Get Out and Go Tours

This tour combines the C&O Canal with the Great Allegheny Passage rail-trail, so you experience the way of life along a water-powered route, then feel the contrast between the canal and the railroad, as you go bike over the top of Big Savage Mt. and pass thorugh a number of old railroad towns, where you can rest, talk to locals, and experience breathtaking scenery between each town. On your final day, you'll be in whitewater rafting territory, where you might see rafts plying the Youghiogheny River.

Construction began on the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal in 1828, the same year as the B&O Railroad was begun. The railroad won the race to the west, beating the canal to the Ohio Valley by 8 years. The 184-mile canal cost $22 million, and includes 74 lift locks, and 11 stone aqueducts over Potomac tributaries. The first canal boat to travel end-to-end along the canal did so in 1850, more than 150 years before us. The canal was used commercially until 1924 when floods destroyed it for the second time. The towpath, although no longer used to transport tobacco, furs, iron ore, and other goods, is currently maintained as a National Park with trip highlights including historic Harpers Ferry, KilianÔøΩs Cave (and others), and the Paw Paw tunnel. The ride into Cumberland is spectacular, as the mountains open to a wide valley.

Construction began on the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal in 1828, the same year as the B&O Railroad was begun. The railroad won the race to the west, beating the canal to the Ohio Valley by 8 years. The 184-mile canal cost $22 million, and includes 74 lift locks, and 11 stone aqueducts over Potomac tributaries. The first canal boat to travel end-to-end along the canal did so in 1850, more than 150 years before us. The canal was used commercially until 1924 when floods destroyed it for the second time. The towpath, although no longer used to transport tobacco, furs, iron ore, and other goods, is currently maintained as a National Park with numerous trip highlights.

The Eastbound tour begins in Washington, with chartered transfer to Pittsburgh, where participants will have time to explore on their own. The tour leaves Pittsburgh by bicycle the second day, headed for Ohiopyle, where Ohiopyle Falls anchors the town. Day three takes participants over the Eastern Continental Divide, over viaducts, through three tunnels, and along two train routes on the dayÔøΩs ride, and finishes with a fast, scenic, 23 mile downhill ride to Cumberland, on the 1.75% grade railroad bed that parallels the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad route. In Cumberland, your choice of dining options awaits, along with a pool, jaccuzzi, and comfortable beds. In Cumberland, the trail changes from rail bed to Canal Towpath, as we start Day 4 down the C&O Canal, passing through another highlight -- the Paw Paw Tunnel, and ending in Hancock, MD. The balance of the tour reverses the first two days of the westbound tour, ending in Washington, DC in the afternoon, where you can spend time sightseeing Washington, DC. Whether one spends an evening in town, or a few days, there is much to see and do in Washington, and this time of year is nearly crowd-free, compared with the summer.

Tour of the Virginias is not hard. �It uses rail-trails, smooth and flat or with mild grades, even though we are riding through a beautiful, scenic mountain region. The trails for this trip are interesting, and varied. The scenery is outstanding, and the distances moderate.