Bikepacking The C&O Canal Trail - Cumberland To D.C.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ต.ค. 2023
- We drove from Lawrence, KS to Cumberland, MD to start our amazing 6 day adventure on the C&O Canal Trail. The trail was dry, the sights were many, and we had blue skies the entire way. On day 6, we made it to the mile zero marker in D.C.(not easy to find) and spent a couple of days going to museums before hopping on the Amtrak to get back to our car in Cumberland.
The C&O Canal Trail is truly a national treasure and words can not adequately describe the amazing beauty of rolling for 184.5 miles along the Potomac River on perfect fall days. This was a trip of a lifetime and I'm super lucky to have beautiful Jenna as my adventure partner. We're already planning to go back and do it again(next time, we're going to include the GAP Trail). I give the C&O Trail 5 stars and all the thumbs up.
Thinking about riding the C&O? Feel free to ask me any questions. I love talking bikepacking.
Thanks for watching!
Almost in F - Tranquillity by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
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The C&O was my first bikepacking ride many years ago. I’ve done the Katy, the Erie Canal, and many shorter ones since, but the C&O has remained my favorite.
I'm not far from the Katy and it's a national treasure, but I'm with you, the C&O is now my favorite. Thanks for watching!
Wonderful video - you two have such an obviously wonderful relationship, and the piano music is so evocative and sets the vibe so well. Thanks for this - I'll be back east to ride the C&O again one day soon. Happy riding to the both of you!
Wow. Thank you for the kind words. I'm lucky to have a girl who enjoys adventuring with me. We're itching to get back out there to do the GAP next. Thanks for watching and happy trails!
I just hiked some of this today. Beautiful. Near Hancock MD
Great video, I loved every minute......thanks for the share.
Thanks for watching Rick!
Brian very nice and peaceful ride, like the pace both of you had on the trail, looks like you enjoy every afternoon and every morning relaxing with your coffee. I told my wife about this, and she like it. Thank you.
Thanks for the kind words. We do take our sweet time on adventures and especially when we have a good cup of joe. Thanks for watching!
As a long-time NoVA resident but now transplanted to Alabama, one of my biggest regrets was not riding the full GAP and C&O while I lived in the area. They are both on my bucket list and have been for a couple years. It's all planned out, I just need to make it happen. Thank you for taking the time to share your journey, it just reinforces that I need to get it done sooner, rather than later. Cheers
Thanks for watching! Fingers crossed that you get to cross the Gap/C&O ride off you list real soon!
Brian , what a wonderful presentation .. Plan on doing the Rock Island to St. Charles on the Katy Trail first this fall . You and your partner just gave me the motivation to go on the C & O as my next trip . Just need to workout the logistics from Cumberland to DC . Taking the Amtrak is a wonderful idea ... Thanks for showing me this treasure ... Leo ,from O'fallon mo.
Thanks for watching Leo! We love riding the Katy. It's a real gem of a trail. The Amtrak was the icing on the cake for that C&O ride. Good luck and happy riding this Fall!
This ride is on my short list scenery looks beautiful 🤩
I don't know how to properly express how incredibly awesome this bike vlog is. I literally can't stop watching it. This is absolute magic. Thank you so much!!
Wow, what an amazing comment. I’m really happy that you liked it that much!
Great video of a great trail. I just biked it with some friends a couple months ago and we had an amazing time. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Very peaceful journey, reflected in your videography and soundtrack. Excellent production. Hopefully will do this trail someday. Did Gap last year, It was spectacular.
Thanks for watching Daniel!
I live minutes off the C&O at Lander access (near Point of Rocks) and rode the GAP and C&O over 5 days recently...just fantastic. The C&O is a national treasure.
A national treasure indeed. Happy trails!
Great video; great Country; great couple.. God bless USA, and his people...SALUDOS FROM PANAMA..
Cheers from Kansas!
Good watch and beautiful ride 👌
Thanks so much!✌🏻
Great video.
Thanks for watching Stephen!
Very nice video you guys.
Absolutely love the music.
Thanks for watching!
Cool! Thanks for sharing. Just did my first bike packing trip down in Richmond & I’ve been looking for my next one.
It sure is an addictive hobby. Cheers to your next adventure!
I have plans of biking on sections of the Great Alleghany Passage Trail and the C&O Canal Trail in 2024. Throw in the Western Maryland Trail also. I hiked on sections of these trails in the last few years and wanted to do more than 6 miles, turn around, and go back.
I will go 20 miles, turn around, and go back with a bicycle.
I like Little Orleans area. Putting it on my destination list for the trip.
No matter if it's 12 miles on foot or 40 on a bike, it's the adventure that counts! Good luck in 2024!
Great video. I live in Williamsport near the Tony’s Pizza.
@@21stCPH thanks! Williamsport is a neat town and the folks at Tony’s Pizza were really nice to us. They sold us beers to go!
Nice video, and the first time I’ve seen chain maintenance in any touring video; nice addition of the things that are needed during a tour.
