GAP and C&O Canal Towpath Travelogue

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GAP and C&O Canal Towpath Travelogue

Рет қаралды 23,478

Күн бұрын

In August 2014 I rode my bicycle from Pittsburgh, PA, to Georgetown, MD, on the Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal Towpath. In this travelogue I focus on the C&O and present the major features of that trail. My complete GAP travelogue can be found on my EdeksAttic KZfaq channel.
My most recent tour of the GAP and C&O was in September 2020. The features that I describe in this video remain relevant. The ride remains one of the best in the country in my opinion.
For more about me and bicycle touring, see my blog at www.edeksattic...

Пікірлер: 65

@EdeksAttic 4 жыл бұрын

Just want viewers to know that I have done this route several times since I did this video, the most recent being 2019. The trails have not changed very much, although the Parks Service in investing in some improvements to the C&O. IMHO it is still a great ride.

@TheLaraeH 4 жыл бұрын

Great video. Thanks for sharing your trip!! Very well put together.

@EdeksAttic 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much!

@jim2shoes1 4 жыл бұрын

planning my 1st trip and your video and some of the comments were full of great information. Thanks for making the video and posting. Lots of work!

@formerx Жыл бұрын

Looks like a great trip. I'm from Cumberland, although we moved to PA before the GAP existed. When we ride the Scenic Railroad there, I see the trail and imagine all the places it goes. Thanks for showing us some of them.

@EdeksAttic Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your comment. Yes, there is something to see around every curve in the trail. That is even true around Pittsburgh.

@frankblatt9114 4 жыл бұрын

unbelievable go pro pictures of oncoming train!

@secretdaisy6484 2 жыл бұрын

Good job showing the path from the rider’s perspective. I'm planning a coast to coast ride which I'm breaking up into 2 sections. I live in the greater Cincinnato area & plan to ride from here to the beach in Delaware via the GAP trail 🚞 & dip my wheel in the Atlantic. I'll come home & when I'm ready I'll go to Oregon & ride back to northern Kentucky where I live. Should work out ok & will be easier on my crabby Spaniel who will have to be fostered while I'm gone. He's definitely not a trailer kind of dog who can go along. 👍☮️🌞🌟🚵🏕

@EdeksAttic 2 жыл бұрын

Sounds like a great trip. Best wishes!

@rickymellottsr4461 8 жыл бұрын

Great video , takes me back to when I rode the entire C / O Canal from Cumberland MD to Georgetown , while in the Boy Scouts in the 70s , thank you , for taking me back !!!!!!!

@tomordr 4 жыл бұрын

6 years later i stumble upon your video. very nicely done. thank you. i appreciated your thoughts, insights and information as i hope to ride the GAP & C&O this year

@EdeksAttic 4 жыл бұрын

I rode this route again in 2019 and it remains one of my favorite tours.

@canica99 9 жыл бұрын

Nice video and very informative. I am beyond belief that you got charge that much to camp. For the 38 plus the 8 bucks I would had stayed at a hostel. Crazy how this camp grounds take advantage of bicycle tourist. Really nice video and trip. Thank you for posting. Love the train take.

@BurningtunaDC 6 жыл бұрын

Privately owned campgrounds are often almost as expensive as budget motels these days.

@TS-ev1bl 5 жыл бұрын

But they had "free" pancakes! :) Seriously though, in order to compete, campgrounds that stay in business by attracting weekenders and tourists with kids need to have amenities like a swimming pool, bouncy pad, craft activities, upgraded shower and toiler facilities, "free" pancake breakfasts, etc., and if you choose to stay there you pay for those amenities whether you use them or not. If you're not going to use that stuff and you don't want to pay for them, avoid the family tourist-type campgrounds and seek out more primitive camping sites. The campground he mentioned in the video is in historic Harper's Ferry, a very family-touristy location. KOA's cater to the family camper business, not bicyclists or thru-hikers looking for primitive camping.

@burhanco 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing. Very helpful notes and important details for someone like me planning the Pittsburgh to DC trip this coming summer.

@towtowstrailtalk6853 4 жыл бұрын

Looks like you had a very enjoyable ride thank you for sharing

@EdeksAttic 3 жыл бұрын

I did! It was a while ago, but I did it again in 2020 and found it just as enjoyable. This is still one of my favorite rides.

@Barrelsmoke 9 жыл бұрын

very nice job! Thanks for sharing your ride

@indybikeman1 2 жыл бұрын

Planning our first trip this year. Think you for sharing.

@EdeksAttic 2 жыл бұрын

This remains one of the best rides in the country. You will enjoy it.

@johneric3886 3 жыл бұрын

Good concise presentation.

@EdeksAttic 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you.

@davidingram5965 4 жыл бұрын

A good summary and most helpful. Thank you.

@josephvalenzi7791 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you! That was very informative. You gave a great sampling of the trail at each point. I am planning a trip for this fall and I feel better prepared.

@rechuckg 2 жыл бұрын

Very nice report. I am looking forward to doing a through ride from Pittsburg to DC in September 2022. Your travelogue has been an inspiration and help.

@EdeksAttic 2 жыл бұрын

That is a good time of year to do the trip. I may see you on the trail!

@rechuckg 2 жыл бұрын

@@EdeksAttic I'll be the old guy riding an 80s tourer. 😁

@EdeksAttic 2 жыл бұрын

@@rechuckg You can't be much older than me at 76!

