western maryland rail trail

Cycling on the Western Maryland Rail Trail is a great experience! Very flat, so no worries about hills, if you stick to the paved trail or C&O Canal.Hancock is a great place to start. West to Pearre is definitely more scenic. But if you choose to ride to Big Pool, take the C&O Canal to Fort Frederick to add a few miles.As others have said, the eastern portion runs along I-70, and the traffic noise is annoying. West to Pearre, really seems to take you out into nature and there is plenty to see.There ARE a lack of bathrooms, but, hey, find a secluded spot next to a tree, and you will be fine!Bring plenty of water, especially on hot days, and something to eat, because only Hancock offers restaurants or convenience stores. Fort Frederick may also offer snacks and drinks.Bring the camera as there is plenty to see and photograph. Autumn is a wonderful time to visit when the leaves are changing and the temperatures are cooler.If you are a cyclist, bring the road bike and do the entire 44 miles or so round trip. The portion of the C&O Canal that takes you to Fort Frederick on the eastern end can be done with a road bike. Just watch out for hidden roots and loose gravel! Also, you can take Route 56 to the fort, but it has a steep hill and very little shoulder on which to cycle.Highly recommend for a short trip or a day-long journey!

Hancock is a good starting point to ride the WMRT, also, the C&O Canal is right beside it. I prefer the upper 11 miles, as more scenic.

We rode this trail in the middle of May 2014. It is a very easy to ride bicycle trail. We left from Hancock Md, rode east to mile "0" at Big Pool, then back, stopped for a light lunch, then rode to the western end at I believe mile #23. The eastern portion runs very close to Interstate 70,There was alot of road noise from the highway, however, there were quite a few chances to se the Potomac River and the C&O Canal bike path. Riding west from Hancock was a much more senic ride, Plenty of views of the Potomac from elevated positions along the trail. The biggest drawback is the lack of bathroom facilities. There is a nice bathroom at mile 0, and just a single port a pottie at the western end. In the middle there is a bicycle shop with port a pots out back and a Sheetz a few blocks away in town. Overall a very nice trail, but if you need a bathroom, get on the C&O Canal Trail, they have port a pots about every 5 miles.