PenMar to Harpers Ferry with Bicycle Shuttle

[staehpj1]

I am thinking of dropping my bicycle off somewhere near Harpers Ferry, driving to PenMar, hiking the AT back to the bike, and riding the bike back to the car in PenMar. I have a couple questions:

1. Do you have suggestions on a safe place to leave my bicycle in or near HF?
2. How bad is the 340 bridge to get across with a bicycle? It is not clear on google maps if there is room to walk outside the jersey wall. If the bridge is not walk-able outside the jersey wall, how bad is traffic at non rush hour times during the week. Having toured coast to coast a couple times, I am not very squeamish about traffic, but do still have some limits

I could use the foot bridge the AT uses if necessary. It looks like a bit of effort to get back to the road from there. I have done a lot of long distance bicycle touring and will be packing very light so managing the load should be a non issue. I'd prefer the road route rather than take a longer route using a section of the C&O towpath. Otherwise the foot bridge would probably be a slam dunk.

[RED-DOG]

Call the A.T.C head quarters in HF you might be able to leave the bike there.

[staehpj1]

Call the A.T.C head quarters in HF you might be able to leave the bike there.

I hadn't thought of that. I'll ask them.
Thanks

[coach lou]

Way cool, I've bike shuttled myself a number of times

[MDSection12]

If it were me I'd just use the train bridge that goes over to the C&O Canal... You'd want to walk it (narrow and often crowded) but once on the other side it's a short walk to get on the road. From there you can take some more bike-friendly back roads rather than 340.

Very cool idea. I'm just starting at road biking (been mountain biking for years) but I'd love to do something like this one day.

[FarmerChef]

If it were me I'd just use the train bridge that goes over to the C&O Canal... You'd want to walk it (narrow and often crowded) but once on the other side it's a short walk to get on the road. From there you can take some more bike-friendly back roads rather than 340.

Very cool idea. I'm just starting at road biking (been mountain biking for years) but I'd love to do something like this one day.

This with small tweak. 340 at all times of day is pretty interesting to get across. You can walk your bike on the sidewalk that the AT shares but the rest of 340 is no picnic and I wouldn't be on that with a bike. But that's just me.

I would definitely recommend taking the footpath across the river and continuing down the C&O canal to either Brunswick (East) or west to the road of your choice. In Brunswick you can connect up to MD17 and head north that way. If you want to head up to Boonsboro, get off of the canal at Weverton instead. The canal to Brunswick is about 5.5 miles or so and to Weverton is around 1 to 1.5 miles.

[staehpj1]

US 340, other than the bridge looks, OK to me. It has a nice wide shoulder on the short section where I'd be using it. From there I'd think I'd likely be using rt 67, rt 66, and rt 491. So my main concern is the bridge.

[Cookerhiker]

If it were me I'd just use the train bridge that goes over to the C&O Canal... You'd want to walk it (narrow and often crowded) but once on the other side it's a short walk to get on the road. From there you can take some more bike-friendly back roads rather than 340.

Very cool idea. I'm just starting at road biking (been mountain biking for years) but I'd love to do something like this one day.

Agree with this for crossing the Potomac. The only tough part is carrying the bike down the spiral staircase on the MD side.

As far as the bike ride up to PenMar, the portion of Rt. 67 to Alt 40 has a nice wide shoulder and isn't too hilly. I'm not sure about the stretch, mostly on Rt. 66, up to the PA line.

In the 29 years it took me to section hike the AT, about half-dozen of my hikes were bike shuttles. Perhaps the best place to do this is the Cumberland Valley in PA between Boiling Springs and Rt. 944. Other possibilities include the Virginia Roller Coaster (Rt. 50 to Rt. 7), PA east of the Susquehanna between Rt2. 225 and 325, NY-CT between NY Rt. 22 and CT Rt. 55.

I find it much easier to do the bike ride first. Park your car at Point A, cycle to Point B, hike to your car at Point A, drive back to retrieve your bike. For me, the biking is more strenuous and often involved descending the ridge at one point and ascending it at the other, not to mention in-between ups and downs. I'd rather not deal with that at the end of a hike.

