{"id":1645,"date":"2015-05-08T02:19:36","date_gmt":"2015-05-08T02:19:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/?p=1645"},"modified":"2020-05-24T23:25:42","modified_gmt":"2020-05-24T23:25:42","slug":"bike-ride-from-pittsburgh-to-washington-dc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/bike-ride-from-pittsburgh-to-washington-dc\/","title":{"rendered":"Bike ride from Pittsburgh to DC"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This week I did a 335 mi (540 km) bicycle tour from Pittsburgh to Washington DC along with a group of 3 other folks from the school. This is the longest I have ever biked and covered the distance over a period of 5 days. The entire trip is divided into two\u00a0 trails &#8211; the 150 mile <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Great_Allegheny_Passage\">Great Allegheny Passage<\/a> from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, followed by the 185.5 mile long <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chesapeake_and_Ohio_Canal\">Chesapeake and Ohio Canal<\/a> (C&amp;O Canal) Towpath.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m29!1m12!1m3!1d1579731.2444624614!2d-78.13225948370139!3d39.34689239144656!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!4m14!1i0!3e1!4m5!1s0x8834f16f48068503%3A0x8df915a15aa21b34!2sPittsburgh%2C+PA!3m2!1d40.440624799999995!2d-79.9958864!4m5!1s0x89b7c6de5af6e45b%3A0xc2524522d4885d2a!2sWashington%2C+DC!3m2!1d38.9071923!2d-77.0368707!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1431047527462\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>We carried camping equipment on our bikes and enjoyed a lot of flexibility in deciding where to stay each night, although we roughly followed the original plan that our group agreed upon before starting the trip. We biked for 8-12 hours during the day and stayed overnight at each of the following cities:<\/p>\n<table class=\"table\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Day<\/th>\n<th>City<\/th>\n<th>Miles<\/th>\n<th>Daily Mileage<\/th>\n<th>Elevation in feet<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>0<\/td>\n<td>Pittsburgh, PA<\/td>\n<td>0<\/td>\n<td>0<\/td>\n<td>720<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<td>Ohiopyle, PA<\/td>\n<td>77<\/td>\n<td>77<\/td>\n<td>1,230<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>Frostburg, MD<\/td>\n<td>134<\/td>\n<td>57<\/td>\n<td>1,832<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>Little Orleans, MD<\/td>\n<td>193<\/td>\n<td>59<\/td>\n<td>450<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>Harpers Ferry, MD<\/td>\n<td>273<\/td>\n<td>80<\/td>\n<td>264<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<td>Georgetown, Washington DC<\/td>\n<td>335<\/td>\n<td>62<\/td>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1689\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1689\" style=\"width: 182px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/716f214dd5f9fcf0aff335871a3302c1ebd74b1915f210e333ea638fb507fb59.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1689\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/716f214dd5f9fcf0aff335871a3302c1ebd74b1915f210e333ea638fb507fb59.jpg?resize=182%2C137\" alt=\"Mile 0 of the GAP Trail. The C&amp;O trail begins from there onwards.\" width=\"182\" height=\"137\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1689\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mile 0 of the GAP trail. The C&amp;O trail begins from here onwards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If there&#8217;s one change I could make in this schedule, it would be to avoid staying over at Harpers Ferry which involved climbing a foot bridge without any ramp for the bikes. It is even more difficult if you are carrying a lot of weight on your bike racks. On the positive side, it allowed us to experience the main streets of Harpers Ferry which is rightly called &#8220;<em>a place in time&#8221;.\u00a0<\/em>Another tip that you could use is to take the <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Western_Maryland_Rail_Trail\">Western Maryland Trail<\/a> near Hancock. It runs parallel to the route and is a paved one, which provides a welcome break after long hours of riding on the C&amp;O trail.<\/p>\n<p>There are lots of campsites near the trail. There are hiker-biker camps near most major towns on the C&amp;O trail and are free to use. We also camped at commercial campgrounds, like at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.trailinnatfrostburg.com\/\">Trail Inn Campground<\/a> in Frostburg, where we could use a shower. You can also get your laundry done at these places and save some luggage space. For food and drinks &#8211; I suggest that you follow the general long distance biking guidelines about eating at regular intervals while on the bike. I also strongly recommend using a hydration backpack though it adds to the weight you have carry on your shoulders.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1685\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1685\" style=\"width: 229px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/73e79f29edeffca04abae5fd43098bfa210a31ac959e6682c1627fceb3738e83.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1685\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/73e79f29edeffca04abae5fd43098bfa210a31ac959e6682c1627fceb3738e83.jpg?resize=229%2C172\" alt=\"Here's a picture of our bikes with our panniers and the camping equipment.