The Towpath's Western Terminus
C&O Canal Towpath Lodging Near the Cumberland Junction
The towpath ends where the GAP begins. Here's the bed 16 trail miles above the junction that works whether you're finishing, starting, or riding straight through.
- C&O Towpath, DC to Cumberland
- 184.5 mi
- GAP–C&O junction, Cumberland
- MM 0
- Trail miles, junction to hotel
- 16 mi
- Rooms from, taxes included
- $79.79
The C&O Canal Towpath runs 184.5 miles from Washington, DC along the Potomac — past canal locks, through the Paw Paw Tunnel, on an unpaved and generally flat path — and ends in Cumberland, Maryland, where the Great Allegheny Passage's milepost 0 begins. Together the two trails form the 334.5-mile Pittsburgh-to-DC route, and Cumberland is the hinge of the whole thing.
That makes Cumberland a busy little trail city — and on peak weekends, a booked-up one. Every towpath finisher, GAP starter, and through-rider funnels into the same junction town on the same nights.
There's a quieter answer 16 trail miles up the mountain. Frostburg sits at GAP milepost 15.9, and The Tunnel Hotel there is an 1888 railroad inn 300 yards off the Passage: queen rooms from $79.79 with taxes included, tent sites at $17.10 a person, a cafe in the building, and train and shuttle connections back down to the junction. You trade the valley bustle for mountain air without giving up access to anything that starts in Cumberland.
The Tunnel Hotel · 20 Depot St, Frostburg, MD — 300 yards from the GAP trail. Open full map
Finishing the Towpath? Your Night Doesn't Have to End at MM 184.5
Riders arriving from DC roll into Cumberland with 184.5 flat miles behind them. If your trip ends there, Frostburg still works as the final night: the Bike Train carries you and your bicycle up the mountain aboard the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad for $45 with your own bike or $49 with a rental, and The Great Deal Passenger Shuttle covers 25 miles for $39 to $49 when you'd rather move people than bikes.
If your trip continues to Pittsburgh, the geometry gets even better. From Cumberland at about 627 feet, the GAP climbs 23.5 continuous miles to the Eastern Continental Divide at 2,392 feet — the hardest stretch of the whole route in this direction. Sleeping in Frostburg splits that wall into a 16-mile evening and a 7.6-mile morning, on a railroad grade that never exceeds roughly 1 to 1.75 percent.
Starting the Towpath? Sleep High, Drop In Fresh
Eastbound riders get the mirror image. Spend the night before your towpath launch in Frostburg, and the first 16 miles of your morning are a continuous gentle descent into Cumberland — you arrive at the junction fresh and can be on the C&O before the day heats up.
GAP riders finishing eastbound use the same play: last night in Frostburg, victory-lap coast to milepost 0, then the towpath or the drive home. Either way you skip the scramble for a junction-town bed on a peak weekend.
What Changes at the Junction
The surface is the real difference between the two trails. The GAP is smoother crushed-limestone rail-trail; the towpath is rougher canal-bank dirt, so many riders plan slightly shorter daily distances on the C&O even though the terrain is easier. Budget your days accordingly on either side of Cumberland.
One more junction-area option worth knowing: the Queen City Combo's afternoon departure boards at 13 Canal Street in downtown Cumberland — a 5.5-hour outing at $169 per tandem railbike that rides the train up the mountain and pedals a railbike back down. It's run by Tracks & Yaks, the outfit next door to the hotel in Frostburg.
The Inn 16 Miles Above the Junction
The Tunnel Hotel has stood at 20 Depot Street since 1888, 300 yards from the GAP at milepost 15.9. Queens — the Little Savage Sleeper and Queen City Sleeper — start at $79.79; the Tunnel Deluxe sleeps four from $91.19; the Big Savage Bunk Room takes six at $169.86; and 20-plus primitive tent sites run $17.10 per person, one of them ADA-accessible. The Trail Inn Cafe in the building covers coffee, hot breakfast, trail sandwiches, and local beer, chargeable to your room.
Check-in is contactless around the clock — the door code arrives by SMS, so a towpath day that runs long costs you nothing at a front desk. Checkout is 11:00 AM. Book direct at /book with no online booking fees, Stripe-secured; cancel 72-plus hours out for a full refund, reschedule at 48-plus, and weather cancellations by the operator return a full refund or credit.
Tracks & Yaks, right next door
All experiences
Bike Train (Cumberland → Frostburg)
Load your bike on the train up to Frostburg, then ride the GAP back down. Bring your own bike or add a GAP rental.
from $45
Details →
Queen City Combo — PM (Cumberland)
Ride the train up the mountain, then railbike your way back down in the afternoon light. Check in at 13 Canal St, Cumberland.
from $169
Details →
The Great Deal Passenger Shuttle
A 25-mile point-to-point shuttle so you can ride the GAP one way. Bring your own bike or add a GAP rental.
from $39
Details →Planning answers, no fluff
Where should I stay where the C&O Canal Towpath meets the GAP?
The junction is Cumberland, Maryland — C&O milepost 184.5 meets GAP milepost 0 in the middle of town. Frostburg, 16 trail miles up the GAP at milepost 15.9, is the quieter alternative: The Tunnel Hotel there is 300 yards off the trail with rooms from $79.79 and train and shuttle connections back to the junction.
Is there lodging at the Cumberland end of the C&O Canal Towpath?
Cumberland has in-town options, but on peak weekends they fill. The Tunnel Hotel in Frostburg — an 1888 railroad inn 16 trail miles up the Great Allegheny Passage — offers queen rooms from $79.79, tent sites at $17.10 a person, and 24-hour contactless check-in for riders arriving late off the towpath.
How do I get from Cumberland up to Frostburg without pedaling?
Two ways: the Bike Train carries you and your bike aboard the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad for $45 bring-your-own or $49 with a rental, and The Great Deal Passenger Shuttle covers 25 miles for $39 to $49. Riding the GAP itself is 16 miles uphill at a gentle 1 to 1.75 percent railroad grade.
Where should I sleep on a Pittsburgh-to-DC ride near the junction?
Westbound (DC to Pittsburgh), Frostburg splits the 23.5-mile climb out of Cumberland into a 16-mile evening and a 7.6-mile morning. Eastbound, it sets up a 16-mile downhill coast to the junction so you start the towpath fresh. Either direction, the hotel sits 300 yards off the trail at GAP milepost 15.9.
Is the C&O Canal Towpath paved?
No — it's an unpaved canal-bank path, generally flat but rougher than the GAP's crushed-limestone surface. Many riders plan shorter daily mileage on the towpath's 184.5 miles than on the GAP, even though the towpath has almost no climbing.