@peteross3483 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing the video of your ride along the canal. You have done a fine job of presentation and I enjoyed seeing the story of your journey.

@EdeksAttic 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your comment. I love the ride and plan to do it again myself this year.

@bluemountaindrivepae 5 жыл бұрын

No flat tires or mechanical breakdowns is a good ride.

@Jeff.Slavich 5 жыл бұрын

Well done! I'm looking forward to this adventure the summer of 2019.

@EdeksAttic 5 жыл бұрын

I hope to do it again this year as well. I love the ride.

@pibitos003 8 жыл бұрын

You are amazing. Owowowowowoowowowowo. A blessing on you and yours.greetings from Germantown Maryland .

@Crabbyskunk 4 жыл бұрын

Wonderful and inspiring video!

@PB-wr5bt 7 жыл бұрын

I very much enjoyed your presentation. We may have crossed path's on your trip in 2014 as that was the first year that I made your exact ride. I have since ridden the GAP/C&O Canal 8 more times, 4 DC to Pitt and 3 in reverse Pitt. to DC. The 9th trip I took advantage of Amtrak's Capitol Limited 'Roll-On' service taking the train from DC to Cumberland then biking the 'GAP' to Pittsburgh before returning by train to Cumberland and biking the C&O Canal back to DC. As you may guess I rate it as a great ride and enthusiastically recommend it. One small correction to your presentation, Georgetown is located in Washington DC.

@bryanwehmeyer 5 жыл бұрын

Nice job. So much info! Thank you.

@mikephillips9179 8 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the great videos on th GAP and C&O! Going to ride it next spring.

@EdeksAttic 8 жыл бұрын

I'm doing it again this year myself, this time from DC to Pittsburgh. It's one of the best rides in the country IMHO.

@randybecnel4501 4 жыл бұрын

Nice video! Thanks for sharing.

@mediumrick7667 6 жыл бұрын

Great overview. Loved the train shot with the GoPro too.

@pppjourneyonabike5992 7 жыл бұрын

Most excellent video log...well done...i watch it many times...

@EdeksAttic 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I always tell people that this is probably the best ride in the country.

@jabangs54 4 жыл бұрын

Nice video and great information. It takes me back to my ride in summer of 2017. I had the same stops as you at the start, KOA outside of Connelsville and Rockwood, Hancock. I skipped the hike up those stairs for Harper's Ferry. I live in a tourist town like it and decided to pass on it. I also missed the Paw Paw tunnel as it was closed for rock scaling at the entrance. I had to hike a bike up over the trail over the mountain. That was a sweat-fest!! I'll go back for a re ride of this trip!! I want to budget in an extra day to have for a ride over and tour of Antietam Civil War site.

@EdeksAttic 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment. I also did the ride in 2017 and "enjoyed" the hike over the Paw Paw tunnel. Did it again in September 2019 and in spite of floods in 2018 the trail and tunnels were in great shape.

@Greggsvlog 7 жыл бұрын

Great narration .........informative and enjoyable.

@EdeksAttic 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your comment. The video still accurately portrays the ride except that since it was done the Pinkerton Tunnel was restored and opened.

@mackens99 7 жыл бұрын

Very nice - thanks for sharing...

@juanromero8998 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tips!!

@papamartino 5 жыл бұрын

Good video. A lot of detail.

@wvudak06 6 жыл бұрын

50-60 miles a day is just about the perfect distance

@BeeRich33 10 жыл бұрын

Nice video. You might consider the Canal Du Midi in France. My Europe 2012 Bicycle Tour Compilation

@bluemountaindrivepae 5 жыл бұрын

$46 almost gets a motel room. On a bike you can pick and choose a campsite. On foot your options were limited, I only average 9 miles a day backpacking.

@FixedByDoccom 6 жыл бұрын

excellent video...

@tomsanders1601 6 жыл бұрын

Nice video. Thanks. I was thinking of riding from Pittsburgh to Ohiopyle in one day and then do day trips on day 2-Fallingwater, that waterfall you mentioned. Is that just too far on the gravel? Confident of the distance on pavement but don’t know the trail. Hoping to do this in September.

@pgreenx 2 жыл бұрын

How did the 35mm tires work out on the c&o? Thanks

@Floridazen 6 жыл бұрын

Hello from Swain Lock Maryland-CO Towpath

@dmc1449 5 жыл бұрын

Very informative, but Georgetown is in DC, not MD (unless you were in GW's time ; )

@bluemountaindrivepae 5 жыл бұрын

That detour was a hassle. Backpacked it once and cycled it 4 times.

@Tnapvrvideo 8 жыл бұрын

Great Share! Might you have a source / link for trail maps for this bike trip? Thanks!

@EdeksAttic 8 жыл бұрын

+MrMCBvideo One of the best sources for both trails is www.bikecando.com/default.aspx

@user-mp9xz8yg4j 6 жыл бұрын

Can anyone recommend a good map to use on the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath?

@TheAKtracks 6 жыл бұрын

Here's an interactive map. They also have a trail guide, though I'm not sure of its contents as I've not received mine yet (just ordered it). gaptrail.org/explore

@EdeksAttic 6 жыл бұрын

One of the best online resources that I have found for both GAP and C&O is at www.bikecando.com/default.aspx. These are easy trails to navigate. The biggest challenge is always to plan for places to eat and sleep.