Biking the C&O Canal

This post is dedicated to Quantum Leap Bill (a fellow biker and good Samaritan)

The Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) canal is a 184.5-mile towpath which was built in 1831 and made into a Historic Park in 1971.  It runs from Georgetown Washington DC, traverses between Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia before it terminates in Cumberland Maryland.  From there it continues to Pittsburgh as the Allegany Gap trail.  The trail is popular with runners and walkers around towns along the way, but it is also a popular long distance biking trail. 

I have a friend who really wanted to bike the entire path.  I’m not sure how, but she convinced me to do it with her, in the middle of a July heat wave.  Here is where I would link to earlier posts about biking, but I don’t have any.  It had been over four years since I even sat on a bike, and over thirty years since I biked longer than a couple of miles for anything other than local transportation.  But she is a good friend, and I am always up for an adventure…. 

If biking the entire path, you can start at either Georgetown or Cumberland Maryland.  We started in Cumberland which I highly recommend.  If starting in Cumberland it is slightly downhill the entire way and you get a little boost of speed when you go down a “steep” few feet for each of the 75 locks.  Those are much more fun to race down than struggle up! 

We did the trip in 5 days – the mileage was a bit uneven because we wanted an afternoon at a the pool in Shepherdstown and tubing in Harper’s Ferry. If you wanted, you could probably easily split the trip into 4 days.  If this trip sounds like fun, here is what we did and how we did it. 

Day 0:  Washington DC to Cumberland Maryland – 0 miles

We live in Washington DC but had to get to Cumberland Maryland to start the trail.  The challenge was also arranging transportation or rental of bikes.  Vehicle or train are the two primary options.  There is one train a day from DC, which it departs at 4:05pm, so an overnight stay in likely.  The train does have limited spots for bikes.  We opted to travel by train and rent a bike at WheelzUp in Cumberland which has an option to return the bike at a partner store in Georgetown.  We had some difficulty with the return so ask questions if you go with this type of option. 

Whether you take the train, or drive, be aware that Cumberland shuts down early.  Even on a Saturday night, most things close by 8 or 9 pm.  Our train arrived after 7 pm and by the time we got checked in, we had limited places to eat.  We ate at Uncle Jack’s Pizza which is fine but not somewhere I need to go again. 

We stayed at the Fairfield Inn which was comfortable and could not be located closer to the C&O.  I would recommend it for those that are biking. 

If you have a few minutes while in Cumberland, make sure you stop to see Fort Cumberland (George Washington’s Headquarters during the French and Indian War), the Canal Ferry, and the Mule Statue.  All three sights are within a five-minute walk of downtown.  Interesting but they don’t take long. 

Day 1:  Cumberland Maryland to Little Orleans Maryland – 43.6 miles

It took us about seven hours to cover this section and that included a long long lunch stop and walking through Paw Paw Tunnel. 

This is a nice, flat, shaded section of crushed gravel through rural America. Throughout the day we saw beavers, turtles, deer, rabbits and frogs. I really enjoyed the lunch at School House Kitchen in Old Town Maryland.  It is just off the trail and unsurprisingly located in an old school lunchroom.  The menu is filled with comfort food and the room is lined with class photos dating back to the 1920s.  They only take cash or checks.    

Just south of Old Town you will go through the 3000 ft pitch black Paw Paw tunnel.  You will need to walk your bike through this .56 mile tunnel so make sure you bring a flashlight or headlamp. 

We finished the day in Little Orleans.  We had dinner at Bill’s Place which is full of character (also cash only) and waited for our ride to the Town Hill B&B for the night.  A second night of bar food was not what I wanted after a full day of biking, but I would stop here again because I really liked the Town Hill B&B.  They have comfortable rooms, a beautiful view, and a magnificent breakfast.  It is on a short list for my favorite accommodations and meal of the year. 

Day 2:  Little Orleans Maryland to Williamsport– 41.4 miles

While the mileage was roughly the same as day one, the path was the hardest of the entire trip.  The first 20 miles were paved which was great but there are tree roots and detours.  We actually stopped for a bit to assist a man who crashed after hitting a tree root and needed an ambulance. 

This day we saw more deer, squirrels, rabbits, beaver and a bule heron. Make sure to stop in Hancock at the C&O Bike Shop and for an early lunch at Buddy Lou’s which has a fun atmosphere, a good menu and one of the few places we stopped that took a credit card.  We also spent an hour at Fort Fredrick which was originally built in 1756.  This trip was interesting for the French and Indian War history which is a weak spot in my American History knowledge. 

We spent the night in Williamsport at a place I wouldn’t necessarily recommend and had dinner at Tony’s which is one of the few places open.   But it was good and definitely better than it looks from the outside.  The day ended with a drink at 3^rd Base which is a local’s bar and worth a stop. 

Day 3:  Williamsport to Shepherdstown – 26.6 miles

This was a deliberately short day so we could spend the afternoon at the Infinity Pool at the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown WV.  This section of the trail had looser gravel but followed the river most of the day.  Once arriving in Shepherdstown we had ice-cream for lunch at Amy & Alex and then spent the afternoon enjoying the views from the pool with a drink.  The hotel has a lovely dining room and while dated, the hotel is a little piece of Germany in West Virginia. 

Day 4:  Shepherdstown to Brunswick – 17 miles

This was my favorite stretch.  And not just because it was our shortest day.  I appreciated the smooth dirt path.  We had lunch and went tubing in Harper’s Ferry.  And if you didn’t stop in Shepherdstown the night before, this would be a great spot to spend the night.  There is lots to do here and plenty of places to eat.    If you go all the way to Brunswick, Beans and the Belfry is a fun place to eat.  We had dinner at the Potomac Street Grill which was our best dinner on the trail. 

Day 5:  Brunswick to Georgetown – 55 miles

Obviously, a long day.  Doable but make it shorter if possible.  The closer you get to DC the rougher the gravel and the more people on the trail.  Ironically, this was the toughest day to find food.  We thought we’d be able to eat at Great Falls but a detour took us away from all of our possible options.    Once you reach Georgetown, the mile 0 marker is past the Thompson Boat Center near the water. 

Packing Reminders:  In addition to quick dry tee-shirt and shorts, you’ll want a change of clothes for the evening, a hat, and sunglasses.  I’d also recommend smaller bags that can fit inside your panniers so you don’t have to carry the dusty panniers inside every night.  I also wish I’d brought bike gloves and I bought Chamois Buttr enroute to help with the chaffing.   

Get up and Ride by Jim Shea is an easy-to-read account of his ride along the trail.