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 12, 11:08 AM 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.
37 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.
567 min of daylight — you need at least 709 min. lights required for this ride.

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

81°F

Cloudy
Wind

37 mph

E
Rain

25%

Next 24h: 0.00"
Humidity

70%

Surface & daylight

Pavement

wet

mixed surface
Sunrise

5:52 AM
Sunset

8:34 PM

567 min remaining

Best time today

5 PM looks best — 85°F · 9 mph E wind · cloudy. 6 PM is a close second (7/100).

12 PM

81°

Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

8 mph E

—

1 PM

82°

Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

8 mph E

—

2 PM

83°

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

9 mph E

—

3 PM

84°

Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

9 mph E

—

4 PM

85°

Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

9 mph E

—

5 PM Best

85°

Cloudy

9 mph E

6 PM

83°

Mostly Cloudy

9 mph E

7 PM

81°

Mostly Cloudy

8 mph E

8 PM

79°

Mostly Cloudy

7 mph SE

Wind on this route

37 mph crosswind — expect a 37 mph headwind on the return.

Currently 37 mph from the NE (50°). Relative to this ride's overall bearing, a crosswind.

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

Elevation profile

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

Score breakdown

81°F air Within comfort range, outside ideal

-3

−

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

-36

−

Strong crosswind 37 mph crosswind — expect a 37 mph headwind on the return.

-3

−

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

−

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

-18

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.