[staehpj1]

This picture is reportedly from earlier this year when someone did a hike that crossed the Potomac river US340. So I think it is at least an option.

7452689_orig.jpg

[MDSection12]

That's one of the two bridges you'd need to cross... But my concern is the road between them. It's always been a mystery to me why but for some reason the little stretch of road always has traffic and fender benders there are super common... Maybe people are looking at the river, I don't know, but I wouldn't ride a bike on that stretch of road if I could avoid it.

To be honest, I'd prefer crossing the footbridge anyway. From the other side you have your choice of back roads on either side of 340. I'd have to look at a map to be sure, but off the top of my head if I were riding from HF to PM I'd take the C&O to Weaverton and ride up through Brunswick on back roads and cross 340 at Mount Zion Road. From there you can get to 40 to cross 70 and then parallel the ridge the rest of the way... You could avoid major roads almost entirely with a little planning.

[staehpj1]

Thanks.

My traffic tolerance is pretty high I guess. US 340 really doesn't worry me, now that I know that the bridges are passable on bike or on foot. I have done quite a few trips of over a thousand miles including a couple coast to coast rides and all of them had long sections with worse traffic and road conditions. Perhaps a little perverse, but I actually enjoy riding on the interstate out west where that is allowed and have chosen it over back roads in many cases. I picked this route mostly for directness, I am familiar with US 340, and the rest of the route looks OK when checked out with street view. I feel pretty comfortable with the choice.

That said, I may get a chance to drive the route before the trip, but if not I can look it over when heading to the trail head.

As far as a place to leave the bike... I hope to hear back from Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters (I emailed them), but if I don't hear from them or they say no, I'll try the three places listed as bike shops in the area (I think two of them are mostly rafting companies).

[MDSection12]

I literally did my first road ride, after ten years of mountain biking, this past Saturday. I'm probably at the opposite end of the 'fear of traffic' spectrum from you. The 'traffic' I'm used to worrying about while mountain biking are deer. I suppose if you're that seasoned then the quarter mile or so stretch I'm talking about will be a breeze.

River and Trail Outfitters is probably on that list... They're on the MD side (so you'd walk over both bridges) but I'd be pretty certain they'll help you out. They're really great to deal with and always very accomodating. Tell them you'll buy a t-shirt when you get the bike.

[Cookerhiker]

....., but off the top of my head if I were riding from HF to PM I'd take the C&O to Weaverton and ride up through Brunswick on back roads and cross 340 at Mount Zion Road. From there you can get to 40 to cross 70 and then parallel the ridge the rest of the way... You could avoid major roads almost entirely with a little planning.

If you're riding to Brunswick, wouldn't you simply stay on the C&O?

But also, could you ride up past the Hostel on Sandy Hook Rd. (steep, I know), turn left Keep Tryst Road, and cross 340 at grade, i.e. no second bridge? I thought there was a traffic light at that intersection with 340. The road on the other side of 340 is called Valley Road and per Google Maps, it intersects with Rt. 67. Valley Road is also where River & Trails Outfitters is.

[MDSection12]

The route google suggests for HF to PM is actually pretty good...

You've got me thinking. I believe I will be doing this in July. Thanks for the inspiration!

[MDSection12]

If you're riding to Brunswick, wouldn't you simply stay on the C&O?

But also, could you ride up past the Hostel on Sandy Hook Rd. (steep, I know), turn left Keep Tryst Road, and cross 340 at grade, i.e. no second bridge? I thought there was a traffic light at that intersection with 340. The road on the other side of 340 is called Valley Road and per Google Maps, it intersects with Rt. 67. Valley Road is also where River & Trails Outfitters is.

Ya sorry, I call basically everything between the river and Frederick 'Brunswick...' Bad habit of growing up in the area, I guess. When I said 'through Brunswick' I didn't mean the downtown area but the more rural area to the NW of actual Brunswick proper. That's a very popular area for road biking anyway.

It does look like staying West of 340 might be better... But when I do it I'll stay East of 340 until Frederick, because then I can drop my pack off at my house on the way to get my car.