Bicycling the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Trail from Paw Paw Tunnel

On Friday, October 22, 2021, we finally had a chance to get outdoors again after a lot of logistics.  Having moved to Gary's Cox Camping in Great Cacapon, in the far northeast hills of West Virginia, we decided to bicycle part of the Chesapeake & Ohio Rail Trail, which was accessible nearby in Paw Paw, West Virginia.  Here we are as we started the trail:

The rail trail has been formalized as the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park.  The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal operated from 1831 to 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Potomac Canal, which shut down completely in 1828. The canal's principal cargo was coal from the Allegheny Mountains.  Construction on the 184.5-mile canal began in 1828 and ended in 1850.  It required the construction of 74 canal locks, 11 aqueducts to cross major streams, more than 240 culverts to cross smaller streams, and the 3,118 ft Paw Paw Tunnel. A planned section to the Ohio River at Pittsburgh was never built.

It turns out that our choice of Paw Paw to being our bike ride gave us a chance to explore the Paw Paw Tunnel, which was an important feature of the original canal.  The tunnel was built to bypass the Paw Paw Bends, a six-mile stretch of the Potomac River containing five horseshoe-shaped bends. The town of Paw Paw, the bends, and the tunnel take their name from the pawpaw trees that grow prolifically along nearby ridges.  The tunnel took more than 6 million bricks and 14 years to complete.  The tunnel was used by canal boats until the C&O closed in 1924. The tunnel and towpath are now maintained for public use as part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Though never one of the longest tunnels in the world, Paw Paw Tunnel remains one of the greatest engineering feats of its day.

It was only a half-mile ride to the tunnel, south-eastward along the canal path.  Even the entrance was impressive:

The tunnel is open to visitors.  Fortunately, the original towpath has been preserved and is a convenient walking path to explore the length of the tunnel without having to wade in the canal waters below:

The photo above gives you some idea of the tunnel's interior personality, but a photo alone is not enough.  In this video, Kathy demonstrates the proper method of hiking through a tunnel, and it captures the "spirit" of the tunnel more completely.

Unfortunately, the downstream end of the tunnel has been closed to bicycles and hikers because of a rockslide at that entrance.  We could walk from the upstream end, through the entire tunnel, but were stopped by fencing when we reached the far end:

Those who are brave enough, including those who want to pedal the entire canal path from Alexandria to Pittsburgh, can push their bicycles up (and down) a detour around the tunnel.  We, however, did not choose to do so, but simply turned upstream and set out on a 10-mile outing on the open bicycle path above the tunnel.

It wasn't long before we encountered what looked like a lock-keeper's residence near the Paw Paw Tunnel.  It now sits next to a picnic area and campground.  The campground is currently closed for the season, but we saw many picnickers in the open field by the historic residence.

The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad constructed a competing route along the Potomac River, right across the canal from the towpath.  As we pedaled further north from Paw Paw, we crossed under an old railroad bridge for that railroad:

The national park unit occupies the canal and railroad rights of way, but, on either side, there are numerous private properties.  It is clear, for example, that the strips of land between the canal and the Potomac River were farmed over the centuries.  Some fields are still farmed, and it appears that one property owner has rented out sections of that strip of land to hunters or fishermen to set up RV camps:

Most of the canal corridor is moist, giving opportunities for lush undergrowth.  It also nurtures a wide variety of fungi that feast on fallen trees:

As we reached our turnaround point, we crossed an old bridge that straddled a drainage for the canal.  It appeared that the bridge embraced doors that could be opened to empty the canal:

The drainage ran down to the Potomac River, and it invited us to follow it down to a gravel beach to see what views the river would provide us:

We decided to hike down to the Potomac River from the canal trail and saw this panorama.

After exploring the river beach, we crossed by foot back under the towpath, through the dry canal, and climbed an embankment up to the abandoned rail line.  We were curious about the condition of the railbed.  While the railbed was distinct and intact for the full length of our ride, sections have become overgrown, presenting obstacles to hikers and bikers who might be adventurous enough to explore the rail line.

We mounted our bikes for the ride back to our trailhead, and, as we rode, we noted a bridge on the far side of the Potomac that we had not seen on our ride out.  Kathy checked her GPS and confirmed that the bridge crosses the Little Cacapon River where it empties into the Potomac River:

We were happy that we had a chance to get out and stretch our legs after a week or so without our most enjoyable outdoor activity.  After another day or so, we hope to find a hike to add spice to this stay!