C and O Canal tour on a recumbent trike.

[@gmaneis]

Great video. Thanks for sharing your fun. I've always heard riding the whole C&O is hard to do on a trike because of rough grassy areas and a huge set of stairs at one place. Is that true? Would you do the whole trail on your trikes?

[@lazyrider9847]

Edit: I see that he did a section South of Harpers Ferry, which is why the trail looks so nice. Last Summer, I did the GAP, then started the C&O in Cumberland on my ICE trike. There was some trail work, and the bypass was very steep and muddy. Paw Paw Tunnel was closed, so I paid a guy with a pickup to ferry me around. Most people that do this can only carry bikes. The trail is more suited to a two-wheel bike. Very narrow, with a grassy strip down the middle, and muddy if it rains (even a little). When I had to go around a fallen tree, I almost went into the canal. One good thing about the C&O is the wildlife. I saw otter, blue heron, eagles, deer, etc. I couldn't get my phone out fast enough to get pictures, except for one turtle. There are primitive campsites every few miles. I think all have water, some have picnic tables. There are also porta-potties here and there. If you want to go into a town for food or lodging, you need to find a trailhead and ride a ways on the roads. Plan on carrying a few days food, and camping. When I reached the Western Maryland Rail Trail, I took it into Hancock. That trail is paved and wide. Just a few spots with frost heave. You have to look for the trail intersection, as the sign is very small. It just says "Rail Trail". I had a small accident in Hancock, so decided to call it quits. Perhaps next year, I will finish the C&O. I was told that from Harpers Ferry into DC, that the C&O is much better. Some YT videos seem to bear this out. The steps are at Harpers Ferry. I understand that to get into town, you need to use them. I assume that you can stay on the trail and bypass the steps. You'd think that someone would make it easier by building a ramp you could bike up. I'm certainly not going to attempt carrying a trike up those steps. BTW, the GAP is highly recommended. Smooth, wide and shady, except for the first few miles out of Pittsburg, where it goes through an industrial area. Watch for signs in this area, it's easy to go off the trail. If you're back that way, the two trails that make up the Northern Central Rail Trail are nice. In MD, it's called the Torrey Brown Trail. Crossing the PA line, it becomes the York Heritage Trail. Each section is about 20 miles. The PA half is much better maintained, and has nice artwork along the way. I did each half from the state line and back, on two different days. There is a very small park with parking spots just North of the state line, right along the trail.

[@haroldmartin4547]

Going to be doing this in the fall👍