Finishing what we started! In April 2018 I traveled to Cumberland, Maryland with my two teenage sons to cycle the 180-mile Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Towpath to Washington, D.C. We were picking up where we left off one year earlier, after cycling from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD on the Great Allegheny Passage. That adventure was incredible, and we were excited to explore the second half of this journey. The C&O is rougher and a bit more wild than the GAP trail. Ridden together, they compliment each other well.
More than once we found ourselves biking alongside a group of deer running through the woods. We saw egrets and great blue herons and hundreds of turtles in the canal waters. We camped in tents next to the Potomac River, spent a chilly night in The Chicken Coop, and slept comfortably in a renovated lockhouse. When we arrived in D.C. we headed to the Capitol building for a meet and greet with our senator and a tour. This was a terrific way to spend April break – another amazing adventure.
The C&O Canal National Historical Park is an incredible resource. To learn more and to start planning your trip, visit their website.
Sarah Hunter 