\" width=\"229\" height=\"172\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1685\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Here&#8217;s a picture of our bikes with our panniers and the camping equipment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I used a hybrid bike &#8211; Raleigh Misceo and was very comfortable riding it through all parts of the trail. I was expecting a couple of flat tires specially on the C&amp;O sections with loose gravel and other debris on the trail, but didn&#8217;t face any problems. As long as you are not using a road bike with narrow tires you should be good on these trails. Finally for getting back to Pittsburgh we rented a minivan and put our bikes in the trunk which had ample space for 4 bikes with their front wheels taken off.<\/p>\n<p>If you decide to take this tour in future, we have plenty of online guides available for each of the GAP and C&amp;O Canal trails. For a paper-based guide, I would recommend buying the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.atatrail.org\/trailbook.cfm\">Trailbook<\/a> published by the Allegheny Trail Alliance. We also created a small webapp called the <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/salimm\/gapmap\">GAP Map<\/a> that helped us plan our trip and prepare a schedule.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some of the scenic views along the tour as captured from my phone camera:<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-1645 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/bike-ride-from-pittsburgh-to-washington-dc\/20150503_154753\/'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20150503_154753.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1658\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1658'>\n\t\t\t\tBike path along the C&#038;O Canal. It also has several lock houses (not pictured) along the way which have now been renovated and can be used for overnight stay.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/bike-ride-from-pittsburgh-to-washington-dc\/20150426_154508\/'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20150426_154508.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1659\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1659'>\n\t\t\t\tView of the Monongehala river from one of the bridges on the GAP trail near Duquesne Rd in Pittsburgh.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/bike-ride-from-pittsburgh-to-washington-dc\/20150504_134731\/'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20150504_134731.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1665\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1665'>\n\t\t\t\tA section of the C&#038;O Canal that once ferried goods between Washington DC and Cumberland.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/bike-ride-from-pittsburgh-to-washington-dc\/20150503_101504\/'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20150503_101504.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1656\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1656'>\n\t\t\t\tAlong the trail near Cumberland.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/bike-ride-from-pittsburgh-to-washington-dc\/20150502_190546\/'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20150502_190546.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1654\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1654'>\n\t\t\t\tElevation Chart marking the good news for us!\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/bike-ride-from-pittsburgh-to-washington-dc\/20150502_172151\/'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20150502_172151.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1653\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1653'>\n\t\t\t\tA bridge along the trail near Ohiopyle.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/bike-ride-from-pittsburgh-to-washington-dc\/20150426_101252\/'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20150426_101252.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1650\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1650'>\n\t\t\t\tA short stop at Buena Vista near Boston, PA.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/bike-ride-from-pittsburgh-to-washington-dc\/20150505_110805\/'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20150505_110805.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1649\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1649'>\n\t\t\t\tShops in Harpers Ferry.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week I did a 335 mi (540 km) bicycle tour from Pittsburgh to Washington DC along with a group of 3 other folks from the school. This is the longest I have ever biked and covered the distance over a period of 5 days. The entire trip is divided into two\u00a0 trails &#8211; the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/bike-ride-from-pittsburgh-to-washington-dc\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Bike ride from Pittsburgh to DC<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fun","category-opinion"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p46eol-qx","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1645"}],"version-history":[{"count":38,"href":"https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2906,"href":"https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1645\/revisions\/2906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trivedigaurav.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}