Originally Posted by
alan s
Getting out to Greenbelt Park puts you on not so great roads through a not so great part of town. There may be a new trail/MUP that runs near there, but I'm unfamiliar with it. On Wed. nights in the summer, there is a training crit in the park. Kinda cool to watch.
If it were me, I'd ride out to Swains Lock at Mile 16 on the C&O. There are 5 camp sites, but it rarely has more than 1 or 2 campers. No one really checks if it is full, as far as I'm aware. I've seen up to 20 tents there.
Google shows a number of trails, but not necessarily linked up in a helpful manner. For the OP, Swain's Lock looks promising since it's on the trail and not too far from the city. If I understand the rules properly, you can't technically use it as a base camp and return for a second night, but it seems unlikely that anyone would keep track, especially if you struck camp and took your gear with you for the day. For my part, it will probably depend on how energetic I am at the end of my train ride. Swain's Lock is twice as far as Greenbelt, which also means twice as far on the ride back the next day. Might be worth it if I have the energy, just to put my wheels on the fabled C&O for a little while. But I might just want the closest place to hang my hammock and sleep.