# GAP to C&O Canal trip



## jimmtb (Oct 9, 2010)

Hello all! I wanted to post because this May my brother and I will be doing our first unsupported tour of the Great Allegheny Passage - C&O Canal and I thought I would post to ask for some pointers. I do have a daily plan with mileages mapped out so far, but thought I would ask some questions to those more experienced tourers out there. Thus far the trip looks like this:
Day 1: Duquesne-Connelsville
Day 2: Connelsville-Rockwood
Day 3: Rockwood-Cumberland
Day 4: Cumberland-Hancock
Day 5: Hancock-Harpers Ferry
Day 6: Harpers Ferry-Georgetown
Day 7: Georgetown-National Mall (?), back to Great Falls Tavern visitor center for pickup

I will be using my Surly Cross Check which currently has WTB Slickasaurus 37cc tires. Some posts I have read that a setup like this would be ideal but the book I purchased to help plan the trip and several websites seem to suggest a mtn bike with front suspension and low profile tires. I typically use a HT mtn bike in south central PA where we have nothing but rocks and tree roots on the trails. I don't think I should have any problem with this setup on the C&O, but I may be mistaken. 

My brother, who is not much of a cyclist, will be riding an old mtn bike. We will both be using a rear rack with panniers, and camping every night (sometimes free, sometimes paid). Should I think about ditching the clip-in pedals and just rock the flats? We may be short on space, and just wearing the same shoes to bike and do off bike activities may be more prudent. We are planning on spending a fair amount of time off the bikes on this trip, especially in Ohiopyle State Park and Harpers Ferry. Probably comes down to how much space we have whenever we do our pretrip packing of our supplies. My brother does section hike the Appalachian Trail, so he is fully versed on lite-weight packing and has great equipment that we will be using. Also, we will only be carrying a little food with most food stops being along the trails.

Lastly, is there anything along the way that we shouldn't miss? Maybe a restaurant, scenic overlook, historical building, or any other interesting tidbit we shouldn't miss? 

Sorry to ramble on in such a long post. I feel as though I have planned everything well so far, but just wanted to touch base with some experienced tourers to be sure I didn't miss anything that could ruin the trip.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

We love to ride on the C&O Tow Path and have ridden pretty much the whole route you are planning on. We usually ride our fixtes with skinny tires although if I was planning on 6 days with a load 32s would probably be my choice.

The daily distances you have chosen seem easy to me but a lot depends on how much of a cyclist your brother "who is not much of a cyclist" is.

I'm thinking your biggest worry in May is rain. Get some good rain and the whole thing becomes one long mud puddle and you won't be happy at all. :yikes:

Still the trip should be great, take a camera and post us a report. Thanks.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

You might check this out for an idea of what you are in for.....

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=99850


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## jimmtb (Oct 9, 2010)

Thanks MB1! I thought that the 37cc tires would work based on some of the posts I had read on here, but then the book I was using as a reference and some other websites devoted to GAP/C&O said otherwise so they had me second guessing myself. 

As for my brother who "doesn't ride much", I should have phrased that as he hardly rides at all. He probably does ride 4-5 times a year with a couple rides on local city's "greenbelt" trail, rides at the beach, and railtrail. He does have an old trainer I gave him and is supposed to be training for the ride. The distances are somewhat short b/c of that and the fact that logistically it worked best so that finding places to eat/camp could be done without long off trail jaunts. Also, we are really hoping to spend some time seeing some of the sites, with several days likely resulting in 4-5 hrs off of the bikes.

Before I forget to mention it, great pics! They made my wife somewhat envious of the trip, but she is even less of a biker than my brother.


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## Dream Plus (Feb 4, 2004)

If it were me, I'd wear biking shoes for riding and carry some other shoes for long periods off the bike. Seems like a good tradeoff.


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## RhinoDave (Mar 15, 2007)

I did pretty much the same ride you are planning. Read  _this link_ to get an idea of my trip. The GAP trail is very rideable on a cross bike or hybrid. We were pretty lucky and had nice dry conditions for the C&O portion and both of my ride partners had no issues riding regular touring bikes with cross tires. We planned a short day around Harpers Ferry so we could do some sightseeing there. Don't know if you've looked at the journals at CGOAB but there is a ton of information on riding the GAP and C&O.


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## jimmtb (Oct 9, 2010)

*Departure pending*

Heading to Pittsburgh tonight with a planned start tomorrow AM. Hoping to do some good sightseeing and maybe white water rafting in Ohiopyle Sunday. Hoping the C & O dries out some by the time we hit it on Monday/Tuesday.


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## Cyclist69 (Apr 15, 2011)

Good luck and have a good time, It does sound like an awesome trip.


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## Lazy Spinner (Aug 30, 2009)

I did this trip last year in five days and it is a fantastic ride. I did it on an alloy Fuji CrossPro running Ritchey Speedmax 32 CX clinchers at 55-60 psi. I also used small panniers. Fatter tires and a steel frame should make the C & O smoother for you.

The GAP sections are pretty gentle and well manicured. There are some rougher sections just outside of PIttsburgh and in Ohiopyle State Park. The C & O is a rougher track with lots of tree roots, rutted dirt, and lots of twigs and small branches littering the path. Keep your eyes open because you can easily get one of those thrown into your spokes or RD. You are going to want a good light for the Pawpaw Tunnel - very dark, lots of puddles, and you will be walking the bike through it.

Have fun and really enjoy the scenery.


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## Lazy Spinner (Aug 30, 2009)

I almost forgot! The state of Maryland has a paved bike trail that runs for 10 miles approaching Hancock and another 10 miles beyond that parallels the C & O. It will be a welcome relief from the bumps. You will see signage for the Western Maryland Rail Trail as you approach Pearre, MD.


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## KWL (Jan 31, 2005)

Lazy Spinner said:


> IYou are going to want a good light for the Pawpaw Tunnel


There is a trail that goes over Paw Paw ridge that is quite rideable. While the tunnel is definitely something to experience, by the 3rd trip down the C&O I decided to try something different.


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