Thanks for the comment Matthew! The trail was super dusty and covered in leaves which got all up in our chains and cassettes. Had to use a brush daily. I do love a clean and lubed chain! Cheers.
great vid. great music.
Thanks for watching Thomas!
Very well done! Looking forward to my own trip next spring!
Thanks watching! Happy riding!
I loved this video! The entire trail has been on my bike-it list for a long time now. Next spring/summer it will become a reality, and I will definitely be stopping for one of those pepperoni pretzel rolls.
Thanks a ton! That pretzel roll was one of the best parts of my journey. Cheers to your future C&O adventure!
The dry weather experienced in this video and lower temperatures make Oct (Fall) a great time to experience the trail.
What a beautiful video accompanied with the wonderful music! A delightful experience watching this. Thank you so much!
Thanks for watching! Cheers!
Wonderful video! I enjoyed the footage of striking camp...almost magic watching all that stuff disappear into a few panniers.
Hey thanks for watching! I wish I could set up camp as fast as those timelapses show me packing up!
Very calming relaxing video !
Thank you for sharing your wonderful adventure.
Well thank you for watching!
Excellent video !!!
Hey thanks!
Thank you! Just a great video in every way.
Well thanks for watching!
I really like this video - I think a lot has to do with the music selection. Greetings from Germany!
Greetings from Kansas! Thanks for watching!
Awesome trail. I got ro ride it all away this year myself, had a good time. Thanks for sharing yours. 👍
It's a special ride for sure. Thanks for watching!
Brian, absolutely brilliant production, great shots, your content is top shelf ! I have never enjoyed watching people set up camp, and tear down with such intrigue ! Thank you !
Wow, thanks for the kind words Steve. Making and breaking camp is not my favorite, but as a timelapse, it’s a real breeze. Cheers!
Thank you sharing your experience, I really liked the video and you have a really cool hat!
Thanks for watching! I do love a good hat!
Great experience for sure. The soundtrack absolutely perfect too. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
I've watched many videos of this trail,and i must say that you both captured the true scenic value of the trail.Congrats,on a beautiful video!
Wow. Thanks for the kind words.
this video is really well done, on top of that it seems like you two had a really great time!
Thanks for the kind words. We did have a sweet time!
This looks amazing from the intro. Looking forward to finishing watching it. This is a ride we are considering doing in the future and looks well worth it.
Hope you made it all the way through! We can't wait to do it again. Next time we're adding the GAP!
@@briangoodman8990 will be this weekend. Going to convince my wife this is our next adventure!
@@TylerandKari excellent. good luck!
Epic Trip Man! And another great video!
Great video. I didn’t get to go through the Paw Paw Tunnel- 6 months ago they were working on it, and man did I hate the bypass on the (westbound) way up, muddy morass. I actually liked the GAP more- loved the history on the C&O, but the unchanging mix of tree species and scenery wasn’t as interesting as the more diverse GAP. Something for you all to look forward to on your next trip!
I did the trail from DC to Cumberland a few weeks ago. I found the trail to be very boring except for the lock houses and aqueducts. Its also very frustrating getting into a groove and then pick your way through muddy sections which are everywhere lol. (Fenders recommended). The wooded "tunnel affect" really took a toll on me after Monacacy, so monotonous. However i was alone. It would have helped tremendously if someone was cycling along with me. I look forward to the GAP in the spring. Great video!
Hey, thanks for watching! I get the tree tunnel thing and it sure does help to have a buddy with you on adventures. We got really lucky with sunshine and dry trail conditions. I thought it was beautiful and an amazing ride. Here’s hoping your next one is a banger. Happy trails!
Agreed. C&O Canal Towpath gets very boring very quickly. It’s almost like cycling on a treadmill. Its main virtue for me is its convenience.
We rode sections of it in May, some parts so muddy. Very buggy when you stopped. Mosquitoes attack !! We rode the GAP from Frostburg? To Martinsville? Not sure I have the towns correct but, it was a fantastic trail. Going over the Eastern Continental Divide is cool.
Watching from malaysia ❤
Hello from Kansas!
Great video, guys! I bought the AeroPress because of you! Love it.
Aw yeah! Great trail coffee is in your future!
@@briangoodman8990what kind of press is it? And, like your hat!
@@srb6345It's an AeroPress. I never adventure without it! I like my hat too! It's made by company named Roark. Check them out!
glad to see that the Paw Paw tunnel is open again
I didn’t want to go up and over, so me too!
What kind of bikes do you ride and what is your tire width?
@@thegreatexaggerator9077
She rides a Kona Sutra LTD 29er w/ 2.1” tires and I ride a Kona Sutra ULTD 29er w/ 2.3” tires.
@@thegreatexaggerator9077 I've seen people ride the C&O on everything from 25mm road tires to 5 inch fat tires, but I think 32-40mm gravel tires are best. You'll be much more comfortable on gravel tires - slicks are ok too. But some parts of the C&O, especially between Great Falls and DC, can be a bit rough so wider tires are more comfortable.
