What I did in 2023 and beyond instead of doing what I said I would
Instead of starting a blog like I said I would, I ended up picking up bike touring in 2023! That summer, I went on my first multi-day bike trip along the Delaware Water Gap with a 3-day route (~125 miles) provided by 718 Outdoors. Since then, I’ve biked the GAP + C&O trails extending from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC (~330 miles) as a 6-day trip, along with a rougher 8-day bike trip through Laos (~531 miles).
Clara biking through the woods of Laos
For both the Delaware Water Gap and GAP + C&O trails, I did the routes on my Brompton C Line 6-speed folding bike. Even though there were some gravel and rougher roads with tree roots and mud on both routes, I really enjoyed touring on my Brompton. The seat is very comfortable, so I didn’t need to wear padded shorts and could still sit down without excruciating pain, even after six days of bumping along the GAP + C&O.
For that route in particular, it was convenient to have a portable folding bike that I could bring into restaurants and cafes during rest stops. I didn’t have to worry about locking up my bike, and it was easy to bring on the Amtrak as well when transiting from NYC to/from Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. I didn’t have to reserve a spot for my bike on the train, I didn’t have to take it apart to pack it in a bike box (which is what you have to do if you fail to reserve a bike spot), and it was easy to store my bike indoors at all our accommodations along the trail. Also, if you choose to stay in Harpers Ferry, WV, you will have to carry your bike and all your stuff up and down a set of stairs to cross the bridge into town.
Laos required a bike that was better-equipped for mountain biking trails though, so I brought my Lynskey gravel bike. It’s super light and great for mixed terrain, but I definitely needed padded shorts to survive eight days of riding this bike on gravel and dirt roads riddled with potholes.
Transporting this bike was also much more of a hassle than my Brompton, as I had to take it apart and pack it in a cardboard bike box. I also had to fly with an airline that allows you to check a bike as luggage without incurring a huge fee (e.g. Emirates). The worst part was not the flying portion though, which was pretty straightforward since I didn’t need to pick up my bike until my final destination. I also taped an AirTag to the inside of the bike box so I could ensure it was following me across the world during my three(!) layovers. The most stressful part about traveling with my regular-sized bike was getting it to/from the airport, along with me and all my other luggage. Bikes are not so easy to carry around when they don’t just fold up!
Folding bike proselytizing
So, while I love my gravel bike and the many gears I can shift to when climbing hills on it, I think that if you have a Brompton and are interested in biking a flat and well-maintained trail like the GAP + C&O, you can definitely do it on a Brompton. You will just require a decent tolerance for feeling every bump on a bumpy road, especially during the C&O portion of the trail.
But – your ego will be buoyed by the comments of people you meet on the ride who go “wow you’re doing this on that bike” and you will go “yes I do indeed have the stunning level of audacity to ride such a long distance on such small wheels.” Also, the feeling of passing someone on a regular-sized bike is unbeatable.
The greatest bike one could own, hanging out on the C&O towpath
Planning the GAP + C&O Bike Trip
The GAP + C&O trails are a popular bike route that follow an old railroad and towpath, so the route is relatively flat since it doesn’t exceed a 1.5% grade, and the trail is car-free so you don’t have to share the road. There are lots of online resources for planning, and I used the GAP trail site to map out an initial route and figure out daily mileage and where to stay each night.
I did the trip with five friends, so there were six of us total which made accommodations pretty affordable when we split the cost. We chose not to carry tents and camp, but that is an option and there are tons of campsites along the C&O in particular. We stayed in Airbnbs or local inns/B&Bs, and our lodging came out to about $400 a person for seven nights (2 in Pittsburgh, 5 along the trail). We had an especially wonderful time at the 1828 Trail Inn, which is run by a lovely couple who make the best breakfast. They may not operate as a B&B anymore, but I was able to reach them via Facebook messenger and book rooms for our evening in Hancock, MD.
Below is the Google Doc I made for planning, where I noted down different restaurants along the trail for food stops. I also noted where there are Amtrak stations just in case folks struggle to complete the full route. I left in all the lodging options that we stayed in that I recommend!
