C&O Canal - Dargan Bend to Bavarian Inn

—— The date may change due too weather or other circumstances —-

We will meet at the parking lot at Dargan Bend on the C&O Canal Trail at Sharpsburg, MD and ride about 9 miles to Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown, WV.

This will be about an 18-mile round trip, extremely scenic, with the mighty Potomac on one side and mostly wilderness on the other, where the canal used to be. There are some gorgeous rocky outcroppings just behind the trees, some old furnaces cut into the cliff faces (see photo), and some nice paths winding down to the river.

The trail is very flat with a slight uphill grade on the first leg and a slight downhill grade coming back. The surface is the new crushed limestone so almost any bike will be fine, although bikes with ultra thin street tires are not recommended.

When we get to Shepherdstown, we will need to cross a bridge over the Potomac River to get to the Bavarian Inn. There is a winding paved bike ramp to tackle, which some may find challenging but the option to get off and walk works, too. The views from the bridge are worth the effort!

At the top, we will cross the street and ride on the bike shoulder over the bridge to the Inn entrance. We will then turn right into the Inn. The short driveway to the dining area is rather steep and again some might want to walk it. At this point, great beer and food are awaiting and you can pretend you're in a little German village. It is truly a lovely setting and a great place for a mid-ride respite.

Bavarian Inn serves German style beers (and some IPAs) and quality German food (see menus). The appetizers are especially wonderful and very reasonably priced. There is a lot of nice outdoor seating and the view is fantastic. I imagine we'll hang here for a bit and enjoy.

Please make sure to bring the following:

• Bike lock - your bike may not be visible to us at the pubs

• Spare tube - even if you don't know how to change one, someone else will. Please don't expect others to provide a tube if/when you get a flat. We may not have one and patch kits are a pain

• Cash, ID, etc.

Please arrive early enough to get your bike and gear together so we can all depart on time for our adventure. Make sure to take care on the beautiful but windy road that leads to Dargan Bend. We intend to hit the trail at 11:00.

Please look at the following links. In the end, it's up to you to determine if this ride is right for you.

Map of ride

Cue sheet

Group rules

At the starting point, look for Keryn, with a white helmet, and Muddasar, with a red helmet, with two black bikes.

The start time of each ride is the time we expect to hit the trail. Please make sure you get to the Meetup location before start time. Give yourself enough time to get your bike off/out of the car and ready by the start time (at least 15 minutes). Especially in summer, it’s too hot to stand around waiting for late arrivals to get ready. If you’re running late or find you can't make it, please message us on Meetup so we know whether to leave or wait a bit.

If you find you can't make the ride, please give at least 24 hours notice, especially if there's a wait list. This is so people on the wait list know that they've made the ride and can plan accordingly.

Thank you for your cooperation!