Touring - C&O Canal

I spotted a notice in the DC local paper that the Park Service was going to sponsor two trips down the entire length of the C&O Canal. The first trip has already happened, the second is August 4 to 7.
Gather near DC (Great Falls, I think), bus ride to Cumberland MD, four day ride down the 190 miles of trail, tent camping trailside.
I think it said that the bus ride to the start is free. I assume that participants provide all their own gear, tent, food etc.

If I find the phone number for reservations I'll post it. I'm not going, but maybe some else is interested.
Sounds like a good deal, since getting to Cumberland is such a problem.

added - found a NPS flyer about the ride, and other rides http://www.nps.gov/choh/Calendar/bikeflyer.05.pdf

I spotted a notice in the DC local paper that the Park Service was going to sponsor two trips down the entire length of the C&O Canal. The first trip has already happened, the second is August 4 to 7.
Gather near DC (Great Falls, I think), bus ride to Cumberland MD, four day ride down the 190 miles of trail, tent camping trailside.
I think it said that the bus ride to the start is free. I assume that participants provide all their own gear, tent, food etc.

If I find the phone number for reservations I'll post it. I'm not going, but maybe some else is interested.
Sounds like a good deal, since getting to Cumberland is such a problem.

added - found a NPS flyer about the ride, and other rides http://www.nps.gov/choh/Calendar/bikeflyer.05.pdf

That's one of the things that has always chapped my hide! Out here in the hinderlands, we have to pay $5 to go to a national park on a bicycle ($10 for 2 dozen people in a car :mad: ) or, now, to drive into the mountains to mountain bike on National Forest Service trails. If the Park Service were to offer something like this outside the beltway, we'd have to spring $300 or $400 to do it! But since it's near the seat of power, you guys get it for free! :mad: It's just not fair!

That said, I wish I was in DC in August, I'd love to go! Lucky dogs!

I rode a bit of the C&O canal path near Harper's Ferry many years back. Really nice. However, at that time, it was an unpaved path and the bumps and lumps in the path took a certian toll on a heavily loaded roadbike. A sturdy hybrid or even an off road bike would not be a bad choice for this route (IMHO). Maybe the path has been paved or otherwise upgraded since my experienc or if I had been travelling a whole lot lighter I'd have been better off but... In any case, it was a really nice route and it sounds like a great deal.

If I'm not mistaken, the C&O is a unit of the National Park system not unlike the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's not really a National Park or a Monument but it's administered by the Park Service. Am I right?

The entire C&O canal path is unpaved. There are two paved trails that parallel the C&O canal in sections. The Capitol Crescent trail parallels it for the first few miles from DC. Another paved rail trail starts at Fort Frederick and continues through Hancock and then for another ten miles. You also have a paved detour of about 5 miles around MM 84. The trail itself can be nicely hardpacked to mudholes everywhere especially after rainstorms. I think the first free hiker biker campsite is about 20 miles outside of DC, then there is one every 8 miles or so. I believe the entire thing is a National Park and is policed by the Park Service. There are no fees for usage or camping along the C&O canal. It is a good ride but it can be repetitive at times. I wouldn't trust drinking the water for the wells at the campsites.

I would recommend a hybrid tire at a minimum with mountain bike tires optimal. Expect to get dirty & muddy during the ride. Fenders will help.


Cheers,
http://biketour.ne1.net

That's one of the things that has always chapped my hide! Out here in the hinderlands, we have to pay $5 to go to a national park on a bicycle ($10 for 2 dozen people in a car :mad: ) or, now, to drive into the mountains to mountain bike on National Forest Service trails. If the Park Service were to offer something like this outside the beltway, we'd have to spring $300 or $400 to do it! But since it's near the seat of power, you guys get it for free! :mad: It's just not fair!


The "seat of power" line is ridiculous. DC residents get a raw deal. They are the only US citizens who pay federal income tax and don't have congressional representation. DC is the only place in the US where the Congress, and not the residents, decide how local tax dollars are spent.

If it unchaps your hide any, we pay to use the C&O Park too. See http://www.nps.gov/choh/pphtml/fees.html

However, I've only ever had to pay the cyclist fee when entering on the main road. That's probably for practical reasons as there are too many ways in for them to guard them all -- the park is 180 miles long.

The trip sounds uncharacteristic of the NPS so I wonder what's behind it. For those interested, here's a flyer for the trip: http://www.nps.gov/choh/Calendar/bikeflyer.05.pdf

Hybrid or mountain bike. Road bikes get chewed up.
The park fee is collected at Great Falls, but only if you enter there. I've never seen them charge through-riders. Lots of people avoid the Great Falls lot by parking off of MacArthur Blvd at the other end of Widewater. Lot across from the Old Angler Inn.

Pretty trail, but in some places there is a lot of nothing. I've ridden parts of the C&O in the winter where I didn't see anyone else for 10 miles. In-season is much busier.
The pump water is generally drinkable but not great. Better to buy at stores where you can and fill a camelback.

My main issue with the NPS ride would be the slow pace. 4 days for 185 miles. I don't think I can do only 45 miles a day. Too much non-bike sit-time.
Going with the NPS does solve the problem of how to get to Cumberland. And you don't have to carry everything on your bike.

The "seat of power" line is ridiculous. DC residents get a raw deal. They are the only US citizens who pay federal income tax and don't have congressional representation. DC is the only place in the US where the Congress, and not the residents, decide how local tax dollars are spent.

If it unchaps your hide any, we pay to use the C&O Park too. See http://www.nps.gov/choh/pphtml/fees.html

However, I've only ever had to pay the cyclist fee when entering on the main road. That's probably for practical reasons as there are too many ways in for them to guard them all -- the park is 180 miles long.

The trip sounds uncharacteristic of the NPS so I wonder what's behind it. For those interested, here's a flyer for the trip: http://www.nps.gov/choh/Calendar/bikeflyer.05.pdf

I do know that the problems of the DC residents and I appologize if I offended. However I have ridden the C&O a couple of times when I was in DC and have never paid a fee nor had to pay a fee to visit any of the museums in the area. Here in the west, I can't go to any National Park Service unit without paying a fee for entry and, with the new fees on National Forests, I'm being nickel and dimed to death there too. And with Tom Tancredo as one of our states representitives, we could actually envy you ;) but that would be political and not in keeping with the forum's policy.

Hybrid or mountain bike. Road bikes get chewed up.A road type bike can be used, just run some larger tires, although I'm sure some of the more delicate race type bikes might take a beating. I've done the whole thing a few times on a fixed gear cyclocross bike (http://singlespeedoutlaw.com/archives/archive-11072004-11132004.html) w/ cyclocross tires (32-35 size seems to be good). The water in the pumps is totally drinkable, but I usally pack a couple of lemons to squeeze a little flavor in or some energy drink powder.