The trail is pretty popular, so if you’re not camping I suggest booking accommodations as soon as you’re able to – one of the inns we wanted to stay in was already unavailable when we tried to reserve it in February 2025, which was six months before our trip.
We biked from west to east over six days, and our stops were as follows:
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Connellsville, PA
- Meyersdale, PA
- Cumberland, MD
- Hancock, MD
- Harpers Ferry, WV
- Washington, DC
You can do the route in shorter than six days, but I thought it was a good amount of time to ensure leisurely meals and rest stops. We also had time to take photos at different sites and bike slowly if folks were feeling tired.
I didn’t need a bike computer to navigate the trail and was able to use just my iPhone and Google Maps. I had phone service along most of the route, but it was spottier along the C&O.
Biking along the GAP trail
What I packed
Since you’ll be carrying all your stuff with you, it’s good to travel light! I found it easy to limit the clothes I brought since almost all the accommodations we stayed at had laundry machines, so I was able to wash dirty biking clothes pretty regularly. I also didn’t need to carry much food since there are so many food spots along the route.
We biked the route at the end of August, which is generally pretty hot but we got a colder week and thus had surprisingly chilly nights and mornings – around 65ºF. The trail itself has a lot of tree cover, so you’re not in direct sunlight most of the time and the sun is tolerable.
Clothes
The shorts and t-shirt I brought doubled as PJs and walking around clothes, so if you want to change it up you can bring two of each instead of one like me. I opted for clothing that is quick-drying or made of merino wool so it dries quickly and/or is less likely to stink.
- Bike shorts (2) – only one of these was padded
- Bike jerseys (2)
- Leggings (1)
- Regular shorts (1)
- Regular t-shirt (1)
- Athletic zip-up sweater (1)
- Rain jacket (1)
- Socks (3)
- Underwear (4)
- Sports bras (2)
Clothes that I packed for the trip
Toiletries, Equipment, Miscellaneous
I ran out of water during a day ride once, so I prefer to carry lots of water. I brought a backpack with a water bladder and two water bottles and never drank all of it in a day, so you are probably more than fine with 3L of water unless you are deeply passionate about hydration.
Toiletries
- Sunscreen
- Contact lenses
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Dr. Bronner’s castille soap
- Eye drops
- Face wash
- Face cream
- Body lotion
Electronics
- Headphones
- Battery pack
- Phone charger
- Garmin watch charger
- Headphones charger
Snacks and Water
- 2L water bottles (2)
- 3L water bladder and backpack
- Energy chews
- Energy/granola bars
- Energy snacks
- Electrolyte hydration powder
Toiletries, electronics, snacks and hydration
Bike Equipment and Miscellaneous
- Mountain biking shoes – I didn’t end up clipping in, but they have stiff bottoms which is nice for biking
- Helmet
- Brompton Large Rolltop bag
- Bike bungee cords
- Tire levers
- Extra tube
- Swiss army knife
- Bike tool
- Reflective armbands
- Bike gloves
- Sunglasses
- First aid kit with bandages and ibuprofen
- Head lamp
- LifeStraw – didn’t end up using this, but I brought it just in case
- Space blanket – useful to protect items from the rain
- Sanitizing wipes
- Hand sanitizer
- Tissues
Biking gear, tools, first aid, and miscellaneous items
I packed up most of these items in two small packing cubes and a compression sack. Then stuffed them all in my Brompton rolltop bag which attaches to the front of my bike. I wore my backpack with a water bladder, and I just carried snacks for the day inside it.
All my items packed up!
Some tips for the GAP + C&O trails
Go to Fallingwater
We went to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house on the way from Connellsville, PA to Meyersdale, PA. It’s very cool and worth the stop!
You’ll want to reserve your tickets there for a tour at least a week in advance, since they do sell out. We did the Guided Architectural Tour, which was really great.
