Bethesda, MD · mostly separated · mixed

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath (Maryland)

180.1 mi Out-and-back 1050 ft gain

180.1-mile mixed route with 1050 ft of elevation gain, signed as part of the regional cycle network, route reference “C&O”, mostly separated from motor traffic.

Live · updated Aug 9, 4:56 AM ET

Today's verdict

Marginal conditions — get the road bike out if you have to.

21 mph wind — noticeable — pacing will shift with the wind.

52 /100

52 Road

67 E-bike

Best for e-bike riding today

Route map

Orange marker is the start. Click the map to enable scroll-zoom — the polyline is approximate; use Ride with GPS or Komoot for turn-by-turn.

Atmosphere

Air temp

77°F

Clear
Wind

21 mph

W
Rain

4%

Next 24h: 0.00"
Humidity

89%

Surface & daylight

Pavement

dry

mixed surface
Sunrise

6:16 AM
Sunset

8:11 PM

915 min remaining

Best time today

5 AM looks best — 77°F · 1 mph SW wind · mostly cloudy. 6 AM is a close second (61/100).

5 AM Best

77°

Mostly Cloudy

1 mph SW

6 AM

76°

Partly Sunny

2 mph W

7 AM

77°

Partly Sunny

3 mph W

8 AM

79°

Partly Sunny

5 mph W

9 AM

81°

Partly Sunny

6 mph NW

10 AM

85°

Mostly Sunny

7 mph NW

11 AM

88°

Mostly Sunny

8 mph NW

12 PM

90°

Mostly Sunny

8 mph NW

1 PM

91°

Mostly Sunny

7 mph W

2 PM

92°

Mostly Sunny

7 mph W

3 PM

92°

Mostly Sunny

7 mph W

4 PM

93°

Sunny

7 mph W

5 PM

91°

Mostly Sunny

6 mph W

6 PM

91°

Partly Cloudy

5 mph W

7 PM

91°

Partly Cloudy

2 mph W

Wind on this route

21 mph crosswind — expect a 21 mph headwind on the return.

Currently 21 mph from the S (190°). Relative to this ride's overall bearing, a crosswind.

Leg 1 Bearing 300° · quartering tailwind 5.1 mi
Leg 2 Bearing 329° · quartering tailwind 4.3 mi
Leg 3 Bearing 300° · quartering tailwind 5.5 mi
Leg 4 Bearing 277° · crosswind 5.7 mi
Leg 5 Bearing 309° · quartering tailwind 5.5 mi
Leg 6 Bearing 27° · tailwind 5.1 mi
Leg 7 Bearing 344° · tailwind 4.6 mi
Leg 8 Bearing 316° · quartering tailwind 5.2 mi

Elevation profile

4206 ft gain 3629 ft loss Max 876' Min 36' 132.6 mi sampled

Score breakdown

77°F air Within comfort range, outside ideal

-3

−

21 mph wind Noticeable — pacing will shift with the wind.

-6

−

Strong crosswind 21 mph crosswind — expect a 21 mph headwind on the return.

-3

Pavement: dry Clean dry pavement — maximum grip.

Advisories & nearby alerts

NWSTest Message

About this route

Distance: 180.1 mi one-way (double for round-trip)
Elevation gain: 1050 ft
Surface: mixed
Shape: Out-and-back
Traffic exposure: mostly separated
Activities: road cycling · e bike
Cycle network: RCN · route C&O
Start: 38.9364, -77.1172
City hub: Bethesda, MD
OSM: relation 1392951

Description sourced from OpenStreetMap relation tags and member-way geometry.