Bike Washington’s  C&O Canal Bicycling Guide

Trip Length

Trip Planning From which end should I start? Where can I leave my car? How many days to ride the entire trail? How do I get back to my car? Where can I stay overnight? Where can I camp along the trail? Is water available along the trail? Is food available along the trail? What kind of bike tires should I use? Can I rent a bicycle? Any tips for Scout leaders? What should I bring along? Trip Planning Mile-by-Mile Mileposts 0-10 Mileposts 10-25 Mileposts 25-40 Mileposts 40-50 Mileposts 50-70 Mileposts 70-82 Mileposts 82-106 Mileposts 106-116 Mileposts 116-130 Mileposts 130-150 Mileposts 150-168 Mileposts 168-184 Mile-by-Mile Trip Reports 2007 2004 2003 1995 Trip Reports Info-to-Go Print to Go Download GPS Waypoints Download to Phone/PDA Info-to-Go

How long should I take? There are two schools of thought on this one. If your motivations is: "Because it is there", then you will probably opt for one of these choices:

One Day "Nightmare" Option

Believe it or not, there is actually a fair amount of interest in this option. I don't know about you, but 184 unpaved miles severely exceeds my pain threshold <grin>!

However, for all you "X-People" out there, the current record (totally unofficial) is 11 hours and 41 minutes held by Paul Gruenberger and Ralph Olinger set October 1994. This was a supported ride starting from Cumberland. Paul Gruenberger also claims the unsupported record time of 12 hours and 36 minutes set in September 1991.

Two Day "Express" Option

If you have a weekend to "kill", you might as well kill yourself trying this fun little ride. For those lugging their own camping gear, you can split this into two 90 mile days. However if you wish to travel light, then your overnight stay options would be either Shepherstown/Sharpsburg or Williamsport. Either way, you are looking at doing a century during one of the days.

Three Day "Econo" Option

This is the itinerary I used for my first two rides. It works out pretty well with convenient stops at Harpers Ferry and Hancock, about every 60 miles. Also, this option allowed us a few moments to actually enjoy some sites along the way.

If you belong to the other school of thought, you might actually want to "see and learn" along the way. The C&O has a great deal of Civil War history. To really experience all the interesting history in this part of the country, you should plan more time so that you can make some side trips away from the towpath.

Four Days

For those planning to use lodging, you will find that options are very limited in the upper 60 mile segment. Thus you might wish to break this into a 60-40-40-40 ride, with stops at Hancock, Shepherstown, and Leesburg. Campers have a bit more flexiblity, so they can even the ride out. During my 2003 camping ride, I stayed at Little Orleans, Jellystone, and Horsepen Branch H/B.Campsites.

Five or More Days

You can break up the 60 mile day by adding an overnight at the B&B in Paw Paw, WV. This would keep all your riding days under 40 miles.

The Washington Post had a story a few years ago about a canal bicycle trip ("Ready, Set, C & O!", Sunday, April 10, 1994 - Travel Section). They spent six days, using a combination of camping and lodging. This worked out to be about 30 miles each day.

For families making the trip with younger children riding their own bikes (9-13), it is probably a good idea to keep your trip limited to about 20 miles per day. Also, plan frequent diversions such as fishing or swimming breaks.

During my 2004 trip, I shared a campsite with Judy and her daugher Libby. They had planned to only do 120 miles over seven days, but has such a great time they decided to extend the trip all the way to DC