Odds are, you might be ending your day at one of the campsites in this stretch, if only to take advantage of Hancock’s plentiful options right off the trail. This is the last bike shop until Cumberland to the west, and Brunswick to the east. There’s also an abundance of food options, from gas station cuisine to full sit-down restaurants. But if you’re doing it right, you get pie at Weaver’s, which is probably the best sugar-laden option on the entire towpath.
A few shower options for the campers on this tour are in this stretch, and if you aren’t rinsing off in the river or with a good pannier full of water dumped on your head (I plead guilty to both), you might do everyone a favor by getting a shower at the C&O Bicycles bunkhouse or at Ft. Frederick.
The abandoned and very spooky cement mill is a highlight around MM 128.
One other feature of this section is the option to hop off the towpath and ride the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail. The downside is you lose access to a few of the campgrounds, so be sure to check maps if you’re planning to camp on the C&O but ride a stretch of the WMRT! It runs parallel from MM114-141.