Browse through the library of Denise Looking Out videos to explore bikepacking, cycling, backpacking and other adventures.
Bike Touring the Great Alleghany Passage and C&O Canal Towpath
Follow along as we cycle the C&O Canal Towpath and Great Allegheny Passage from Washington DC to Pittsburgh.
Get a preview of what it’s like bikepacking the C and O Canal Towpath and the Great Allegheny Passage from Washington DC to Pittsburgh.
I’m sharing how I’ve prepared for a thru ride bikepacking trip of the C&O Canal Towpath and Great Allegheny Passage, 344 miles from Washington DC to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Day 1 — Explore how we traveled from Pittsburgh to Washington by train on the Amtrak Capital Limited with roll-on bike service and traversed to start the C&O Canal Towpath to MM7
Day 2 — We travel from Bethesda (Glen Echo) Maryland MM7 to Brunswick, Maryland at MM55 on the C&O Canal Towpath.
Day 3 — We travel from Brunswick, Maryland MM55 to Williamsport, Maryland at MM102 on the C and O Canal Towpath. See the spectacular Harper’s Ferry and Big Slack Water.
Day 4 — We travel from Jordan Junction Hiker/Biker Camp Site, Williamsport, Maryland MM102 to Purslane Run Hiker/Biker Camp site Oldtown, Maryland at MM157. This section included Hancock, Little Orleans, Paw Paw Tunnel and the Paw Paw Tunnel Detour.
Day 5 — We finish bikepacking the C&O Canal Towpath and begin the Great Allegheny Passage. See us celebrate at the C&O Terminus in Cumberland, Maryland and climb the 1.5 percent, 25-mile journey into the Allegheny Mountains. We traveled from the Purslane Run Hiker/Biker Campsite at Mile Market 156.9 on the C&O Canal Towpath to Frostburg, Maryland at Mile Marker 15 on the Great Allegheny Passage Rail Trail.
Day 6 — We left Frostburg, Maryland and finished the day camping at Ohiopyle State Park. We hit some of the major attractions on the Great Allegheny Passage including Big Savage Tunnel, the Mason Dixon Line and Eastern Continental Divide.
Day 7 — We enjoyed Ohiopyle State Park before cycling through Connellsville to continuing on to camp at Dravo’s Landing Campsite on Great Allegheny Passage Rail Trail.
Day 8 — We finish the Great Allegheny Passage and we reach our terminus at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Solo Bikepacking the Ohio to Erie Trail
Follow my bikepacking adventure from Cleveland to Cincinnati Ohio on the Ohio to Erie Trail connecting canal trails and rail trails from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. This bike touring trip I stayed in hotels and inns along the way. Watch as I have a solo bicycle touring adventure with challenges and obstacles on one of America’s best long-distance bike trail. Woman solo bicycle tours can be difficult but rewarding. Bike travel on the OTET is amazing.
Day 1 — This is Day 1 of Bikepacking the Ohio to Erie Trail Solo from Cleveland to Cincinnati. Starting the adventure, I shuttled up from Cincinnati to Cleveland’s Edgewater Park to ride the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail to Independence to stage for the rest of my journey.
Day 2 — I experienced riding through Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath through Akron, Canal Fulton and Massillon all part of the Ohio to Erie Trail.
Day 3 — I spent this day cycling Ohio’s Amish Country from Massillon to Millersburg. But the day ends in a tornado shelter.
Day 4 — Bikepacking on the Ohio to Erie Trail from Millersburg to Mount Vernon was my toughest day on a bike trail. Storms damaged the trail sent us on back roads and busy highways. Watch as I navigate a disaster area.
Day 5 — Bikepacking on the Ohio to Erie Trail from Mount Vernon to Westerville, northeast of Columbus, would take me way off trail. Find out how I found my way through. Storms damaged the trail sending us on back roads and busy highways. To make it even worse, we were dealing with brutal temperatures with the heat index at 105 F to 108 F.
Day 6 — Bikepacking on the Ohio to Erie Trail from Westerville to Cedarville. I cycled through Columbus to the Camp Chase Trail. I can’t believe I made it to Cedarville in a heat advisory, a strong headwind and getting sick.
Day 7 — Bikepacking on the Ohio to Erie Trail from Cedarville to Mason. I finally made it to the familiar rail trail of the Little Miami Trail through Xenia, Spring Valley, Corwin, Morrow before getting a flat tire and jumping off trail to busy streets to my hotel in Mason near Kings Island.
Day 8 — I continued down the Little Miami Trail from Mason, Ohio to downtown Cincinnati to dip my tire in the Ohio River to signify I finished the 326-mile OTET, a week-long bicycle touring adventure.
Bicycle Touring/ Bikpacking Tips & How-to Videos
I’m here to help you get started.
How do you pack for a bicycle tour for week on a rail trail? It’s a question I received. So let’s talk bicycle touring setup. I’m walking you through my bike touring packing list and how I organize my bicycle panniers for a week on the Katy Trail, a rail trail in Missouri, USA. Don’t miss my 8 Tips for your next bike tour. This video is geared for general setup, packing and loading of a tour bicycle. What goes in my bike touring bags? What’s in my bicycle camping gear? I go over a complete bike tour gear list. Learn why I have a two pannier setup instead of four.
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