C&O Canal Trail Ramble

September 13-17, 2025

This fall, experience one of the most iconic trails in America: the 184-mile C&O Canal Towpath. The 5 days of mostly car-free cycling along gently graded dirt and gravel trails will allow you to explore early-American history as we encounter locks, aqueducts, canal houses, battlefields, historic locations, along with heron, turtles, deer, and bear. Our journey begins in Arlington, Virginia and ends in Cumberland, MD where we will catch a shuttle back to our nation's capital.

Check out our Ramble's Early Bird and Group Discounts!

Ramble Director: Bob Westgate

A $300 deposit reserves your spot!

• Description
• Itinerary
• Planning

• Whether you are a new or veteran cyclist, this region and tour is ideal for you. Our fully supported tour will provide a one-of-a kind bicycle adventure and access to all the best parts of this area.

  What to Expect:

  This is a supported tour with camping, some indoor accommodations & optional indoor options, catered meals,  on-route SAG, luggage transportation, and evening activities. The weather should be nice and the scenery spectacular. We will traverse the C&O Canal Towpath trail on this 184-mile, mostly car-free adventure. Daily mileage between 25-62 miles of low elevation gains gravel and dirt cycling. 
  

  Highlights

  • Nearly 100% off-road, 184 miles of riding on gravel and paved trails
  • C&O Canal Towpath (184 miles)
  • Great Falls of the Potomac
  • Harpers Ferry, WV
  • Antietam Battlefield
  • Paw Paw Tunnel
  • Big Savage Tunnel
  • Options for all indoor accommodations

  What’s Included:

  • Welcome reception and orientation
  • 5 nights - 2 nights in hotels, 3 camping nights
  • 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 5 dinners
  • Snacks and beverages between meals
  • Full van and baggage transport
  • Experienced BIKEternity guides knowledgeable of the area
  • Daily route directions via GPX files for your GPS or phone app
  • Daily mileage options.

  Not Included:

  • Insurance of any kind
  • Guide gratuities
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Bike rentals (BIKEternity will facilitate)
  • Personal bicycle shipments (BIKEternity will facilitate)
  • Transportation from/to local airport or train station

  Airport Information

  Start/End: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

  Amtrak Information

  Start/End: Washington Union Station, Washington, DC

  Parking Information

  Parking is available at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and at the start point hotel for an additional fee.
  
  

• Day 1: Arrival/Orientation in Arlington, VA

  Arrive on your own in Arlington, VA at our start point hotel by 4pm for the start of your C&O Canal & Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail adventure; 8-days of blissful riding with awesome scenery. Early arrivals (10am) can take a guided cycling tour of the National Mall in Washington, DC or do some sightseeing on your own. We’ll have an orientation meeting at our hotel, enjoy dinner, and call it a night before the riding starts in the morning.

  Day 2: Arlington, VA to Brunswick, MD

  Miles: 21-59 miles · Elevation: +1,117’ / -911'

  Terrain: Paved and Gravel Bike Trails

  Utilizing local bike trails, we’ll share the trail with joggers and bikers as we make our way along the Capital Crescent Trail to the C&O Canal Towpath trail (surveyed by George Washington). The towpath is a dirt and stone trail that parallels the Potomac River from Washington, DC to Cumberland, MD; 184.5 miles of mostly car-free cycling. As we leave the metro area we’ll quickly enter the Great Falls Park where the Potomac River crashes over boulders then into the wilder and more secluded areas of the trail. We’ll pop out at Brunswick, MD where coffee, pie, ice cream and small shops abound.

   

  Day 3: Brunswick to Williamsport

  Miles: 25-50 miles · Elevation: +723’ / -597’

  Terrain: Gravel Trail, Paved Road

  We’ll continue along the canal today with lots of opportunities to experience early American history. First is Harpers Ferry, West Virginia where John Brown, an abolitionist, helped spark the start of the American Civil War with his raid on the munitions depot. Harpers Ferry, at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers also saw the largest surrender of Union forces during the war. Two ride options today will allow some to continue along the canal while others take a detour through the towns of Sharpsburg and the Antietam National Battlefield; the location of the bloodiest one-day battle during the Civil War. Both groups will complete the day in Williamsport.

   

  Day 4: Williamsport to Little Orleans

  Miles: 30-46 miles · Elevation: +968’ / -750’

  Terrain: Paved Road, Gravel Trail

  We’ll dip our toes in pre-Revolutionary War history with a brief visit and tour of Fort Frederick State Park. Then onward along the paved surface of the Western Maryland Rail Trail into the town of Hancock where you can explore the bike shop or walk the streets of this quaint town. Finishing the paved surface, we will be back on the C&O Canal towpath riding through hardwood forests until we arrive at Little Orleans. An impressive short climb to our accommodations for the evening.We’ll have a local historian share with us the history of the area in which we are cycling.

  Day 5: Little Orleans to Cumberland

  Miles: 25-43 miles · Elevation: +597’ / -560’

  Terrain: Gravel Trail

  A special treat is in store for us today; the infamous Paw Paw Tunnel. This more than half-mile tunnel is lined with brick and took 14 years to construct between 1836 - 1850 and the delay was the ultimate reason the canal failed (the construction of the B&O Railroad was completed to Cumberland first). Continuing along the canal we will ride through the old town of Old Town and make our way to Cumbland, MD the “Queen City”. We’ll sample some treats at the Queen City Cravings, check out the local bicycle shop WheelzUp, and enjoy an indoor stay. Congratulations, we are at the end of our journey; celebrate without your group in Cumberland tonight before you shuttle back to DC in the morning.

• Ramble Tour Director: Bob Westgate

  Bike Shipping:

  Early Arrivals: For those arriving early the day(s) before the tour, we would recommend the following:
  

  
  

  Gear List: to be provided