C&O Canal Towpath: Riding the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2020
- Join us as we journey down the 184.5-mile long Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath, from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC. For more information on this internationally renowned bike trail, visit bikewashington.org/canal.
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For our video on the GAP Trail, see • GAP Trail: Riding the... .
#CandOTowpath #CandOCanal #CandOTrail
Absolutely stunning scenery. I lived in Gaithersburg, MD for years the C&O is so great.
A buddy and me, walked 57 miles / 18 hours of it in 1964, after John Kennedy issued his challenge to America’s youth. Key Bridge to a couple of miles past Seneca and back. Of course it wasn’t built up and crowded. We saw less than 10 people during that walk. A great experience.
I attempted a cross country ride in July of 2020. I started in DC, but my Journey ended in Ohio after my bike was stolen outside a grocery store. Your video brought back some good memories and a bit of motivation to try it again. Thanks for posting.
❤. I grew up about 2 miles from Chain Bridge in Arlington Virginia. Me and my friends spent a lot of time messing around on the Potomac and C&O Canal back in the 60’s , the bygone days. It’s been awhile but that was a good time to mess around and grow up. Thank you for reminding me what a blessing that time and place were. And the sad thing is, I didn’t realize how precious they were at the time.
Your video and links have inspired me to ride the C&O in 2023. I bought some of the gear already LOL. Thank you sir!
Enjoy. It’s at the top of my list of favorite trails.
Thanks. My wife and I biked this about 40 years ago and this brought back memories. You did an excellent job of capturing the sights.
Excellent video
Thanks, good stuff and helpful for next year's ride.
Very well done, thank you for sharing!
You’re very welcome.
Your videos are simply the best. One suggestion for your videos about one-way trips such as this one: Include a brief description about how you returned the starting point.
That ride is much better now I did it in the boy scouts in 1988 and it was much worse then. The tunnel walk bikes only had holes in path. Some parts you had to carry your bikes over rough hills and stones which I see it restored now.
Really well done! I rode the GAP last summer and this makes me want to continue the journey from Cumberland to DC. Great music too!
Thanks for the kudos!
I just rode the GAP and C&O Trails from Pittsburgh to DC in three days from Friday to Sunday over Labor Day Weekend. Loved watching this today to relive some of the many parts that I passed along the way. And I wish I’d watched before I came into Georgetown and had to Google where the heck that Mile Marker 0 was! 🙃 Great video!
Superb, great soundtrack also. Spoiled grew up near the Great Falls park. I always have to visit somewhere along there when I visit again.
Great follow up video to the GAP, Nathan. Loved it!
Thanks. It makes for a great follow-up ride too!
Awesome! Since riding to Monocacy Aquaduct on our Maryland overnighter last year, we’ve talked about doing the whole thing. I worried that 200 miles of gravel in a straight line would be boring, but your photos and videos have me ready to go now!
Awesome !!!!
What a great video. Thank you for this.
This is a great video. Very well done. Awesome photography and editing. I've ridden many segments of the canal over the last several decades, but have never done it all the way through. As I research my through trip being planned for late spring, I must say your video is one of the better compilations of canal scenery out there. Your narration is on point too.
Thanks!
You guys are really trucking along on this paths looks like fun
It’s one of my favorites. Highly recommend.
Cool video. I did the route a few years ago, but almost entirely in the dark. It was fun to put together my vague night-time memories with this video.
Great job on the video showing all the trail surfaces and the highlights. We are going to ride a chunk in April 2024, but we will be starting in the middle and doing day trips from an airbnb. Thanks again your video from September 2020 is a great help to us. Keep on truckin'!.
Juste discover your Channel, Love your vidéos🙂 thanks for your share
Nice video... One of my, if not my absolute favorite rides
Excellent as always Nathan. Just watched this again. These trips certainly have me intrigued. Thanks for the inspiration and for sharing that these trailways are available.
Very nicely done Nathan. Enjoyed watching. Living within an hour of the GAP...your GAP footage has me excited to do the GAP next year. Thanks for putting these together!
Great video, now you have me wanting to do the C&O!
