Originally Posted by
edtrek
Hi, here's a copy of my Pgh-DC trip report in
2006, and a copy of our Pgh-DC trip report in
2004. (We do it every other year).
The GAP is a great surface, the C&O is a bit rougher (and it doesn't drain well). You'll have no problem with a one-wheel trailer; you'll regret a two-wheel trailer (I did). The C&O is double-track, and the two wheel trailer was a mistake for me.
The WMRT is a great alternative. There's a bike shop and a good restaurant when it goes through town. I'm not aware of any other great alternatives.
Re expenses, somehow I always spend about $40/day in food/gatorade, and $40-$90/day for a room.
May I mention some details? A fundamental question in 2008 is where you start/stop on the western edge. The GAP is not complete to Pgh. Look at the Great_Allegheny_Passage Yahoo group and ask their advice. Personally, I strongly discourage riding from Pgh to McKeesport. McKeesport is a much better place to start/end your adventure. (The trail should be complete in Oct.2008)
Check out the maps on
http://www.atatrail.org.
Check out this book: Linking Up: Planning Your Traffic Free Bike Trip Between Pittsburgh and Washington, DC by Mary Shaw, Roy Weil. It's on Amazon for (I think) $5. It's a must-read.
Best meal along the route IMO is The GI Dayroom in Meyersdale PA.
Thanks Ed. With the advice you provide in your tour reports, the Linking Up book, other books on the GAP and C & O by Metzger and High, the Bike Washington and ATA websites, Kordite's weblogs:
http://www.tasigh.org/gps/bikeblog.html
and comments here and elsewhere, I've come up with a rough schedule for the ride.
June 1 - Mckeesport to Connellsville - 43 miles
June 2 - Ride to Ohioplye, visit to Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, ride to Rockwood - 55-60 miles (including the rides to the FLW houses.)
June 3 - Rockwood to Cumberland, 43 miles.
June 4 - 70 miles to Williamsport, MD
June 5 - 100 miles to Washington, if we are up to it. If not, we can stay at any campground along the way. Harper's Ferry is 40 miles into the ride.
June 6 - if we don't complete the century to Washington, finish it today.
Any comments or suggestions on our plans? I've discussed the idea of trying to ride a century on the trip. My riding companion has never ridden one, and he's open to the idea. But we can skip it if need be.
On the PA side, I've structured the ride to take advantage of two easily accessible campgrounds in Connellsville and Rockwood, and the visiting hours for Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob. That explains the shorter first day mileage. Anything else we should make a special visit to?
We plan on riding on two paved alternatives on the C & O. One is the Western Maryland Rail Trail, which runs parallel to the C & O for 21 miles. The other is the Bike Washington route through Antietam Battlefield, which will add a few miles to the trip, but get us off the towpath. Any other paved alternatives we should consider?
We are taking everyone's advice and not starting in Pittsburgh. Our original plans were to drive to Pittsburgh in a rental car, but it would be easier for Neil F. and I to drive in my own car to Washington and be transported to the McKeesport trailhead. Do you have a recommendation for an outfitter, and about how much should we be prepared to spend for the service?