Originally Posted by
Prowler
Keep in mind that the C&O is a historic path that was the Grand Old Ditch built almost 200 years ago. The path for small boys and mules. The NPS has to walk that fine line between historic preservation and public demand for “nice and smooth place to ride bicycles”. I can understand the much more primitive surface of the C&O in places. But, for me, it’s harder to ride. There is probably no best answer.
That, however, does not explain the NPS’s half ass band aid solutions to the areas that repeatedly wash out. When I did the C&O a few years ago, there were several sections that were simply dangerous where the trail had been washed away by streams without adequate drainage. The NPS solution to fill them with very large rocks created a dangerous situation. I think the NPS’s problem is more a lack of funding.