We are taking our Boy Scout troop on the C&O in July and looking forward to it. Great video; thanks!
great video, thank you. I'm doing Pitt to dc and back to pitt in July. Can't wait.
i wish i had a cycling group that would tackle this canal towpath. awesome video.
You guys ROCK!
Thanks!
Very nice video! Definitely I’m going to do it. Thank you for the great info.
Glad it was useful. Enjoy your trip on the C&O. Awesome ride!
Thanks for the video - planning both GAP and C&O in June 2021 - Covid dependent of course.
DO IT! Being out in the open air in nature is a great way to get away from covid.
I am also. Starting this Sunday 6/20/21 and ending Friday. Maybe we will cross paths. I will be solo. Staying in Perryopolis, Connellsville, Cumberland, Hancock and Harpers Ferry.
@@dgreene13 How did your trip go?? Have gone from Pitt to Confluence,but not all at once
Fabulous trip and a great video to showcase it! Yet another trail on my growing 'to do' list 😊👍
It's probably my favorite trail that I've ridden so far.
Great vid man!
My dad and I are working on finishing the entire towpath as well.
🤜🤛
Okay, this video and the GAP video have forced a couple of additions to my Bucket List. Cool stuff right there.
Amazing video, so well done. 😎🚴🏼♂️
Thanks for the kudos!
Thanks for the video , i also enjoyed the music . This ride is on my bucket list, just retired this past July .
You're very welcome. Enjoy your ride on the C&O!
Great Video. We will be doing trip this summer. Going from PA to DC
Thanks and nice! I hope to do it all in one trip, in a few years, heading the other way, from DC to PA (since I've done trips on both in the other directions.
I enjoyed your video on the Great Allegheny Passage so much that I continued on to this video. I have done section riding of the C&O and this brought back some fond memories of the centuries old scenery. I’m glad they’re resurfacing the path because the mud puddles can be a very slippery hazard. Thank you again for your meticulous narrative. See you on the trail!
Thanks for the kudos!
Doing a little research on the C&O before I ride it this summer and I was VERY psyched to see that Ale 81 logo! I did a little climbing at The Red back in the day. Could really go for an Ale 81 and some Miguel's right about now!
Thanks. For this video and for your GAP trail from your ride last year. Doing both, in same order as you did (PGH - DC) starting next weekend. This was a great review and a big help on what to bring (like a light for the tunnels!!). Highly recommended for anyone making the ride or any portion.
Enjoy your ride!
awesome video and very well done. Wife and I are doing the C&O in late November.
Thanks. Enjoy your ride!
Great job. Well done video.
Thanks for the kudos.
Very cool! I live 5 minutes away from the towpath. I live right by Big Slack Water. Love riding and hiking on the towpath. Great video. Thank you! 😊
You live in a beautiful area!
Best overnight cycling videos on UA-cam! Thanks again. I plan to bike the GAP/ C&O next month. I may do exactly Shayne y’all did. Looks like the perfect stops. 🚴🏼
Thanks for the high praise and enjoy your trip!
Just keep in mind the Paw Paw tunnel at mp 155 to 156 is closed Nov 25th 2020 to mid-2022. There are detour signs on the 1.5 mile hiking trail. The Tunnel Hill Trail detour has some 11% incline on switchbacks.
Also if going onto the GAP, the mp22 Big Savage Tunnel is closed Dec 4th until early Spring.
GAP on about mp 121 Buena Vista to mp 131 is closed Nov 16 2020 to Mid-April 2021 for sewer line construction...which the surface will be redone by the contractors afterwards.
Let me make sure I fully understand. Is the Paw Paw tunnel itself closed as part of the detour?
Love the video this trail is on my bucket list .I was going do it this year but the pandemic got us😥
Great video! I recently rode solo from Detroit's Ambassador Bridge to the Mackinac Bridge (connects the LP and UP of Michigan). There isn't any real defined route, but it was about 400 miles. Watching your video and doing some research makes this ride seem like an awesome times, especially since it's nearly all on trails with no cars.
Wow! That’s great u rode that!
Give michigan more credit - we are developing the Belle or pathway
was on this trail for about 3 miles y hiking a section of the appalacian trail
Looks like an epic trip. I have family in Pittsburgh and live near DC so now I am thinking hmmmm.... Got a bit of training to do before that happens though.
