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh by train and from DC to Philadelphia after the finish. I believe Amtrak has a "roll on roll off" program.

Seems most folks go from DC to Pittsburgh rather than Pittsburgh to DC?

I did Pittsburgh to DC and it is very flat, but actually there will be a section where you peak out and do start going down hill. I'll have to look at a map to jog my memory where this point is, but it's pretty long descent, not very steep, but long -- makes for a very comfortable bike ride.

BTW, when you start in Pittsburgh you're not on the C&O, rather the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) , but it takes you to the C&O, sometime before reaching D.C. http://www.atatrail.org/

[Pedaling Fool]

Here's the elevation profile, although it is very much exaggerated; you will not even notice going up hill, but yo will notice the downhill, but it's very gentle. http://www.atatrail.org/tmi/elevation.cfm

BTW, I did this on a bike. I really have no desire to walk this section, just too flat; I love the mountains for walking.

[bfayer]

There are several signs in the area warning of sewage runoff overwhelming the system during heavy rain so I'd never drink the water near DC. Sounds like it may be a bad idea to drink the Potomac water upstream as well.

With Cumberland, Hagerstown, and all the chemical runoff from the farms along the way, the Potomac upstream of DC is not much better than from the beltway down. When I am hiking or biking the C&O I take my First Need filter just in case, but I have never needed to use it. You run into well pumps pretty regularly, much more often than springs on the AT.

[Coffee]

Looks like water at Swains Lock is unavailable "until further notice". Other than that, water should be spaced at easy intervals and there's probably going to be water fountains in some of the closer developed sites like Great Falls visitors center, Carderock, Anglers Inn etc.

http://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/camping.htm

[bamboo bob]

I did a bike ride from Cumberland to DC on the C&O a few years back with my wife. A lot of fun. There are campsites every 5 miles or so with pumps, I think privys too at some. We rode off trail to B&B's and stopped at Pubs on the way. A nice trip.

[Blue Mountain Edward]

Mosquitos are bad on the c and o canal and are slightly malarial. More fun to bike than hike. All the hiker biker campsites have a privy and water pump. Some water pumps are broken. The NPS tests the water for bacteria and liquid iodates it. It will turn starchy food blue. If the pump handle is removed that cystern failed the bacteria content test. Some of the campsites are very muddy and I tented next to the trail above the campsites a few times. I think the snack bar at Great Falls closed.

[Cookerhiker]

Earlier, I had posted #79 about bikes being allowed on AMTRAK. That turned out to be a false alarm (see Post # 103). But now, it's for real:

http://community.railstotrails.org/b...very-soon.aspx

An overdue but welcome development!