Any MD to DC commuters on C&O Canal Towpath?

[Bilsko]

@Slosurf 79928 wrote:

Hello.
I am planning on commuting into DC via the C&O Canal Towpath entering from Pennyfield Lock Road in Potomac and riding all the way into Georgetown (starting out in Darnestown.
Does anyone here use that route? If so, any feedback or suggestions or other words of wisdom? For example, where are the best places to exit off the towpath onto MacArthur as one heads into DC in situations like heavy rain and muddy conditions? One thing I learned this past Saturday while on a trial run is to avoid the route on sunny weekend afternoons. The trail was jammed packed with foot traffic.
Thank you for any feedback/suggestions.

That’s a very ambitious commute – I’m envious!

As for bail points, you are probably familiar with the ones closest to Pennyfield Lock:
— Swains Lock will put you up on River Road, which you can take to Falls Rd, down to MacArthur and on into DC.
— You can pedal further and exit at the Great Falls visitor’s center, but then its a hefty climb to get to the top of Macarthur and Falls Road
— A little further on puts you at the parking lot across from Old Angler’s Inn on MacArthur – from there on, its pretty flat riding the whole way in.
— Next, you can exit at Carderock, near the naval warfare base – I’m not sure how, though, I’ve never tried.
— There is a little-known trail access at Lock #8 putting you on Riverside Drive and 79th St. in Cabin John. I’ve used it a couple times and its a good option.
— After that you have to go all the way down to Lock 6 – access there is by crossing Clara Barton Parkway, up a short steep access path, and into the Brookmont neighborhood on Valley Road.
— Also into Brookmont, there is a ped bridge over Clara Barton, just near Lock 5
— Chain Bridge is next, and about 1/4 mile after that is the old rail bridge over the Canal. If you hike up onto the bridge, you’ll be on the CCT and can ride straight into Georgetown (parallelling the C&O at that point)
— Fletcher’s Boathouse, another 1/2 mile down will get you up onto Canal Road, with access to Resevoir Road, and up to MacArthur
At that point, if you’ve braved the C&O that far…you’re probably going to make it the whole way into Georgetown.

[sethpo]

I ride in from Rockville which, of course, isn’t quite as close to the river. I’m curious though why you’d take the C&O and not just River Rd to either Persimmon Tree or Seven Locks and then down to MacArthur from which you can access the CCT in a few places and avoid the dirt and mud.

[GuyContinental]

@sethpo 79965 wrote:

I ride in from Rockville which, of course, isn’t quite as close to the river. I’m curious though why you’d take the C&O and not just River Rd to either Persimmon Tree or Seven Locks and then down to MacArthur from which you can access the CCT in a few places and avoid the dirt and mud.

Clearly because showing up at work everyday with a mud-shell after 20 miles(?) of gravel grinding is awesome! (Rules 9 and 5 apply)

That said, Sethpo has a point, particularly in winter.

[rpiretti]

Americancyclo does the C&O commute I believe..

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[Raymo853]

Get a dual tone bell. The dual tone makes it much easier for people to know where you are and what direction you are moving.

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[americancyclo]

@rpiretti 80063 wrote:

Americancyclo does the C&O commute I believe..

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I ride down there occasionally bit its only from chain bridge south to Georgetown. Bilsko is infinitely more familiar than I.

[Slosurf]

Thank you all for replying.

Bilsko, thanks for the summary of exit points. No doubt they will be useful.

Sethpo, I also plan to ride the River to Falls to MacArthur into DC route. The C&O ride is attractive to me because of the lack of cars and nice scenery. I currently drive into Tyson’s Corner from MD (until we move our office to DC next month) and I cannot think of a greater contrast in commuting experiences between 495 to Tyson’s and C&O to DC. I am looking forward to early morning rides down the towpath on my cyclocross. What a way to start the day! We are putting a shower in the office we are building out so I can clean off all of that mud. It will be nice not having to deal with cars (only pedestrians) on the days I ride the towpath.

My work schedule will not enable me to commute more than 2-3 days/week because I will sometimes need my car for travel. Plus, the work hours I log mean that a 20-mile bike commute (each way) will not be feasible during the time of year when the days are shorter.

Raymo853, thanks for the suggestion re the bell. I could have used one on my ride on the canal last Saturday.

Again, thanks for the feedback and suggestions.

[Author]

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