If this video helps to get your wheels turning about doing that trip, that makes me happy.
That folded stone feature is known as the Devil's Eyebrow. There is also a similar fold at the lower end of the Paw Paw tunnel where the tunnel enters the hillside. They started the tunnel there to use that fold as additional strength.
Very cool.
nice video
great video, I have been wanting to do this for a few years now... well one week to go and I will be in DC all set for the ride to Pittsburgh. looking at the trail condition kinda wondering if I should use larger 45c tires instead of my normal 38c's... I have only ridden the GAP and its smooth, think you could pretty easily do it on a road bike...nice but C&O looks more fun to me. thanks for showing the camp grounds just off the trial.... will be really nice to grab shower and better sleep after longer days
Those tire widths are pretty close, but wider is generally better. I wouldn’t anticipate you’d have any issue in the GAP at all and would probably be fine on C&O too, but rain can bring mud there and a little extra riding surface couldn’t hurt.
Great trip. I use the h/b when I ride it. Free is the way to go. The website that you mentioned is a must for this ride.
The Hiker/Biker (H/B) sites looked really nice. One downside of carrying camera equipment for the purposes of filming is that you need periodic access to electricity to recharge devices. But, now that I've done a video on the C&O, I'd like to go back and use them. I understand that the etiquette with the H/B sites is that it's first come/first served. I'm curious to know if you've ever had an issue finding a site or what the culture is like around sharing sites?
Nathan Rome I usually go off season. Before Memorial Day and before the leaves change. So I never have had a problem. Once I had to roll past a couple sites because they were full. Further out at Paw Paw is usually near empty, because what you alluded to with their remoteness.
Your videos are great! Keep um coming.
@@Sr89hot good tips there. Thanks!
They have resurfaced this trail since the video was made (or at least the section near me, Poolesville MD, Great Falls). It is now consistent relatively fine gravel (not bumpy) and it drains well. I live on the VA side of the Potomac. When the more rustic trails on the VA side (Potomac Heritage Trail) are too muddy or flooded, I'll throw my bike onto my skiff, row across, and bike on the C&O Towpath. It is a beautiful trail but not too challenging.
You live in a beautiful area! How long is the Potomac Heritage Trail and do you recommend it?
@@KentuckyCycling It starts in PA and is/was allegedly the longest bike trail in the country. IDK the entire trail but parts are rough but challenging.
@@GB-ez6ge I'm reading about it now. It looks like it is a network of trails and includes the C&O, so I guess someone is claiming that is the largest "trail network" rather than being the longest single trail. www.potomacheritagenova.com/
I know it wouldn't be profitable, but I wish these canals were still operational. JMO.
And what a great video !
Some are, but more for recreational than commercial purposes (i.e. the Erie Canal).
@@KentuckyCycling, Thank you !
GooD JoB!
Thanks!
Man when I went in 2017 the pawpaw tunnel was closed for repairs/flooding so they were sending everyone over the top, which was terrible with a cycle trailer.... Don't recommend ever taking that path, lol.
Thanks for the tour - very informative! Is there a place on line to find out weather for GAP & c & 0
Someone else may be aware of something, but we just used weather apps on our phones.
Hi there, fantastic video! Really enjoyed it and it has certainly inspired me to ride this path. I'm curious, what bikes were you all riding? I think I spotted two Salsa bikes in there. A Cutthroat perhaps? I'm very curious because I'm looking to get a gravel bike to ride this trail. I'm looking at the Salsa Warbird but am considering the Cutthroat and maybe the Specialized Diverge. Thanks for any feedback/suggestions.
Thanks for the kudos on the video. As for the bikes we were riding, the black bike that Lucas was riding is a Salsa Warbird. I was on the yellow Salsa Journeyman. And Jacob was riding the light blue Salsa El Mariachi, a hardtail MTB which he has but a rigid fork on. The bikes you named are all great options. My suggestion it to try to ride each and see what you like best. Also, supply is an issue these days so it might also come down to what is available.
great videos (this and great Alleghany). If you could only do one : The C&O or the great Alleghany , which one would you choose? Thanks for the awesome look at this adventure.
