Western Maryland Rail Trail
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A bike ride on the Western Maryland Rail Trail and C&O Canal between Big Pool and Little Pool Md. The Rail Trail runs from Big Pool to Sideling Hill Creek a distance of about 20 miles. The Canal is 184.5 miles long and runs from Georgetwon MD to Cumberland Md. Little Pool is just a little west of mile post 120 as its measured from Georgetown.
Both trails are great rides and mostly level. The rail trail is paved and the grades up or down hill will never be more than about 4% because it used to be a railroad bed. The canal also is mostly level with short climbs at each lock of only a few feet each time. The canal is a dirt or gravel path for the entire length from Georgetown to Cumberland and can get a little muddy after a rain in some places. However, the wildlife view on the canal can be more frequent due to its proximity from road traffic.
Western Maryland Rail Trail - Hancock East to Big Pool, MD at 2x Speed Part 1
Western Maryland Rail Trail Video Heading East from Hancock to Big Pool, MD at 2x Speed Part 1 courtesy of mybiketrails
Western Maryland Rail Trail - Hancock East to Big Pool, MD at 4x Speed
Western Maryland Rail Trail Video Heading East from Hancock to Big Pool, MD at 4x Speed courtesy of mybiketrails.com
Western Maryland Rail Trail - Maryland
This is a video of the West Maryland Rail Trail. I rode this trail in late October of 2014 while on a 10 Day Trip riding the C&O Canal and GAP trails. This is a beautiful trail with a smooth surface.
Here is what TrailLink has to say about the trail:
The Western Maryland Rail Trail is a 22-mile paved route that will take you through several eras of American history.
You can access this trail from many points, but the main trailhead is in the quaint town of Hancock (population 1,750). Stop here for food, drinks, antique shopping, to stay the night or just to wander around the historical downtown, which was once Maryland's frontier and frequently visited by George Washington, among other notables.
The rail-trail parallels the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, a 185-mile, unpaved towpath that was used to transport coal from Cumberland, Maryland, to the port of Georgetown in Washington, D.C., from 1828 until 1924. The route's historical sites include the canal's locks and lock houses.
The western portion of the Western Maryland Rail Trail is blessed with magnificent views of the Potomac River. Large rock outcroppings will catch your attention, as will the ruins of the Round Top Cement Mill, which was built in the 1830s and was Hancock's largest employer during the Civil War.
To the east, and just past downtown Hancock, you can buy trailside snacks from Blue Goose Fruit Market & Bakery where, in the 1920s, more than 5,000 surrounding acres were planted with fruit trees. Traveling a little farther, you will find historical markers for Little Pool and Park Head cemeteries.
At trail's end, hop on the C&O Canal towpath and continue just a short distance east to Fort Frederick, well worth a visit. To vary your route, and maximize your scenery, take the Western Maryland Rail Trail in one direction and loop back on the towpath.
Western Maryland Rail Trail
A very windy day
Camera: SONY HDR-AS300
Fort Frederick to the Western Maryland Rail Trail
Day 5 ride on the connecting road from Fort Frederick to the Western Maryland Rail Trail.
Western Maryland Rail Trail - Sideling Hill East at 2x Speed, featuring C&O Bicycle
Western Maryland Rail Trail - Sideling Hill East at 2x Speed to Hancock & Big Pool, MD, featuring C&O Bicycle.
Western Maryland Rail Trail
Wednesday July 19, 2017, on the Western Maryland Rail Trail which parallels the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Tow Path (C&O Canal).
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Big Pool MD.wmv
Entering Big Pool driving west on MD 56
Cross Island Trail - Stevensville, MD
Cross Island Trail - Stevensville, MD
Big Elk Creek, just north of Rt. 273, Maryland -- Mar. 8, 2014
In Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area, a state park in Cecil County, near Elkton, Maryland.
This is Big Elk Creek, from the old bridge just north of Rt. 273 (Telegraph Road). The camera pans around clockwise in a full 360-degree shot beginning and ending with an upstream view (northward).
Western Maryland Rail Trail Abandon Houses
Headed South passing the field with a abandon house, then trees with abandon houses
Western Maryland Rail Trail Bike Ride Sept. 17, 2011 Video 2
Continuing north out of Hancock, MD we cross over a roadway, as there are abandon houses on the right. A old RR signal base is near the end of the video as we are now headed into mountain cutouts.
High Rock Maryland 4k
We visited High Rock Md a few times before getting the drone and had always wanted to know what the view was from the outside looking in, well know you know!
Indian Head Rail Trail - Maryland
Easy cruise on my Bianchi 928 Carbon Mono-Q - My Action Camera battery died so I missed a portion of this trip and distance displayed is incorrect. This has become a repeat problem so I have identified four bad batteries and disposed of them. Future videos should be uninterrupted. (There was also a pause and distance reset while stopping to take a phone call)
Conrail & CSX at Big Pool Junction (February 8 2000)
Watch as a Conrail SD80MAC unit (backed up by CSX) powers up on the original Western Maryland RY line and heads for its connection to the CSX (former B&O) line! Then, a short while later, a couple contemporary CSX units pull an eastbound mixed freight over the same line! The comment I make during the vid refers to just that-it's really RARE to get two in a row on this part of the line!
Although one scene has the subtitle Big Spring MD Big Spring proper is actually about three miles to the east! But the Big Spring post office is just across the street from here!
This spot is where two WMRY lines diverged going west: the westbound train will use the Cherry Run Connector (shown in my Fort Frederick runby vid) but the original WM main, extended west from here in 1905, was abandoned to Cumberland in 1975 and made a bike trail in 1997.
Enjoy this while I search for more!
Potomac River Grill in Hancock, Maryland
Potomac River Grill (The Biker Stop for Food!) in Hancock, Maryland, near the C&O Canal and Western Maryland Rail Trail, courtesy of mybiketrails.com
Aaron's Western MD Rail Trail 4 9-11-2010
just shot some videos during my bike ride
C&O Trail from Hancock, MD to Harpers Ferry, WV
This is the 5th day of our ride from Pittsburgh to DC connecting the Great Allegheny Passage to the C&O Trail. This was a long day covering 72 miles with a detour around a damaged portion of the canal. To get to Harpers Ferry you need to carry your bike up a steel staircase onto a railroad bridge.
Western Maryland Rail Trail Bike Ride Sept. 17, 2011 Video 8
Coming to the end of the rail trail, road is on the right, pass the terminus north parking area, as we come into Pierre, MD which really does not exist anymore. Woods straight ahead, is where the rail trail would continue.