What is the narrowest tire can one ride a tandem on the C & ) Canal?

I rode from Pennyfield Lock into Georgetown on a beautiful April day. The scenery around Great Falls was spectacular. It would have been nice with more amenities and a nearby convenience store or cafe every now & then. I've gotten used to asphalt trails in MN & find the pace on limestone tedious.

I have been riding on the C&O Canal for more than 15 years, and leading group tours on the trail for 14. In all those years, the trail has never lost its charm, beauty, or intrigue, and each time I ride it, I see something new that I was not aware of previously. For those who have ridden it once, it is a different ride going the opposite direction. For example, when riding east to west and passing the cliffs along the slackwater section west of mile 89, you see the beauty of the Potomac River and its backdrop, but you easily miss the cave in the bluff above you, while riding west to east, you will very likely see it plain as day. As another example, the structures look very differnt when viewed in the morning or the afternoon, depending on the direction of the sun and amount of light, so if you have the chance to ride both ways, you will get different views (and photos).

Spring and Fall have been ideal for this trail, as the brush is not so overgrown onto the trail, where you could brush up against tall stinging nettles (if allergic, they itch for a few weeks), and the views through to the river are great. In the fall, the color of the leaves makes for a very special ride.

We have noticed an increasing variety and number of wildlife along the remote trail sections. Deer, great blue herons and turtles (in the watered areas) are very common. Just west of Old Town (mile 167), there are some impressive beaver dams and beaver trails in the water, and near to Cumberland (around mile 178), there is a watered section that has american river otters.

With the connection to the Great Allegheny Passage now complete, continuing west includes many wild turkey frequently crossing the trail (or just hanging out along it). The dichotomy of the water-powered history and way of life contrasts with the steam-engine powered railroad history, the travel over the mountains, as opposed to around and through them, and the railroad inspired towns are evident along the trail. The two trails together have been extremely scenic and enjoyable -- all within just a few miles of many towns, including the two major cities that anchor the ends, Washington, DC and Pittsburgh.

Whether you ride a section of 10 miles, or the entire length of the trail, you are likely to see locks and lock houses, and depending on where that 10 miles is, aqueducts. These are the main features of the trail, and each is different. You will never tire of the many features. The National Park Service keeps the port-a-potties at the hiker-biker campgrounds supplied, and they do a great job keeping the park in top shape. The communities along the trail(s), and their businesses appreciate the cyclists that bring business to their towns, and they treat trail users well. If you are lucky, you will run across a local, now aging of course, who recalls the days of operation of the canal and can tell stories of their family residing along the canal, working in the boatyards, or of themselves playing amongst retired canal boats after the demise of the canal, and ice skating on the frozen canal in the winter. That is perhaps my favorite experience in all my years on the trail.
--Tom Knoerzer, Tour Director, Get Out & Go Tours LLC