GAP/C&O Canal Towpath Bike Trip-2019-Day 3-Harper’s Ferry, WV to Sharpsburg, MD

We left Harper’s Ferry at 8:30 am, took the bike/pedestrian bridge across the Potomac River (which also was part of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail) leaving West Virginia, and were in Maryland.

When we reached the end of the bridge, it was necessary to take the bikes down a somewhat circular staircase to access the C&O Canal Towpath. That was a bit tricky on the slippery metal steps with bikes fully loaded and weighted with gear. We made it to trail level safely and were finally ready to ride the C&O!

There was a heavy rain last night, and the skies were still grey and overcast with the threat of more rain, so we took it slow as we started out. I am not accustomed to riding with a load on this type of trail surface, so I was super careful. The trail was in good condition considering the amount of rain that has fallen in the last several days. Though there were quite a few places with standing water puddles, we were able to roll through or around them without too much difficulty. Only a couple of places felt soft. We planned a low mileage day, only 15 miles to Sharpsburg, because we wanted to have the bulk of the day to explore the Antietam Battlefield.

We had periods of gentle rain throughout most of the day, but it wasn’t a complete washout. The entire length of this section of trail kept us along the Potomac River, with the river on our left and the canal on our right. We enjoyed experiencing the history of riding the towpath. There are relics of the old canal all along the way. Some sections of the canal that still have water, most of the locks remain and we spotted a lockmaster’s house, built from stone. This lockmaster’s home has not been restored, but others along the canal have been. The C&O Canal Trust has restored 7 lockmaster’s houses with authentic furnishings and accessories from different time periods, from the 1830’s to the 1950’s. The 1830 home does not have electricity, only lantern light. These lockhouses can be rented for a real step back in time along the C&O. Here’s a link to the restored lockmaster’s houses:  https://www.canaltrust.org/programs/canal-quarters/

We reached the turn-off to Sharpsburg at 10:30 am. We were able to access the road into Sharpsburg by taking a steep spur off of the trail that climbed to the highway.

Once we were on the 2 lane highway, it was a 3 mile ride, but there was a wide shoulder most of the way. We did have to go through a tunnel on a narrow sidewalk with car traffic right beside us. It was a little nerve-racking and loud!

We made it to our B&B, the Jacob Rohrbach Inn (Jacob-Rohrback-Inn.com). We knew it was too early to check in, but it was right on our way to Antietam Battlefield, so we made a quick stop and  asked the owner if we could drop off our saddlebags. He happily allowed us to leave our bags, for which I was very thankful, and we headed toward the battlefield. It was a relief to ride with a much lighter load! We ate lunch at a little deli near the entrance of the battlefield, then headed to the visitor center.

By this time, it was raining again, so we took our time in the visitor center which housed a small museum, and gift shop. Before too long, the rain stopped and we took the self guided tour by bike, following the route on the brochure we’d picked up in the visitor center. I am so glad we didn’t let the rain change our plans. It was a very interesting tour of the battlefield and being able to see it by bike added to the understanding of that terrible day in history. On September 17, 1862, 23,000 Americans lost their lives in the bloodiest single day in U.S. history. Antietam is a beautiful, peaceful place now, and it’s hard to picture the horrors that took place that day so long ago, but it’s important for us learn about the sacrifices that were made for the cause of freedom.

There is a witness tree, a sycamore, that still stands beside Burnside bridge where one of the many skirmishes took place. It was really cool to see the tree in old pictures taken after the battle and to see the same tree still standing after all these years.

Once we finished the tour route, it was an easy ride back to our B&B, where we officially checked in. We got cleaned up and walked down the street to have dinner, admiring the old homes and buildings in Sharpsburg.

After dinner, we took a short detour to see Big Spring, which served as the towns only source of water until 1967! The town was designed around  easy access to the spring in 1764. It must have been very easy for the whole town to use it til 1967.

We eased ourselves into this ride with low mileage today, though by the time we finished the tour of the battlefield, we had crept up to 27 miles. We have more mileage planned tomorrow, and really hope the trail conditions are as good as they were today despite the rain. We shall see….