I wasn’t able to find any recent trip reports of the C&O and GAP online before going, so here’s mine for future cyclists. I biked the trail, fully-loaded, between DC and McKeesport in August 2009.
The total distance between Mile 0 of the C&O in Georgetown, DC and Mile 130 in McKeesport, PA (the trail was not complete between mile 130 and mile 150 in Pittsburgh) is 315 miles. It can be done easily in 7 days with six days of riding and one rest day in Cumberland, MD. I saw several groups of cyclists pushing 80-100 mile days, but none of them was traveling fully-loaded and I bet they were hurting when they were done.
Trail Condition
The C&O towpath is in decent shape. The trail closest to DC is in excellent repair. The rest of the trail is in mixed condition, with rocks, roots, and potholes on many sections. 12 miles south/east of Hancock MD, the Western Maryland Rail Trail is a paved option that parallels the C&O for 22 miles. It makes a nice break from getting beaten up by the rocky trail.
The GAP has been in progress for close to ten years, and the trail is in great condition. We’ll see if PA can afford to maintain it in its current state. The trail is crushed gravel and is mostly free of roots and potholes.
Having seen several cyclists with skinny cyclo-cross tires suffer recurring flats, I’d really recommend at least a hybrid or mountain bike, if not a tourer for the full trail. The GAP is much newer and in better condition than the C&O so a roadbike might do for that portion of the trip. Bring a couple of spare tubes and a good pump. There isn’t much debris on the trail, so puncture flats are unlikely; it’s mostly blowouts and pinch-flats that one needs to be concerned with.
Since the trail is a converted tow-path and rail-trail, the grade is very low - less than 1% on the C&O and between 0.8% and 2% on the GAP. By looking at the elevation map from the GAP site, one might think the 25 miles between Cumberland and the Eastern Continental Divide is steep, but it’s really less than 2% all the way.
You can pick up maps for both the C&O and GAP in the information centers along the way, as well as in Georgetown & Cumberland. There are several books and guides for sale as well that will give you more details on the history of the area and things to see.
Camping/Accomodations
Camping along the C&O is a great way to travel as there are free primitive sites set up every 5-6 miles from milepost 30 to Cumberland. Each site has a pump (some have rust-flavored water, but it’s all safe), a chemical toilet, a picnic table, and ample room for tents. Most sites have access to the Potomac River and are great spots for swimming. I didn’t stay in any B&Bs but the maps & guides tell you which towns offer accomodations.
Camping on the GAP requires more planning as there are comparatively few campgrounds along the trail and no free ones until mile 99. I met several cyclists wild camping right on the trail and saw signs of stealth camping in the woods beside the trail. No one seemed to have any trouble wild camping - the cyclists had passed several nights with no problems, however, the GAP is bordered on both sides by private property with plenty of “no trespassing” signs. If you stuck close to the trail, you wouldn’t be trespassing, but you might get hassled. If you pulled way off into the woods, you would be trespassing, but the chances of being seen would be much less. I also feel compelled to mention that flagrant trespassing makes problems for future cyclists. YMMV.
There are several commercial campgrounds along the GAP, but the only one that I would recommend would be the Outflow campground at mile 60 in Confluence, PA. It’s run by the Army Corps of Engineers and costs only $8 for a hiker/biker tent site. There are clean showers and good water. There is also a cafe less than a block away with free wifi and good beer. The rest of the commercial sites looked very crappy. The free sites are between mile 99 and mile 120. I stayed at Roundbottom at 99, which had bad water, but a lean-to shelter, plenty of room, and a lovely view of the Yaugh River rapids. However, we did run into a rabid raccoon the next morning. The nicest site I saw was at Cedar Creek at mile 110, a large park area with bathrooms.
Water
Finding water on the C&O canal is not a problem. At each primitive site, there is a hand pump that gives clean (if sometimes rusty) water. There are also towns and information centers with bathrooms and restaurants where you can fill up. The pump water doesn’t have to be treated, but, if you’re picky about taste, some drink powder will help cover the rusty flavor.
Finding water on the GAP is a bit more complicated, as there are fewer resources on the trail. I traveled with 3.5 liters in relatively cool weather and came close to empty a few times. I would recommend a 4-6 liter capacity as a safer margin, especially in hot weather. Capacity aside, I had no trouble filling up in each town or campground. Some towns have water fountains set up alongside the trail, others have info centers and restaurants within a short riding distance. Each campground had at least one pump. I met several cyclists who were filtering water flowing close to the path but I thought it was a bad idea because of a) runoff from farms uphill of the trail and b) runoff from the train tracks that parallel much of the trail. Filters and chemical treatment will kill off any organisms, but they don’t do anything for chemical contamination.