@@paulpoletes6341 thank you Paul. Much appreciated.
I see the sore back, I am 73 years old with 2 pins and 6 screws in my lower back. I don't miss the back pains, shoulder and neck pains or wrist numbness, and sore ass that would have lots bruising. I got a Trike and will never go back to the bicycle ever again, also don't miss the balancing issues or slipping off the pedals and landing on the straight bar. My Trike is the Catrike Dumont and I love it but there are others out there, so try a Tadpole Recumbent Trike.
Thanks for the suggestion, but we are very much in love with our bikes. Glad you found a way to ride pain free. Happy trails!
not only the bugs but the cobwebs
We're not early risers, so by the time we hit the trail everyday, I think enough riders had already gone by to clear those cobwebs for us. The mosquitos were a different story though...
@@briangoodman8990 I guess we get most of cobwebs backpacking
I hear you. That's why when I backpack, I volunteer to hike at the back of the line.@@iloverunning999
My wife go together a lot so I am usually the trail blazer @@briangoodman8990
Harpers Ferry, my favorite on this trail. What brand of tires were you riding with?
Harpers Ferry was my favorite too. We took a zero day there just to explore. We both ride with Vittoria Mezcals. Cheers!
Beautifully shot! You really captured the trail. What camera were you using?
Also, just read that you're a professional photographer - no wonder! This is the kind of trip video I aspire to make.
Hey, thanks for watching and for the kind words! I made this video entirely with a DJI Pocket 2. I’ve found it to be a great little camera for the type of adventures I go on. So small and easy to shoot with while riding. It also has a tripod mount so I carry a little mini tripod with me to get those stationary shots. For such a small camera, it shoots really great 4K video. Let me know if you want to know more. Always happy to chat gear. Cheers!
@@briangoodman8990 I'm really impressed with its image quality! I've been watching a lot of gopro footage, and it isn't nearly as detailed. Thanks for the reply! I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos.
I've always read that to get from the trail into Harpers Ferry you have to haul your bike up a winding staircase. Is that still true, or did they get the bike ramp built? Thanks.
Yeah, unfortunately you still have to lug your bikes up the stairs to get to Harpers Ferry. It's a bit of a struggle(especially having steel bikes and a bunch of gear!), but it's totally worth it because Harpers Ferry is so freaking cool. Cheers!
Not sure I could drag my 55 lb (unloaded) ebike up the stairs -- darn! Thanks.@@briangoodman8990
We are looking to do this Memorial Day weekend. Can you speak on how you handled showering and what the bath house situation was like? Were the camping sites close to bath
houses? Was there a line in the am for showering etc? Thank you ☺️
Hi Lissa, happy to help. We camped in the hiker/biker campsites which are primitive. They are spaced out about every 10 miles along the entire trail, making it really easy to find camping and they are right next to the trail, right on the Patomac River. Most of them have a couple of picnic tables, sometimes a port-a-potty, a hand pump water spigot, but no showers. We used the spigots to freshen up, but it wasn't quite shower fresh! We're backpackers as well and are used to going days without showers, so having those spigots did kind of feel like a luxury for us. I think there are some pay campsites along the way that may have showers, but they'd be off trail a bit and I don't know how many or how far apart they are.
We stayed at an Airbnb in Harpers Ferry for two nights to rest/site-see and that's really the only time we were "clean" between Cumberland and D.C. We were pretty grimy when we rolled into our hotel in D.C., but for us, it's part of an adventure and you sure do appreciate a good shower afterwards! Sorry for the rambling, hope this helps some. Good luck!
Nice footage. I would appreciate knowing when you actually did the trip….
Thanks for watching. We started on Sept 30th and finished on Oct 5th. Cheers.
Hi,
Great video can you please tell me where you parked your car and was it secure this is what I will be doing this year but wanted to know where to park my car.
Thanks for your time.
Michael
Hi Michael. There is free long term parking at the Howard Street Parking lot under I-68. We left our car there for a week and everything was fine. It’s got plenty of spaces and is literally across the street from the C&O. That’s where we’ll be parking again this fall when we ride the GAP!
@@briangoodman8990 thanks
Great camera work. What camera did you use
Thanks for watching! I shot this entire video with a DJI Pocket 2.
Could you do it with an Ebike? Any plug ins along the way for charging?
I don’t want to say that you couldn’t do it on an E-bike, but it would be a real challenge. There’s no power at any of the campsites that I could see. Depending on the bike’s range, maybe one could go into town off the trail to find charging power, but it’d be a sketchy adventure for sure! Give it a go and let me know how it turns out!
Bill’s Place, LOL. Was it open, or was Bill out “fishing”?
It was open. We kept our heads down and had a couple of beers.
@@briangoodman8990 Lucky for you. I know I'm not the only one who counted on Bills Place for food and water only to find it closed on a weekday.
I want to do this and I have no reason not to.
Yes! Get out there!