Mountainside Bike Tours

The C&O Canal follows the Potomac River for 184.5 miles stretching from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC.  The canal operated from 1828 until 1924 at which time it was destroyed by a major flood.  The canal was used primarily to haul coal from the mountains of Western Maryland to the port of Georgetown in Washington, DC.  Many of the original structures remain including locks, lock houses and aqueducts.  The trail itself is level with a gravel surface in some areas and packed dirt in others. The Great Allegheny Passage journey takes you through 100 miles of beautiful river gorges and mountain vistas along the longest rail-trail in the East.  Packed, crushed limestone built on abandoned railbeds with a nearly level grade not to exceed 2% at any given spot "paves" the way.  The Passage uses massive railroad bridges and tunnels to pass through the Allegheny Mountains, not over them.