willwebb

I'm reworking things to accommodate a six day trip. This is what I've come up with.

Day 1: Pittsburgh to Connellsville (63miles)
Day 2: Connellsville to Frostburg (72 miles)
Day 3: Frostburg to Little Orleans (59 miles)
Day 4: Little Orleans to Williamsport (42 miles)
Day 5: Williamsport to Harpers Ferry (40 miles)
Day 6: Harpers Ferry to Washington (59 miles)

Day 2 is long, but based on what I've read here, it seems as though the C&O portion may be dicier in terms of conditions if it rains, so I'm trying to shorten the miles on those days. I also hear that it is uphill from the path to the town of Frostburg. Does anyone have experience with this? Should I try to stay elsewhere? I could stop in Meyersville, but that will mean that Day 3 is a long one, and it will involve the hike around the Paw Paw Tunnel.

noglider 

In case you don't know already, plan to eat about double as much food as you normally eat. You will be astounded at how you can put it down. And if you're ever exhausted or feeling panicked, eat quickly. You can run out of fuel without feeling hungry, and it can feel terrible.

axolotl

Yes, it's uphill, but it's not very far, about 1 mile. Google maps says Frostburg is about 250 feet higher than the GAP trail. Frostburg is a pleasant college town, so I'd stay there. By the way, it's downhill all the way from Frostburg to Cumberland. My recollection is that I only had to sporadically pedal from Frostburg to Cumberland.

axolotl

Another thing to remember is that if the towpath turns out to be in bad condition due to rain as you approach the DC area, you can (depending on where in the DC area you live) get off the towpath and take White's Ferry across the Potomac. From there, it's less than 5 miles to Leesburg and the paved W&OD Trail which will get you to Arlington and DC (with a connection to the Custis Trail if you're going to DC proper). Route 15 in VA to get into Leesburg has lots of high-speed traffic but it also has a wide paved shoulder to ride on.

spinnaker

It is a VERY steep climb and depending on the location of the hotel, there is more up. I would not want to make that climb or even walk after 74 miles. I might opt to just push on to Cumberland. As you wrote, it is pretty much downhill or flat from there.

If the OP is arriving on the weekend the scenic train might be running and he could take that on into Cumberland.

You pretty much need to pedal from the first tunnel (past the Big Savage) on into town but it can't be more than 3-4 miles. You will be going at a pretty good clip past the Frostburg turn off. It would be a shame to stop there.

Tourist in MSN

It was my recollection that the C&O had a lot of puddles from rain when I rode it, but I was surprised how solid the ground was under the water, rolled right through without any of that sinking feeling.

One of my buddies, that was the last bike tour he ever did without fenders, his bike is in the first photo. The other two of us had fenders.

PedalingWalrus

We are doing it end of May and planning 6-7 days. Will report here when we get done.

DropBarFan

Also consider that the bumps on C&O punish butt & wrists, even for fit riders. My 50mm/2"-tire Trucker has a fairly smooth ride but on C&O I have to ride slow to minimize bumps. I wouldn't buy a special bike just to ride the C&O but ideally I'd like a bike with suspension fork & seatpost.

axolotl

If the OP doesn't want to ride up a mile-long hill to Frostburg, the OP can certainly choose a different town in which to overnight. However, it would hardly be a "shame" to stop in Frostburg. It's the nicest town in western Maryland, IMO.

As for taking the tourist train down to Cumberland, that makes no sense to me. It's one long, gradual downhill from Frostburg to Cumberland with hardly any pedaling necessary. Why take the tourist train?

spinnaker

That is your opinion. I have been there. It is not worth the climb. Certainly not after a 74 mile day on top of the fact the OP has very limited experience with really long days.


No it is not all downhill from Frostburg to Cumberland. You will need to pedal the last few miles. Not too difficult but it can seem like a million miles when you are exhausted. And it was just an option. Don't you think the OP deserves to have all of the options? Or should we keep it a secret?

And maybe some people just like trains like I do. I would love to take that ride some time if the timing was right.

indyfabz

That took my surprise as I was expecting it to be all down hill. Psychologically, it was a bummer, especially since I still had to ride to Bedford, PA from Cumberland.

axolotl

I've been there, too. My friend & I were both glad we stopped in Frostburg. I certainly wouldn't call it a "shame" to ride to Frostburg, whether for a visit or to spend the night. You don't have to agree with my opinion.

That comment is ridiculous. When did I or anyone else in this thread say anything about not knowing possible options? The OP asked a question about Frostburg in relation to the GAP and I answered the question.

spinnaker

I didn't say it was a shame to stop in Frostburg. What I said was it was a shame to stop while you are in the middle of a good run down the hill try reading it again



But from the second part of the post I now know you are arguing just to argue.

willwebb

I appreciate all the information in this thread. The back and forth on whether or not to stay in Frostburg has been very helpful. I suspect I’ll shorten day 2 to overnight in Meyersdale. That way I can stop in Frostburg the next day with fresher legs if I get the druthers.

