[bigrider]

I am hoping MarkS, MB1, Zeytin, and others can help me out with endeavor.

I am taking a three day cycling and camping trip in early spring. I need help with the route. Here is the goal. I want to do the following:

Do a round trip starting in Bel Air and returning to Belair.
Do around 80 miles a day.
Go west southwest from Bel Air through Baltimore County
Head over and hit a small section Maybe 20-40 miles of the C & O path to Harpers Ferry
Go from Harpers Ferry to Gettysburg
Gettysburg to Bel Air

Does anyone have any knowledge of the roads and suggested cue sheets.
I can handle from the state line back to Bel Air and from Belair down to Prettyboy but am lost on the roads on the rest. I like country roads with low traffic if possible.

Thought about trying to link up to the Civil War Century cue sheet after leaving Harpers Ferry.

Help!!!!

 

[MB1]

no problem, give me a day or 2 to think about it but we have all the routes (except perhaps through baltimore)

 

[bigrider]

no problem, give me a day or 2 to think about it but we have all the routes (except perhaps through baltimore)

Thanks. We are planning are skirting around Baltimore and coming down through mid Balt. Co. and continuing west southwest and hitting the C & O around 30 milesor so from Harpers Ferry.

I think MarkS has this turf down.

 

[MarkS]

Let me think about it

If you can get to Prettyboy, I can get you from there to Frederick or Thurmont (where the cue sheets for the Civil War Century begin). I have some ideas, but I will have to get out the maps for a few links -- also, this project may get me off my @ss today and out on the bike today -- the sun is great, but it surely is cold and windy at my house.

 

[bigrider]

If you can get to Prettyboy, I can get you from there to Frederick or Thurmont (where the cue sheets for the Civil War Century begin). I have some ideas, but I will have to get out the maps for a few links -- also, this project may get me off my @ss today and out on the bike today -- the sun is great, but it surely is cold and windy at my house.

I was looking at jumping on the C&O trail at around mile 45 which is near Point of Rocks.

I really need to start jumping on the bike is what I need to do. This cold snap is a bit depressing.

 

[MarkS]

Questions, preliminary thoughts . . .

I was looking at jumping on the C&O trail at around mile 45 which is near Point of Rocks.

I really need to start jumping on the bike is what I need to do. This cold snap is a bit depressing.

I have no idea how to get to Point of Rocks except via roads with killer traffic from Frederick. If MB1 can get you from Mt. Airy to Point of Rocks, I think that I can get you from Western Harford County to Mt. Airy via fairly a pleasant route.

I have been thinking about the southern most route across Baltimore County that would avoid the Baltimore suburbs. The best route would be Belfast Road/Butler Road. If you could find your way to Hess Road in western Harford County, I could map out a route (in broad terms the route is: Carroll Road to Glencoe to Lower Glencoe, a few yards on York Road to Belfast Road, a few yards on Falls Road to Butler Road, Reisterstown Road (through Reisterstown -- this is a heavily traveled stretch of about a mile), Cockeys Mill Road to Ivy Mill Road to Deer Park Road to Wards Chapel to Marriottsville Road to Old Frederick (MD 99) to Mt. Airy) There are some trick intersections and other comments I would make if I were plotting it out, but, get out a map and see how that overall route looks (Today, I rode from my house to Carroll Road and followed the route to Wards Chapel Road before I turned off to go home (a 56 mile trip for me) -- I know the rest of the route to Mt. Airy pretty well; it is the beginning of one of my favorite loops).

Once you get to Gettysburg, I have an idea for a return route: Go from Gettysburg to Harney to Taneytown. At Taneytown take Trevanion road to Uniontown. Take Uniontown Road (it may change name at some point) into Downtown Westminster. I have to work on the directions through Westminster (I always do it by intuition -- I really can't remember the names of any of the streets). From Westminster, take Gorsuch Road to **** Club Road to Houcksville Road to Lower Beckleysville, which turns into Mt. Carmel Road, which will get you to Prettyboy (I am assuming that you know the rest of the way home). There is a a variation of the end of this route that I like and take more often -- from **** Club, go to St. Paul to Trenton to Black Rock to Pleasant Meadow to Mt. Carmel Road. This variation has a great descent into a one lane bridge at Trenton Mill (a picturesque village) and then a good climb out. (A lot of the pics that Arby took on a ride we did a year ago http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=25938 were taken in and around Trenton Mill.)

If these routes sound good, let me know and I will plot out the rides, with comments and directions at the hard parts, and test the Westminster to Mt. Carmel part of the second ride, which I have not done for a year or two.

 

[bigrider]

Mark,

That is exactly what I am looking for in the route. I am sure that MB1 can get me from Mt. Airy to Point of Rocks and from Harpers Ferry to Gettysburg. The more scenic the better because we are just riding and will be kicking and camping two nights without a worry in the world, at least that is the plan.