That's a tough question. I'm glad we did the GAP first. It has beautiful views, cool tunnels, bridges, and trestles and the better-maintained riding surface. We did quite a bit of gravel riding in between our time on the GAP and the C&O and the C&O has a little more wild and untamed feeling and I want to say I liked it just a smidge more than the GAP, but that also had to do with our riding experiences in between. Long story short, both are wonderful with amazing beauty and history and you really can't go wrong with either, but the answer might depend a bit on what kind of experience you want to have. If you've never done a ride like this, the GAP is a great place to start.
@@KentuckyCycling Thanks, I appreciate the info!
Great video. My son and I did this trip a few times. What sort of drink holder is that on your bike fork? I totally want one of those.
On my bike (the yellow one in the video), I had a Salsa Anything Cage, which carries a 64 oz Kleen Kanteen nicely. My buddy has a similar cage on his, from Topeak. In this video, I went threw each of our setups, which was filmed on a trip, just before we went on the C&O. ua-cam.com/video/TvRvfZiSrfQ/v-deo.html
Nicely done video! Enjoyed you GAP video too. Good reference material for our upcoming trip.
Tire width recommendations? I want to go with 42mm gravel tires, and my friend wants to use 2” semi slicks for our GAP/C&O trip.
Thanks for the kudos! I think you'd be very comfortable on the GAP and C&O with your 42 mm gravel tires. For reference, I had 35mm gravel tires for the GAP and a 2.1" gravel tire on the C&O, but could have totally gotten away with a narrower tire.
Tire width for your friend sounds fine. I'm having a hard time visualizing what kind of tread pattern would be on a semi slick tire. But, if you get any rain, you'll likely see some mud on the C&O.
@@KentuckyCycling We both have Salsa Fargos and Vayas. He says we need something like Teravail Sparwood 2.2” or WTB Horizon 50mm in case of mud: I plan to use Specialized Pathfinder Pro 42s (that have a smooth center strip). Thanks. I’m also checking out your other videos. You and your crew look like our type of folks. If you ever want to see NWArkansas, or maybe do The Katy Trail with some guys that know the ropes, look me up.
@@kennyness8881 Nice! I really like the Teravail Sparwoods and that's what I had on my bike for the C&O. If you want to go a little narrower, the Teravail Cannonball is a 47mm tire that has the same tread pattern. In looking at the tread pattern for your Pathfinder Pros, I'm sure you'd be fine. One of the guy's I was riding width was riding a similar tire.
I love to explore so I definitely wouldn't count the possibility of riding together at some point out!
@@KentuckyCycling lately my bunch has been riding 1 way on the Katy Trail, and taking Amtrak back to our cars. That, plus lots of S24O’s because of COVID. Great times. Check out our Facebook page “NWArkansas BikePacking and Touring”-just a bunch of guys on bikes. Everyone can ride, but no one is racing. We’re trying to get people here out on bikes, and not afraid to do a little more than an afternoon ride.
Thank you for sharing. We are planning on doing this trail this summer. along with the GAP trail. It didn't look like you guys carried a lot of gear with you. Did you have a sag driver?
We did not have a SAG driver. We gravitated to a bikepacking setup vs a traditional touring setup a couple of years back. For this trip, we parked in Cumberland, rode to DC, and the hired a shuttle to take us back to Cumberland at the end. Between a full frame bag and a 16L seatpost bag and cages on the forks, you can actually carry quite a fair amount of gear. But, the more you do this, the more you learn what you really need to carry to save some weight. Hope that helps!
@@KentuckyCycling WE are bikepacking as well. we found a list on REI website for bikepacking. Taking as little as possible.
Did you have to hike your bike around the Paw Paw tunnel? I noticed you rode through it but I've heard it's closed on the far side for construction. Also, did you guys experience flat tires? Great video. Thanks for sharing your trip.
We completed our ride prior to the beginning of construction and didn’t have any flats.
I rode c&o in mid October of 2022 from Georgetown. The paw paw Tunnel was closed but the contractor would shuttle bikers up the huge hill in an ATV, you rode down the other side, Quite scary for this 73 year old biker.