It seems like a fun place to take the kids, so I may drive there this spring for a family outing!

spinnaker

You might want to hit the Great Falls area with the kids too. They will really like that. There are the falls of course. But there is a canal boat ride and the best thing (I thought), it is like a natural zoo. I don't think I have ever seen so many animals that up close and so close to so many humans.


A ways away from Meyersdale but still a great stop for kids.

axolotl

OP, another nice (maybe even nicer) town and rest stop near the trail is Shepherdstown, WV. It's adjacent to the Potomac river, so the detour is minimal. Right after you bike under the road bridge which crosses the Potomac, you turn left to exit the towpath and you go a very short distance (maybe 0.2 mile) up (yes, up) to route 34. Then you turn left onto route 34 and you're quickly across the bridge and practically in the middle of Shepherdstown. The main drag is West German St. Turn left onto West German and there's a good bakery 2 blocks ahead, the Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery.

spinnaker

If you are staying in Harpers Ferry don't go to the motel because you will have another steep climb. There is a really nice guest house right in the historic part of town. They have both private rooms and dorms. If you are interested, let me know and I will see if I can look it up in my notes.

There is also a hostel on the same side of the river as the towpath. You would avoid cross that darn foot bridge. Never stayed there but suspect you would need to go into town to grab something to eat. But at least you wouldn't be hauling your gear up those stairs to the bridge.

alan s 

Meyersdale is an uninteresting town, and is at the bottom of a steep hill. Frostburg has a lot to offer, including a great restaurant on the main street, the name of which escapes me. It is at the top of a steep hill. You can always walk up the hill in either town, but I’d much rather overnight in Frostburg.

spinnaker

Is that the diner, pretty much across the street from the hotel?

I think this is it,
Princess Restaurant | Since 1939

If so, I thought the food was good. Service was soso, Could have been a bad day.

tcarl

I did the Pittsburgh - Wash. trip last summer - loaded touring, camping and cooking gear, etc. so my bike was much heavier than yours. I had Marathon Mondial 700x37 tires and they did find, so I think yours should be okay also. I lugged the loaded bike up the hill over the tunnel. Just took my time and went slowly. It wasn't too bad. Stopped often on the way up, but then kinda flat (briefly) on top and gravity assist coming down the other side. If I remember right that took me in the neighborhood of an hour to an hour and a half. I talked to another rider who took the road route (because he had to - he was pulling a trailer with his dog and other stuff on it). He didn't like the road route and recommended doing the foot path instead if at all possible. Keep in mind your second day - Connellsville to Meyersdale will be uphill the entire distance. It's not a steep hill, but steady and constant. In other words, no coasting or resting. If you're moving, you'll be pedaling. If it's been raining the C&O will be muddy. My heavy bike rarely had any trouble with it even though I had relatively narrow tires considering the load I was carrying. I saw many others with much lighter bikes and travelling much faster than I. They basically barreled right through the puddles. That approach seemed to work fine for them, and if you're doing possibly 70 mile days on that trail you'll have to keep going like they were, no slowing down for every puddle. The end result is that you will be covered with mud. Plan on the possibility that everything from your waist down will look like you had a mud bath (and if you don't have fenders or a trunk bag all the way up your back to your shoulders will be the same).

alan s 

Yes, that’s the one. My kind of place when tired and hungry. Don’t remember any issues with the service, and the food was great.

spinnaker

Much better than the Trailside Restaurant that is now closed. Food was pretty lousy but at least it was fairly convenient. We climbed all the way up there to have lunch only to find it closed. We figured a little further should not be too bad. I was exhausted that day. It was a difficult climb.

DropBarFan

I didn't know Shepherdstown was near the trail! The Bavarian Inn is well-known...I haven't been there myself. BTW I recently read an article describing how traditional German restaurants are disappearing.

axolotl

I haven't eaten at the Bavarian Inn, either, but friends have told me it's good. It's on a bluff directly across the river from the C&O Canal. I see they have a "no shorts" policy, so it's not a good lunch spot for passing cyclists.

Shepherdstown WV Fine Dining Luxury Bavarian Inn

Here's a link for the bakery in Shepherdstown, which is indeed a good pit stop for cyclists:

Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery: Stollen & Baked Desserts, WV

mdadams1

I have ridden quite a few trails...C&O, GAP, ERIE,etc. I don't get to put in many long training miles preparing for my trips. Maybe 20 miles or so a ride BUT I make the gearing on those rides extremely difficult for me. I go with a 3 to 1 or 4to 1 gear ratio when training on a local rail trail. Trying to sustain a 15 mph pace with 2 in. wide tires. So for me those 20 miles it is an all out effort...I'm 63.