Riding the C&O Canal on a Motorcycle

Posted: October 26, 2013 in C&O Canal, Motorcycle Rides
Tags: C&O, C&O Canal, Canal, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride, national park, national park service, NPS

Since the C&O Canal is nearby and there does not appear to be any motorcycle ride discussions or comments about the sites I decide to do just that, discuss the C&O Canal from a rider’s point of view.

You will have to bear with me on this as I am not going to hit all the sites immediately but as I get around to them. I might have them all by the end of the year, next year! 😉

I have already stopped at a couple and I will go back and redo them with the intent of what a rider should expect when going to each site.

Some things you should know about the canal as a whole:

At many of the stops is at least one railroad track to cross to reach the canal site. The railroad is one reason the C&O Canal became obsolete.
The C&O Canal is a National Park. I am going to get a lot of the information from their website and resources. The park website will display alerts when there are issues with one or some of the park sites.
You cannot get to all the canal sites unless you hike or ride a bike. Vehicle traffic is limited to only some parts of the park and is mainly acts as trailheads or boat ramps.
Conditions at the sites that allow vehicles will vary extremely due to weather conditions.
I am sure there will be more but that is all I have for now!

The layout I intend to use to describe each site is as follows:

Location – Which stop on the canal path
Mile Marker – as stated by the National Parks Service
Historical Comments: What was this site about?
Ride to Site – What the ride is like in the immediate area of the stop.
Amenities – Restroom, picnic area, etc.
Road Conditions (from main road) – What to expect when you turn off the main highway
Railway Situation – ground level, overpass, underpass
Parking Lot Condition – paved, gravel, etc
Main Attraction –
My Thoughts –
Map – just a clip of the area around the stop
Pictures – my photos of the site.