fishboat

FYI..anyone running across this discussion.

There appears to be another, "safer" detour option that's similar to that discussed above (Oldtown Rd to Malcolm Rd to Tunnel Hill Rd to Tunnel Hill Trail). This option was posted by a guy on the FB Gap group page. It gets off the C&O a couple miles earlier and takes a rural, gravel road to Oldtown Rd, then Oldtown for 500 feet to Malcolm Rd then continue Tunnel Hill Rd. He did a video of the route..may be used for some folks..

Warbird21

I encountered a closed section on Sunday, which looks to be long term. Around the 85 Mile Marker - they are doing heavy construction at McMahon's Mill. The detour is up a steep, mulched path, then three miles on a rural road. I ignored the signs and walked around the mill, then back onto the towpath. They have not been clearing that closed section, so I had to climb over/under a few trees and the concrete path way on the river was pretty eroded from Ida passing thru. Then, smooth sailing to about the 89, where a locked gate stopped my passage. I was able to carry my bike around it, where I saw that it is a felony to trespass thru the closed section. So I guess I won't do that anymore.

BikeParrott

I did this route last week and it worked out well. A couple of steeper portions, but rideable and much better than pushing a loaded touring bike uphill!

Pratt

I was through there a couple of weeks ago, for the less athletic, or less proud, or more tired:
Daniel Kaminski, 304-671-5153
and
Gilbert Spencer, 304-359-5219
each will shuttle you around, to Little Orleans Campsite. That is about a block from Bill's Bar, and the lovely Western Maryland Rail Trail which runs ~20 glorious miles into Hancock which has B&Bs, restaurants, and the C&O Bike shop and Bunkhouse.

evacassidydocum

Hi, hope you don't mind me posting here but am looking for a video of going through the paw paw tunnel for a documentary I am just finishing. Ideally a point of view going through from a camera attached to a bike so would be relatively smooth. The you tube videos of same are a bit jerky. I would do it myself but am based in Ireland. Any help would be appreciated.
email icypeaksmedia@gmail.com

csport

It is finally open

Warbird21

I've been sidelined with a fractured, and now new left hip all summer, I wondered it that section had re-opened. I'm back on the bike next weekend, so, just in time! I would not have wanted to pull my bike up that hill, two months after a new hip!

Mr.C

Yes it has been reopened

jamawani 

How long has the C&O Trail been closed?
Including the tunnel repair itself, the scaling, and the approaches?
Almost 10 years??

Maybe they should close a Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnel for 10 years - -
and make people push their cars over the mountain.
Just sayin'.

ignant666

Repairs started August 2021, and ended last month. That is 2 years, not 10.

Furthermore, the closed section was about 1.5 miles long, out of the total 184.5 miles of the trail. The detour certainly sucked, and i wish they had finished the work before i rode it in May. But the detour in no way made it impossible to ride the C & O.

Unlike a highway repair, this work was done in a very isolated place not easily reached by motor vehicles. And, for better or worse, our society considers roads used by thousands daily for essential purposes as more important that trail segments in the middle of nowhere used by perhaps two dozen persons on an average day.