Great video! How do you think a gravel bike would perform on the C&O if the trail gets muddy?
A gravel bike is the optimal bike for this trail.
going to tackle the Towpath in a couple weeks, what, if any, was your situation with locking up your bikes at night? Did the campsites feel out of the way enough so that it wasn't a worry? Thanks, great vid.
We carried a couple of locks with us, but didn't always use them (e.g. when we stopped to go into Harpers Ferry or Great Falls). We did lock them up at night when we slept, just as a precaution.
Great video my friend! My friends and I just completed this ride when we rode from Pittsburgh to DC in four days in mid July. Already planning our next trip somewhere. I’ll be watching your channel for ideas. I’ve got a short video posted on my page if you care to check it out. What did you used to film?
Thanks for the kudos. For this video, most of the moving footage was shot with a GoPro Hero 8. but also included pics and footage from my iPhone.
@@KentuckyCycling love to chat more about your filming and software. If interested in helping me how can I reach you? I’ve got a few basic questions just getting started. Thank you sir.
@@williambeckett9369 www.kentuckycycling.org/contact
Dang, that had great views too. So if you could only do 1 would it be the GAP or the C&O?
I rode the trails a year apart and my experience with riding gravel had grown a lot in the year in between. Based on my riding experience going into the rides, I definitely recommend the GAP for those with less experience with gravel. Both are awesome. But, truth be told, the C&O is probably my favorite trail to date. But, that's pretty subjective as I definitely love the GAP too. Long story short, you really can't go wrong with either.
@@KentuckyCycling thanks yes both look great!!
Perfect! Can I post on my Channel citing you?
I’m not exactly sure what you are asking. You are welcome to share a link to the video.
what bikes did you use? I have a mountain bike, but I have heard various opinions about this. Also, are there any majorly high bridges you have to cross (I'm afraid of heights!)
Two of us were on gravel bikes. The other was on a MTB where he swapped out his suspension fork for a rigid fork and put on gravel tires, basically making it a flat bar gravel bike. There's a lot of overlap between gravel bikes with wider tires and MTB bikes. If I were riding a MTB, I'd want it to be either fully rigid or a fork where you can lock out the suspension. I also would not opt for super knobby wheels. I have ridden with folks on gravel rail trails who rode hardtail MTBs are were happy with their choice. Hope that helps.
@@KentuckyCycling thanks!
I watched your GAP video from 2019 and this one and the only question I have is how did you return to your starting point. Back to MM-0 on the GAP and MM-0 in D.C. back to Cumberland Gap at MM -180? I am getting my riding legs into shape to do at least one of these trails sometime early Summer or late September.
We took a shuttle. There are multiple companies that provide this service. The folks we used were "Get Out and Play" outfitters, which are based in the Cumberland Visitors Center. See getoutandplayoutfitters.com/.
You can also use Amtrak and check your bike in
In your opinion can the GAP be done in one day?
Depends on the cyclist, I suppose, and the kind of experience you want to have. There is so much to see and take in that I wouldn't think it'd be a bit of a blur if your goal was to ride the whole 150 miles in one day. But to each his own.
@@KentuckyCycling thanks for the reply. I'll have to talk my friend into longer trip. He wants to do pitt to md then back in two days.
@@thecappy You guys are beasts! The longest I've ever ridden in one day is 106 miles.
How far away is the free camp sites from each other
Roughly 5 - 7 miles apart
What month did you do this ride?
September.
How do you get back ? Lol
We took a shuttle. Amtrak is another option.
Many reviewers on some trail apps say that this trail sucks. Poorly maintained full of mud and horribly rocky also. Bike rental shops and hostels who want your business always say it's just great. I still don't know.
I guess it's all a matter of expectation and what you are looking for. For what it's worth, I've ridden several different rail trails (albeit this is actually a towpath) and this is my favorite trail to date.
@@KentuckyCycling Ok. I did the GAP last fall and it was outstanding. I had a bike seat that was way too wide though so when I got to Cumberland I was not doing too well so I did not go all the way to DC as planned. I have new seat now! lol