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We parked in Chesapeake City (under bridge past Schaefer's Canal House) and rode to the trail head. We rode about 6.5 mile East turning around at the Summit North Marina. The entire ride was on a paved surface and very smooth. There was a section that was gravel and flat that hugged the canal, but we stayed on the paved surface. There are a couple of switchbacks on the trail going up or down hill (depending on direction). May need or want to walk part of them and these climbs are the reason for 4 rather than 5 stars). Along our route, there are two good restaurants to get some food or a drink of your choice. Schaefer's and Grain at the Summit North Marina. There was some shaded path along with some in the sun. All in all, an enjoyable ride and we are working our way up to the full trail (Chesapeake City to Delaware City).
While pavement is certainly nice, the views are "okay" from the South Lums Pond entrance to DE City. You've got unchanging canal on one side, and nothing to look at on the other, just a berm of brush - with some exceptions. There is no shade at all, so be forewarned. Did enjoy seeing the various boats, altho was disappointed no ships went thru while I rode. At the Delaware City end, you do encounter nice scenery, with tidal marsh (if that's what you call it), an African-American cemetery, and a park. It was a pleasant jaunt.
I did my first review in Nov 2013 and the signage was poor at best and now it is June 2017 and not much has changed. I have had a number of talks with DFW Delaware Fish & Wildlife and nothing has changed. Any time you call them they will just tell you there is no MONEY, I think it is a management issue. Today I did this great trail end to end round trip and it was a great day on this trail on a great day. There are no street crossings, a great surface, Park Benches, only three small hills and three great trail heads. The trail is listed in Trail Link as being 9.2 miles but is 12.05 miles and then the Maryland end is 1.8 for a total of 13.85 miles. I am sure that if this trail was managed by Delaware Stare Parks it would be a lot nicer trail. In closing the signage issue is a very big issue , mile markers and a few signs would be a great improvement.
After parking in Cape May, we ferried our bikes to Lewes and rode to Rehobeth Beach through Cape Henlopen State Park. Almost half of this very pleasant, 7.4-mile ride was on the Gordon Pond Trail. The packed-cinder trail was no issue for my 28 mm tires and the ride was smooth and incredibly scenic. We rode on a beautiful Sunday mid-morning of Memorial Day weekend and for most of the southbound trip it was like riding on I-95 in terms of traffic - never seen anything like it. I've been in bike-a-thons that were less crowded. That said, the packed trail did not detract from one of the better biking experiences I've had. Highly recommended - though you may want to choose your times with care.
The trail information was kind of confusing for us. It took us a little bit to find the trail. We would suggest parking by the zoo and you can follow the green signs on the right to the trail.
There were very challenging hills and this will take you a few hours to do on a mountain bike. I would suggest having clip on pedals for your bike. We road our mountain bikes but a road bike is another option.
We are advanced riders and we thought this was very challenging! 7.5/10
Gravel portion of trail dips beneath Summit Bridge (RT 301) and allows a fairly deep pool of tidal overflow from canal. Whether it was from tidal effect or recent rains, it was deep enough (~12")not to be able to ride thru--about 20 yards long and no way to circumvent. Didn't want to barefoot it, so turned back. Disappointed. Also, concur with other comments about strong winds--canal must generate intensification of surrounding winds--wasn't nearly as bad in parking lot.
We rode though, enjoyed sand dunes, views. Serenity.
Yesterday was the 1st time we rode the trail. We parked in Middletown and rode to Chesapeake City. There's a short section that is not paved but, not a problem. There was a couple of steep hills which we walked the bikes up. Today we parked at St. Georges Bridge and rode to Delaware City. Easy ride but, the wind coming back was brutal. Made it quite difficult. In spite of the wind, we really enjoyed our 2 day ride along the C & D Canal. Looking forward to riding it again.
My wife and I rode the trail Sunday starting in Chesapeake City. There are a couple of sections between Chesapeake City Md. and St. Georges De. that have fairly steep down hill grades that go into a sharp turn at the bottom of the hill. We noticed several young family's with small children riding the trail, which is great, but just wanted to give a heads up parents with small children to walk the bikes down the hill.
With the wonderful unexpected February warmth, we decided to pull out the bikes from their winter hibernation. The Mike Castle Trail did not disappoint! This was a great way to work out some winter kinks! We started out at the Rt 9 Bridge area, parking area just in from the Marina. The trip to Delaware City had a surprise ending! Great job on highlighting the area history in the area at the little cemetery! My only suggestion would be to add a few mile markers. The benches were the perfect place to take a break with the snacks we had brought! Looking forward to coming back again when the weather cooperates!
I parked at the trailhead in Chesapeake City and rode to Delaware City. The round trip mileage was 29.4 miles. It was midweek; except for a few walkers and joggers near both ends it was barely used. I went 10 miles going and coming and didn't see anyone. The trail lacks mile markers and some direction signs would help especially near Summit Bridge. I rode to a dead end and realized I had missed the turn. There are plenty of benches and only one cross street. The views were awesome. I wish I had seen some ships. Kudos to the state for a great job, the surface was smooth with a few minor grades. I did see a car parked on the trail with lights on. I asked the driver if he saw the signs saying "no vehicles": I did not hear his response. Probably could not include it here anyway! First time user-will return.
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