bikepacking

– Northbound from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh, PA –

Miles

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Miles / Day

About the Route

The Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath and adjoining Great Allegheny Passage (or GAP) my first long-distance cycling adventure. Together these two trails traverse a 335-mile multi-use path through portions of Washington, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

The southern section of the route begins in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. at the terminus of the historic C&O canal system on the Potomac River. This 184.5-mile gently graded dirt towpath was originally built for mules to tow boats and cargo through the waterway all the way north to Cumberland, MD.

Once in Cumberland, MD, the C&O towpath connects to the GAP and the runs west through the Allegheny Mountains on a 148.8-mile network rails-to-trails corridors. Riders follow the mountains passages of the old Western Maryland Railway, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad, and Union Railroad, all the way to the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela Rivers in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

Together these two long trails create one of the classic bike routes in the eastern U.S., and it’s the perfect introduction to bikepacking or bike touring. Although cyclists can ride the route in either direction, I opted to ride northbound, beginning in Washington, D.C. and ending in Pittsburgh, PA. Below is a list of my daily blogs, gear lists, and some of the lessons I learned during this adventure!