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Marjorie Turner Hollman helps authors self-publish their books. She is also a disability advocate, sharing information about Easy Walks (not too many roots or rocks, relatively level with firm footing, and something of interest along the way) in open space. Click to learn more.
We rode our handicapped accessible tandem bicycle along the 184 mile C&O Canal rail trail, with the goal of going through the Paw Paw Tunnel in Paw Paw, West Virginia. Rather than creating an opening through the mountain (now called Tunnel Hill) for trains to traverse this rough terrain, this tunnel was built to allow canal boats to carry coal, lumber, and produce to market.
Water still flows through the canal inside the tunnel, although much of the remaining canal infrastructure suffered floods and is now infilled with soil. The tow path, a number of locks, and lock keeper cottages remain from when the canal network was an important form of transportation in the 1800s. The linear C&O (Chesapeake and Ohio) National Historical Park documents the history of the canal, which operated alongside the shoreline of the Potomac River from Maryland, into West Virginia then back into Maryland, finally terminating in Georgetown, Washington D.C.
The brick-lined Paw Paw tunnel is too narrow to safely ride a bike through the half mile distance as it burrows underneath the mountain. A sturdy railing between the tow path and the canal protects visitors from tumbling into the water.
Headlamps are helpful when passing through the tunnel. The footing is somewhat irregular. Apparently floods over the years have washed through the area, creating potholes and various other irregularities on the former towpath that makes walking challenging (at least for me). The tunnel has leaks, and water collects in various spots along the walkway.
On the other side of the tunnel, a wide vista opens up. Massive rock faces on either side of the water-filled canal and tow path provide visual evidence of the monumental effort that went into the construction of the canal. Run off from the mountain flows across the path in several places. We needed to dismount from our bike several times in order to safely cross the narrow platforms that spanned those areas.
As the tunnel receded into the distance, views of the Potomac River opened up. We encountered a series of canal locks, the granite blocks of each lock still in place. Where water once flowed, many of the locks are now filled with soil and grass.
The signs for the locks near the tunnel have posted numbers. They also offered fractions. Lock No. 64 1/3 then Lock No. 64 2/3. The next lock we found bore the label, Lock No. 66. We never found Lock No. 65.
The near 90 degree (f) day shortened our outing, but the coolness of the tunnel provided a respite from the unseasonable heat of spring. It is especially important to make way for travelers you meet or who need to pass you in the tunnel itself.
We met some through-bikers on the trail, kitted out with all their supplies in panniers attached to their bikes. Multiple tent-only campsites along the trail invite ambitious bicyclists to ride for days on end with no need for motorized transport. Pedal power alone takes riders from one point on the trail to the next.
We have ridden on several sections of the C&O rail trail in Maryland. We have now added to our visits a portion in West Virginia. We look forward to making trips to enjoy more views of the Potomac as it wends its way (mostly) southeast to the nation’s capital. The trail surface along every portion we’ve visited are impressively well-maintained, packed, crushed stone dust.
McCoy’s Ferry National Park campground has been our go-to stop when traveling from New England to visit grandchildren in Tennessee.
It is just north of the Cushwa Basin, site of the C&O National Historical Park headquarters in Williamsport, Maryland.
A diminutive tunnel at the entrance to the campground severely restricts the size of RV that can use the site alongside the Potomac. We have a very small camper, and it is still a very tight fit.
The rail trail is accessible from McCoys Ferry. A steep slope makes getting up to the trail somewhat of a challenge, but allows for leaving directly from the campground and spending the day on the trail. We look forward to more visits along this extensive rail trail network the next time we are in the neighborhood.
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman 