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 Oct 27, 7:57 AM ET

Today's verdict

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

618 min of daylight — you need at least 709 min. lights required for this ride.
52°F air — right in road cycling's sweet spot
21 mph wind — noticeable — pacing will shift with the wind.

50 /100

50 Road

60 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

52°F

Clear
Wind

21 mph

NE
Rain

2%

Next 24h: 0.00"
Air quality

AQI 52

PM2.5 · Moderate
Humidity

82%

Surface & daylight

Pavement

dry

mixed surface
Sunrise

7:30 AM
Sunset

6:14 PM

618 min remaining

Best time today

8 AM looks best — 49°F · 5 mph N wind · sunny. 9 AM is a close second (60/100).

8 AM Best

49°

Sunny

5 mph N

9 AM

53°

Sunny

5 mph N

10 AM

58°

Sunny

6 mph NE

11 AM

63°

Sunny

6 mph NE

12 PM

66°

Sunny

5 mph NE

1 PM

68°

Sunny

5 mph NE

2 PM

70°

Sunny

3 mph NE

3 PM

70°

Sunny

3 mph NE

4 PM

70°

Sunny

3 mph NE

5 PM

69°

Sunny

3 mph E

Wind on this route

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

Currently 21 mph from the N (360°). Relative to this ride's overall bearing, a quartering headwind.

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

Elevation profile

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

Score breakdown

52°F air Right in road cycling's sweet spot

+10

−

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

-6

−

Quartering headwind 21 mph headwind outbound — expect a 21 mph headwind on the return.

-4

Pavement: dry Clean dry pavement — maximum grip.

AQI 52 Moderate air — fine for shorter commutes, cut intervals short.

-3

−

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

-11

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.