Maryland

Hiking America - Week Ending June 10, 2023

Discover the remarkable transformation of ADT hiking in Maryland as a long-standing water challenge along the C&O trail meets its solution.

John Wesley Brett

Jun 11, 2023 • 3 min read

One of the Many Water Pumps along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Park. Photo: Chip's Bike Tours

Exciting News for C&O Canal National Park in Maryland! Say goodbye to the frustrating lack of water availability during the off-season!

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Maryland

Segment 1-3 - C&O Canal National Park

Nearly all through-hikers of the American Discovery Trail have stories of the difficulty of finding water along the 100-mile-plus stretch of the C&O. There are dozens of water pumps (above) all along the way, but from Fall to Spring – peak time for ADT passers-through – the National Park Service removed the handles so you couldn't use them for fear of them freezing.

Oh, so frustrating! But that all changed this Spring.

On the park's "Current Conditions" page, three new sentences were recently added that will forever change the future of ADT hiking in Maryland.

🚰

Hiker-Biker Campsites: Non-potable water is available in hiker-biker campsites. Please plan to filter, chemically treat, or boil the water before use for your own protection. The wells will remain in the hiker-biker campsites, and as long as visitors bring their own sanitization equipment (Sawyer!), there will be a more reliable water source, as handles will not be removed from these wells! 👊

To be clear, well handles are removed from fee campgrounds in mid-November each year to protect against freeze "as per normal operating procedures."

Indiana - South

Segment 1 - Illinois State Line to Evansville

Added a reroute and eleven new waypoints, plus updated maps and turn-by-turn directions in Evansville to move the trail off (above) this harrowing section of a four-lane road with no option to walk other than in traffic. A couple of years ago, this was a two-lane road with nice, wide grass shoulders on both sides. But not any longer.

The new routing includes all sidewalks while adding only 0.99mi to the route. HT RayRey'23

Segment 3 - Boonville to Saint Meinrad

MichelleStrong'23 phoned in a church "in the middle of nowhere" with a nice shelter on the side that may offer protection from bad weather and perhaps some dispersed camping. We're reaching out to Pastor Scott to check.

Segments 6 & 7 - Harrison Crawford State Forest to Deam Lake

Updated Hiker Notes for Corydon.

Ohio

Segment 1 - Elizabethtown to Cincinnati

Updated Hiker Notes with information on a hotel just a little over a mile south of the Anderson Ferry in Kentucky.

Missouri

Segment 2 - Rock Island Trail - Pleasant Hill to Windsor

The Rock Island Trail and Katy Trail include a series of benches along the trail. Bernie'22 identified all of them during his crossing last year, and they are now included. We have also services in Leeton and additional services in Windsor.

Segment 3 - Katy Trail - Windsor to Boonville

Added additional food and resupply services in Sedalia, including Mighty Melt Sandwich & Spuds, which has "reopened under new ownership. Still the same amazing sandwiches, soups, and spuds!" - Anonymous'22, ChrisAmanda'23

Segment 7 - Katy Trail to Saint Louis - Illinois State Line

We have also included notes on reaching REI, which is just 1.7 mi SW of the trail in St. Louis.

And we added lodging notes and recommendations regarding the elegant B&B Fleur-de-Lys Mansion in Saint Louis. Yes, it's a little pricey. But when you are pounding out 4,800 miles, don't you deserve to treat yourself every now and again? - HT Brad McKim'23

Hike Your Hike - John.

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