Biking: the C & O Canal Trail
Posted By BrokenClaw on August 28, 1998
On a previous trip to this region, we had discovered the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Trail across from Harpers Ferry, where it briefly joins the Appalachian Trail. The C&O Canal ran along the Potomac River from Washington, DC to Cumberland, MD. Today the entire length of the canal is protected by the National Park Service.
On another occasion, we encountered one of the most spectacular structures of the canal: the Paw Paw Tunnel. The tunnel is over a half-mile long. The walkway through the tunnel is only a few feet wide and naturally in total darkness, except for the pinpoint light at each end. Travelers along the trail can opt for the darkness of the tunnel, or for a more treacherous route over the top of the cliffs. We had a flashlight, so we took the tunnel.
With our next visit to the Paw Paw Tunnel in late summer, we had our bikes. Experience teaches that it’s always best to take the uphill portion of a bike ride first. So we rode west, upriver, from Paw Paw. The towpath trail follows the old canal on the north bank of the Potomac River. (Unlike the NCR trail, the slow grade of the canal is virtually unnoticeable, except at the locks, where the level naturally changes stepwise.) The scenery was beautiful. The leaves still held their late summer green. We passed several locks, as well as one of the old lockhouses.
Among the many creatures we saw were numerous turtles sunning themselves on protruding logs. We also had a close encounter with a blue heron. We rode upriver to the next major access at Oldtown, MD, a trip of about 11 miles. Oldtown isn’t much of a town at all. Apart from the canal park, there’s just the usual school, post office, and fire station. Their other claim to fame is that they once had the nation’s last remaining privately owned toll bridge. The bridge has been closed for some years now, but that doesn’t mean that the locals ever stopped using it.
More recently we made another trip to the area and rode the next section of the C&O Trail. This time we started at Oldtown. When we got the bikes off of the car, Trailwalker noticed that one of her tires was low, and, unfortunately, we were unprepared for it. Broken Claw saw another couple unloading their bikes in the parking lot. They looked like serious bikers, so he decided to ask if they had a pump. They did and were happy to aid us. As it turned out, they were staying at the same campground as us. Once we got on the trail, we rode all the way to the end. The weather in August was quite hot and humid, and Broken Claw never wants to run out of water. At the Spring Gap picnic area we met up with a State Highways employee taking his lunch break. Although Broken Claw’s water bottle was still more than half full, he asked the worker if there was potable water available. At first he didn’t understand the question, but then he offered us ice water from his own water jug. We accepted his hospitality.
Further up the trail we stopped at a historical display of a restored canal boat. Somewhere along the way we also stopped at the great Swamp White Oak Tree. The plaque tells how this particular tree is recognized as the largest tree of its kind in the state of Maryland, measuring more than 16 feet in circumference. The C&O Canal Trail is 184 miles long, terminating at Cumberland, MD. Our round trip on this day, including a side trip into Cumberland for lunch, was 38 miles.
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