The Towpath
Posing with my trusty steed—a Salsa Fargo acquired from @blackwaterbikes
Nothing captures the ethos of City Bumpkins better than an out-the-door bikepacking route from a major city. Sometimes you have to be creative to get outdoors while living in an urban area, but sometimes your city has gems—like D.C.’s C&O Canal trail, or the “towpath.” Starting in Georgetown, you can escape from the city and find yourself completely surrounded by green space within twenty minutes. It stretches all the way to Pittsburgh, and it is possible to bike tour between the two cities, with countless campsites along the way. However, it also serves as the perfect after-work quickie ride, running trail, and easy overnighter bikepacking route.
I first rode this trail with my dad—probably begrudgingly—early in high school. Little did I know, it would become one of my staple bike rides. After graduating from college and moving back to Arlington, Virginia in the middle of the pandemic, there was little else to do besides ride my bike. The towpath became my go-to ride. Once I moved into the city, and I found myself with fewer and fewer hours to ride as my job became more demanding, the towpath became my only option for a gravel ride that fit into my weekly schedule (often after dark).
Returning to Georgetown after a night ride
The path itself is simple, almost entirely straight and flat, but there are plenty of features that keep it interesting. Between the path and the Potomac, there are endless little single-track jaunts you can dart onto to spice up your ride. Just four miles out, there is a concrete outcropping down next to the river that is great for brewing some coffee or cracking a beer. There is a social ride led by the @greateskape team that makes use of this spot for “coffee outside” every other friday before the workday. The further you go, the prettier the path gets. As you climb towards Great Falls, you catch beautiful glimpses of the Potomac below. Keep an eye out for wildlife—I’ve spotted plenty of beavers and turtles in the canal, and I see at least one Great Blue Heron hunting for fish every time I ride.
Great Falls at dusk
The greatest thing about the Towpath is its accessibility. As an out-and-back, you can make it as long or short as you’d like. The nearest campsite to D.C. is Swain’s Lock, which is only 20ish miles out, so anybody with reasonable fitness can join for a relatively easy first-time bikepacking trip. The trail is unpaved, but smooth enough so that it can accommodate most bikes. And the distance is short enough so that you don’t really need bike bags—if a friend without a bikepacking rig wants to join, they can easily make it work with a backpack.
Below are some photos from various Swain’s trips over the seasons. Being so close to D.C., it is low commitment. There is no driving necessary and you can still do other things with your weekend. My friends and I have even left after work on Friday and returned to the city by noon the next day. Since there is no excuse not to join, we usually get a decent sized group together. Everyone brings some beer, something fun to cook, and we make a big fire out of the abundant driftwood that washes up against the point. Because it is an easy ride, we bring all the luxury items: camp chairs, lights, fancy coffee set ups for the morning—I’ve even packed a skillet for shrimp fajitas!
One thing to note is that Swain’s lock is accessible by car, so it does not feel remote at all. There are usually plenty of other folks camping there. Sometimes, we even get random visitors to our campsite who want to socialize. The most bizarre encounter of all was on January 7th, 2021. Yes, this is going exactly where you think it is…
It was just my friend Cole and me on this occasion. A young man asked to join our fire. He said he was just in town for the weekend and he had only brought his car and his camping gear. We got to chit chatting and asked him all the usual questions—where are you from, what are doing in D.C., etc…. He was 19, had driven up from the panhandle of Florida by himself, and was in D.C. for the “big protest.” Cole and I locked eyes—could he possible mean January 6th? All signs pointed to yes, but we had to confirm. As it turned out, he had in fact been inside of the Capitol just 24 hours before. We ended up conversing for a long time—I was naturally very curious about his motivations. We discovered we had many similar views about problems in our country, we had just reached polar opposite conclusions about their causes and remedies.
Before I stray too far off topic, I should clarify, this man was perfectly harmless and the whole interaction amounted to nothing more than an interesting conversation. Most people on the trail are fellow cyclists, runners, or hikers, just scratching their itch to be outdoors. This space is truly a treat, and if you live in D.C., I highly recommend spending some time down there. The path starts here.