McKeesport, PA to Pittsburgh
As of 2009, the GAP is not complete. I had planned to bike the full trail to Pittsburgh and asked many people along the way for their advice on good roads to Pitt. Bar none, their advice was: don’t. Having seen the roads myself, I would concur. There are no good roads from the end of the trail to Pittsburgh. The roads are windy, narrow, hilly, and highly-trafficked. A loaded cylist moving slowly would be, at best, pissing off local traffic and, at worst, risking serious injury. I got a ride from a friend and had multiple offers from people I met to come get me if I couldn’t find a ride. My ethics were to cycle the whole trail, but common sense won out.
The current trail peters off at McKees Point Park in a crappy, industrial part of town. You’ll be sharing the road for the last mile or so, but the road is wide and doesn’t seem to have much traffic on it. When you see 
the steel mills on your right, you’ll think you made a mistake but just follow the blue cyclist signs to the rest of the trail. When you see a black and white lighthouse on your left, you’ll know you’ve arrived. There is a cafe across from the boat dock that welcomes cyclists. Go in and sign their wall and get a cold drink. If you need a ride, ask nicely, and they can probably help you out.
I really enjoyed cycling both the C&O and GAP. I could have spent at least a month on the C&O enjoying the river and checking out the free camping. If you’ve got the time, it’s worth a few extra days. The GAP between Cumberland and Ohiopyle passes through some beautiful country. Confluence, PA offers rafting, canoeing, and fly-fishing below the damn and Ohiopyle has great rapids. On another trip, I would definitely like to take my time and enjoy the trail longer.
Tags: Add new tag, C&O Canal, Ciao America, GAP, Great Allegheny Passage
August 16, 2009: Georgetown to Mile 30. Daily mileage: 35 miles
After my false start on Saturday, my Sunday departure goes off without a hitch, as I pack up Yawp, bid V a fond farewell, and hit Rock Creek trail to the C&O in Georgetown. A few passersby wish me luck and ask my final destination. “California!” I holler back. I wonder what they thought. 
I’m making great time on the dry, flat C&O and hadn’t gone but 5 miles when someone calls my name out. It’s Zurab, a adventure buddy I met on a trip to Mt Washington, NH. He’s out for a run and we stop for a quick picture. He wishes me luck and I keep going.
I stop short again a few miles down when I see an older gentleman pushing his bike along the side of the trail. When I ask if he’s ok, he tells me his tire’s flat. Clearly, he doesn’t know how to fix it. I stop to consider a moment, then pull over to help. I’ve got a lot of miles to go and I’m going to need all the good karma I can get. Five minutes later, I’ve got his tube swapped out and we’re both on our way. Karma points +1.
Cruising along, I put in 35 miles by 11am, when I stop for a quick lunch at mile post 30. Riding down the hill to the campsite, I immediately spot a tent with a loaded bike next to it. What luck! Another fully-loaded bike tourist. Quick lesson: bike touring can be broken down into three major categories: supported (with a gear van), credit-card touring (carrying a small load and staying in hotels), and fully-loaded (carrying a full camping load). There are important philosophical differences between practitioners of each categories, with fully-loaded cyclists being the cool kids (obviously). So, meeting another fully-loaded tourist is pretty exciting for me.
The other cyclist waves me over and invites me to eat at his picnic table. We get to talking. His name is Kelley, and it turns out he’s been cycle-wanderng for 14 years. Continuously. And before that he hitchhiked for several decades. He’s clearly been traveling alone for a while and is so excited to have someone to talk to that his words tumble out and run together. We admire each other’s bike and pretty soon we’re old friends. He’s a font of knowledge about tramping and bike touring so I decide to sit and talk to him for awhile.
Then he invites me to stay for dinner. I have to sit and think about it because I’ve still got another 30 miles I want to do for the day. Then I realize - I have no deadlines. No place to be for the next year. I can take as long as I like and this whole trip is supposed to be about seeing places and meeting people. I’ve got this great opportunity to hang out with someone who’s been cycle touring for half my life and I’m going to take it. He tells me that this spot is the best campsite along the whole C&O. It’s a perfect swimming spot along the Potomac and has plenty of firewood. I accept his dinner invitation and settle in for the day. (no pictures of Kelley at his request - he’s a bit paranoid.)
