C & O Canal-Great Allegheny Passage

[Longtrailahead]

Looking to do this route possibly in October, anybody interested in a small little fun adventure next month?

[ninaschwartzman]

I am also planning on doing this route in October, starting in Baltimore, making my way over to the trail and then all the way to Pittsburgh.

Have you done it before? Any advice? I am a little unsure of whether my road bike will be good for the dirt/gravel trails. I will probably get some kind of mountain/hybrid tires for the trip. I'm also unsure of how many miles I'll be able to do each day, as this is my first bike tour.

[Longtrailahead]

Hey ninaschwartzman,

I have not done the C & O - GAP route before. I did however, just finish the entire continental divide route in July, my ending total mileage being 2859.11 when all said and done. I am now having the itch to get out and do something shortly, and I feel this neat little ride will suffice. I haven't fully looked at all the logistics yet - trail/road surface conditions, but feel that it shouldn't be to hard in navigating. As for daily miles, what do you cycle now?

[ninaschwartzman]

This will be my first touring trip. I bike for everyday transportation and have done some longer day trips, but I have never biked fully loaded.

The GAP trail is packed gravel and the C&O is dirt, so will get muddy if it rains. They are pretty much flat at least, since the GAP trail is a rail trail.

[BrianW]

Mostly flat, except that the GAP is ~25 miles uphill from Cumberland up to the Continental Divide past Frostburg. It's not too bad, though.

Definitely, wider tires are better. You can do it on road tires, but I'd say 32-35mm are ideal for these surfaces.

My two trip journals might help some with your planning:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/BrianGAPtour
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/cando-tour

[indyfabz]

Just rode the entire GAP from PGH to CUM. There is at least one extended stretch (south/east of Confluence heading to Rockwood) that is much more packed dirt than crushed limestone.

Agreee with Bri that 32-35 is ideal. I ran 32c Conti Contacts. No problemo.

Here are some photos of the entire trip from PGH to PHL:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davez2007/sets/72157635548910265/

The image showing the signle railroad track was the last one taken on the GAP.

Do not camp at Husky Haven in Rockwood without ear plugs unless you like train horns in the middle of the night and early morning.

[BrianW]

Do not camp at Husky Haven in Rockwood without ear plugs unless you like train horns in the middle of the night and early morning.

Do not camp anywhere along the GAP without earplugs! The freight line parallels it almost the entire time.

[indyfabz]

I was o.k. at Connellsville. The problem with Rockwood is that there are two grade crossings smack in the middle of town. By law, the trains have to blow the horns unless what are called "quiet zones" have been established by the municipality. To do that, the municiipality often has to jump through a lot of regulatory hoops, and it can be expensive. Compounding matters was the fact that there appeared to be some industry in town that does its own rail switching in the middle of the night, probably because main line rail traffic is less frequent during that time. I could here what sounds like rail cars being banged aorund. Being in the rail biz, I should have anticipated all this, but it never occurred to me.

The following two nights I camped near the PA Turnpike. Jake Brakes all night. Made me long for the train horns.

[Longtrailahead]

I am departing Washington D.C. Wednesday morning on a historical journey and important mission up to Pittsburgh. I encourage any and all cycling enthusiasts who live near this route to come on out and ride with me for a bit, or simply stop by and say hello.

 http://www.americanmustacheinstitute.org/blog/2013/10/costello-to-cycle-from-nations-capitol-to-pittsburgh-with-goulet-winners-name-in-hand/

[woodrowstar]

I'll see you in a few hours!

easy on the crack rock

[Longtrailahead]

Ask any cyclist who has bicycled any portion of either of these two wonderful trails, or completed the entire distance, and they will tell you how amazing the experience was. Old historic canalways and multi-use trails offer wonderful opportunities to go out and explore not only the countryside, but the small charming communities of which they travel through.

I have taken my own experiences on trails such as the C & O Canal-Great Allegheny Passage and put my findings forth in a new publication which highlights many of the amazing things of which I have found throughout. To learn more, kindly click on the link provided in order to do so -

https://longtrailahead.blogspot.com/2016/06/bicycling-erie-canal.html