 

[MB1]

Don't forget around here scenic=hills.

Mark,

That is exactly what I am looking for in the route. I am sure that MB1 can get me from Mt. Airy to Point of Rocks and from Harpers Ferry to Gettysburg. The more scenic the better because we are just riding and will be kicking and camping two nights without a worry in the world, at least that is the plan.

We can make it really scenic.

BTW what day of the week do you plan to start.

BTW2 I thinking about giving you some weather options in case it is very wet.

BTW3 what kind of bikes are you riding and how much dirt can you stand?

 

[bigrider]

We can make it really scenic.

BTW what day of the week do you plan to start.

BTW2 I thinking about giving you some weather options in case it is very wet.

BTW3 what kind of bikes are you riding and how much dirt can you stand?

For the record, we don' need TOO much scenery. I figured we would hit the C & O at Point of Rocks, go visit Harper's Ferry, head north on the C& O and camp just north of Harpers Ferry, and then head to Frederick to pick up your Civil War Century route. I saw on a map that all the mountain ridges run north, northeast so we have to go over a few to get from the C&O Trail north of Harpers Ferry to Frederick. I want to stay in the valley from Frederick to Gettysburg.

We will have the right stuff to camp in the wet but I guess we will have to pack raingear as well. Options for rain would be nice.

i will be riding a fendered commuter with nice sized tires while the other guy is going to be on a trek 5500 pulling a trailer. I will probably make him put on at least 700X26 kevlar belted tires for the adventure. The wagon train may get bigger after we set a route and pick a date.

We can stand smooth dirt and gravel but none of those gravel roads with the 3 inch stones all over the place. I know this is hard to believe but I pinch flat on those big rocks.

I am assuming that the C&O is a smooth nice trail.

 

[bigrider]

Huckelberry Hill looks like a good place to hang your hat for the night.

 

[MB1]

For the record, we don' need TOO much scenery. I figured we would hit the C & O at Point of Rocks, go visit Harper's Ferry, head north on the C& O and camp just north of Harpers Ferry, and then head to Frederick to pick up your Civil War Century route. I saw on a map that all the mountain ridges run north, northeast so we have to go over a few to get from the C&O Trail north of Harpers Ferry to Frederick. I want to stay in the valley from Frederick to Gettysburg.

We will have the right stuff to camp in the wet but I guess we will have to pack raingear as well. Options for rain would be nice.

i will be riding a fendered commuter with nice sized tires while the other guy is going to be on a trek 5500 pulling a trailer. I will probably make him put on at least 700X26 kevlar belted tires for the adventure. The wagon train may get bigger after we set a route and pick a date.

We can stand smooth dirt and gravel but none of those gravel roads with the 3 inch stones all over the place. I know this is hard to believe but I pinch flat on those big rocks.

I am assuming that the C&O is a smooth nice trail.

Harpers Ferry is where the Potomac cuts through South Mountain. If you go up the Frederick valley from Harpers Ferry you have to go all the way back to Point of Rocks to get a flatish ride or do the hardest part of the Civil War Century. I'm thinking your better option is to follow the West Side of South Mountain to Gettysburg with no traffic to speak of (probably shorter too) the climbing isn't bad at all YMMV.

That is pretty much what we did on this trip (the fourth post would be your ride from Harpers Ferry to Gettysburg). http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=14843&highlight=Gettysbrew

As for the condition of the tow path; right now the section from Point of Rocks to Brunswick has the best surface of the entire trail-but it is still dirt. Brunswick to Harpers Ferry is also pretty tame but it has been a while since we have ridden on it (look for an upcoming ride report to cover this section).

I hope your bud with the 5500 pulling a trailer has a triple.

 

[bigrider]

I'm thinking your better option is to follow the West Side of South Mountain to Gettysburg with no traffic to speak of (probably shorter too) the climbing isn't bad at all YMMV.

I hope your bud with the 5500 pulling a trailer has a triple. [/QUOTE]

The West Side of South Mountain will work well. I don't like to backtrack and that looks like a real scenic ride. He doesn't have a triple but we are working on the details. I have an 11/32 cog and am hoping that does the trick with 20 pounds of extra stuff on the bike.

 

[zeytin]

While I am sorry I cannot help with the route I will offer the loan of a BOB if you need it and my C&O Ride Report mentions some of the campgrounds that I liked best. MB1 doesn't use the campgrounds

S

 

[bigrider]

While I am sorry I cannot help with the route I will offer the loan of a BOB if you need it and my C&O Ride Report mentions some of the campgrounds that I liked best. MB1 doesn't use the campgrounds

S

Thanks for the offer. I may take you up on borrowing the trailer. We are thinking of staying at Huckelberry Hill if you remember that site when you went by let me know what it was like. Is there anything else close to Harpers Ferry that you recommend?