After going for a swim, I start peppering him with questions about wild camping, cooking, routes, gear - pretty much everything I can think of to ask. And then we start trading travel stories and he tells me about the two years he toured with seven (7!!) cats. He rescued the mother on a snowy day in Kansas, where she’d been abandoned, strapping a cat carrier to the top of his touring rack. A year later, she gets pregnant and proceeds to have six kittens. He upgrades to a BOB trailer and puts on another cat carrier for the kittens. After wheeling his family of cats around for the next year, the mother takes off and he finds homes for the kittens. What a cool guy.
“Sometimes you get on a magic carpet ride. Love keeps it afloat.” Kelley the Cycling Vagabond
We talk about books late into the afternoon and I write down a couple of titles to get later: “Tales of Power” by Castaneda and “Round the World on a Bicycle” by Thomas Stephens. It starts getting towards dinner time, at which point Kelley reveals himself to be something of a cycling gourmand. For appetizers we’re having aged cheddar, havarti, sausage and wine. My dried noodles and peanut butter look pretty lame in comparison. I immediately start making a list of the food I’m goin
g to pick up in Cumberland. To hell with this lightweight food crap.
While eating our antipasti two more cyclists show up: Bob & Mike, a father/son pair going from Pittsburgh to DC fully loaded. Clearly, this is the cool camp tonight. They are both chatty and hungry and we invite them to join us for dinner.
After building a roaring fire and finishing dinner, we trade trail tips and they give me their contact info for 
when I get to Pittsburgh. I love cyclists. We hang out late into the night, singing (badly) and playing music.
Day 1 was definitely a success and I’m way looking forward to this touring thing.
With my bags packed and Yawp freshly tuned, I was ready for an early start Saturday morning. The day dawned clear and warm, with a slight breeze. Birds chirped. After a quick breakfast of donuts and empanadas at my new favorite bakery, Heller’s, I was ready to roll out. As I’m pulling on my socks, I hear V begin to curse in the next room.
She pulls me over to listen at the wall: we hear a cascade of water behind the plaster in a corner of the dining room that had had a suspicious stain in the ceiling for weeks. As we’re standing there trying to figure out what to do, a wrinkle of plaster bursts like a pimple and yellow water streams down the wall. Shit.
We determine that V should call her parents to get the plumber over while I run upstairs and shut off the water to her bathroom (which had just been used.) The dripping immediately stops. At least we’ve narrowed it down to bathroom #1 of 4. Maybe.
V paces the living room, jumping at every noise, expecting the ceiling or walls to collapse. I tell V that old houses are just disasters waiting to happen. I realize that this probably isn’t helping. Suddenly, we hear a metallic crash and the sound of more water dripping. We both dash into the kitchen and drag the fridge out, expecting to see something terrible. Fortunately, it was just water from the countertop trickling onto the floor.
Rob the Plumber calls and gives an ETA of noonish (it’s now past 10am) and I dawdle awkwardly, not wanting to leave until I know the extent of the problem. V has now reduced her nails to stumps and I realize I’m in for a significant delay. I call Indy (who was going to meet me for a few miles on the C&O) and inform him of the problem. He accuses me of purposefully delaying. He is probably right.
Rob the Plumber arrives and dolefully states that he needs to knock out the drippy wall section to get a look inside. V begins chewing on my fingers. An hour and three large holes later, Rob discovers that the culprit is a rusted pipe 
fitting from the 1920s that has rotted through and is funneling gallons of water from the attic bathroom into the walls. We all agree that this is a problem. He promises to return with reinforcements to cut out the offending section and replace it with shiny new PVC.
Since it is now after 2pm and hot, I decide that discretion (and beer) is the better part of valor and retire to get pizza.
So, I made it as far as the living room today. 6am start tomorrow morning. I’ll have a quiet breakfast and sneak out before anything worse can happen.
I’ve been getting phone calls and messages today asking if I’m excited and ready to go. I’m definitely ready. I’m not feeling terribly excited yet. Mostly churning through the things that need to be done and hoping I don’t forget anything super important.
Wow. I really can’t believe I set off tomorrow. My route takes me up the C&O Canal and then the newly-complete Great Allegheny Passage to Pittsburgh. I won’t need to scrounge places to camp until after Pittsburgh. That will be interesting… After that, it’s 350 miles to Michelle’s wedding in Chicago!
The bike worked out to about 40 lbs of gear plus 30 lbs of bike plus 10 lbs of water and way more lbs of me. Pushing this uphill is going to be tough. 
On other news… the Central America portion of the trip is pretty much cancelled. I’m got increasingly concerned about traveling safely alone so I caved in to my better sense and called it off. I’m looking at going to Asia in January. Perhaps cycling along the Mekong River through Vietnam & Cambodia or through Mongolia. Not sure yet. Any ideas out there?
Tags: bike, bike expedition, travel