We booked an 8:45am shuttle to Fallingwater from Ohiopyle, PA with Wilderness Voyageurs. We biked there in the morning from Connellsville, PA in about two hours. You could consider biking to Fallingwater, but the road is pretty narrow and winding, and you’d want to bring bike locks and ask the visitor center if you could store your stuff there if you don’t want to leave it on your bike.
Ohiopyle has a bunch of outdoor activities and is more bustling than Connellsville, PA, so if you wanted to have stay somewhere with more to do and more places to eat, you could do a longer first day from Pittsburgh to Ohiopyle instead of to Connellsville like we did.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater
Hop on the Western Maryland Rail Trail
There are sections of the C&O where you can hop on the Western Maryland Rail Trail which runs parallel to the C&O for about 12 miles and is nice and paved. The trail is well marked, so it’s easy to turn onto it and get back on the C&O when it ends. You can find it after Cumberland, MD and it runs all the way to Hancock, MD.
Don’t use Google Maps to navigate directly to C&O mile marker 0 in Washington, DC
The location on Google Maps is pretty accurate, but if you try to route there Google will get confused because there’s not a clear path there. If you route to Thompson’s Boat House, you can get good directions there from Google Maps. You can get to the mile marker by going to the side of the boat house and to the back. If you go to the very edge of the boat house along the water there’s a small dirt path to a patch of land with the mile marker – a short stone pillar.
Mile marker zero for the C&O towpath in Washington, DC
General notes about parts of the trail
- The trail has a very mild, almost imperceptible incline upwards until you reach the Eastern Continental Divide, where the trail inclines slightly downwards. So, the biking feels easier the further you get along the trail!
A helpful infographic along the trail showing elevation changes – note that the maximum grade is 1.5%
- The GAP trail is very well-maintained and mostly pavement and crushed gravel. You can go very fast on the GAP and it’s very nice riding.
- The C&O has some bumpier sections where you’ll have to go through loose gravel, over tree roots, and when you get closer to Washington, DC there’s a section that goes through Great Falls Park which can be crowded with people and has a lot of loose gravel. You will have to go slow here to avoid hitting a family.
Part of the C&O towpath
- There are mile markers along most of the GAP and the C&O – taking a photo by the mile marker with your age is a popular tradition among folks who cycle the trail.
30-year old me at mile marker 30
- To get to Harpers Ferry, WV you’ll have to cross a bridge. There are steps leading to the top of the bridge from the C&O towpath, so you’ll have to carry your bike and gear up ~50 steps. If you’d rather not, you can find lodging on the other side of the Potomac River in Knoxville, MD. Harpers Ferry has cool historic places though, but the food isn’t that great and is more expensive. Since it’s also a popular tourist location, we were unable to get seated at a restaurant in the downtown area and had to bike further out to get food. There is also a giant hill you’ll have to bike up in downtown Harpers Ferry, which will make you question why you’re riding a folding bike.
Bike touring is fun
I did not start a blog, but I did start biking a lot which has been really fun and a great way to explore and see new places. You also get to eat a lot the whole ride, which is cool if you love eating french fries every day.
Biking in Laos was amazing and really hard in comparison to the GAP + C&O, but part of the trip was an organized ride with a group of awesome people called Team Dai who do a ride every year for charity. I have a friend who lives in Laos who invited me to join the ride, and then we biked for another four days following the big group ride.
It was challenging and extremely rewarding, and I do think the leg muscle I developed from biking long distances on a Brompton really powered me through some difficult terrain on my regular-sized gravel bike. I also had a deep appreciation for how much easier it is to climb a hill on wheels that are bigger than 16” in diameter, and it’s helpful to feel some positive emotions of gratitude when doing a five-mile climb in 95ºF weather.
Some spectacular views biking through Laos
Boating through the 7.5km Kong Lor Cave with our bikes
I still strongly endorse bike touring on a Brompton if you’re doing a flatter route with minimal gravel. I do not recommend biking through rural Laos on a Brompton. But folding bikes are awesome, and it’s all about the engine (you!)