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 Jul 28, 1:51 PM ET

Today's verdict

Thunderstorms in the forecast — lightning and cyclists are a bad combination.

Thunderstorms — lightning and cyclists do not mix — get off the road before they arrive.
394 min of daylight — you need at least 709 min. lights required for this ride.
54 mph wind — gusty and hazardous on exposed bridges and overpasses.
Pavement: wet — wet during the likely ride window — reduced braking, road spray, limited visibility to drivers.

0 /100

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0 Road

0 E-bike

Best for road cycling 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

84°F

Partly Cloudy
Wind

54 mph

SW
Rain

87%

Next 24h: 0.67"
Humidity

70%

Surface & daylight

Pavement

wet

mixed surface
Sunrise

6:05 AM
Sunset

8:24 PM

394 min remaining

Best time today

Every remaining hour today is flagged hazardous. Save it for tomorrow.

Wind on this route

54 mph tailwind outbound — expect a 54 mph headwind on the return.

Currently 54 mph from the S (170°). Relative to this ride's overall bearing, a quartering tailwind.

Leg 1 Bearing 300° · quartering tailwind 5.1 mi
Leg 2 Bearing 329° · 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° · quartering 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

84°F air Within comfort range, outside ideal

-3

−

54 mph wind Gusty and hazardous on exposed bridges and overpasses.

-36

Quartering tailwind 54 mph tailwind outbound — expect a 54 mph headwind on the return.

−

Thunderstorms Lightning and cyclists do not mix — get off the road before they arrive.

-45

−

Pavement: wet Wet during the likely ride window — reduced braking, road spray, limited visibility to drivers.

-32

−

394 min of daylight You need at least 709 min. Lights required for this ride.

-39

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.