I rode the canal and the linked Great Allegheny Passage bike trail in April 2019 so my route was from Washington DC to Pittsburgh and most people will probably do the combined route. I found the paths quite slow and struggled to make the daily mileage that I usually would in Europe. The crushed limestone on the Allegheny trail is slow when wet and the canal path is unsurfaced but luckily that section was dry for me. It was very quiet in places- on some more remote stretches it would be 2/3 hours between seeing people. I saw a coyote and a ground hog and lots of turtles and it was very easy to follow both trails. Accommodation was a bit tricky in places ( because it wasn’t heavy populated) and some of the b and bs weren’t open in April so I had to camp one night and I think it would be fine to camp the whole trip. Lots of trees and if there have been storms before you cycle there may be trees down across the trail so be prepared for a bit of bike portage. The locals were friendly and I didn’t have any issues finding food- breakfasts are recommended! I did feel like I’d seen a different side to America.  The most memorable section was of course the Paw Paw tunnel which I was worried about before I got there but it was ok- unlit and a bit rough underfoot but there was a handrail. I walked it. Please note that the canal is dry other than sections which naturally have water- it hasn’t been in use for many years. I would say that April was a bit early in the year to cycle it and I did get absolutely soaked on a couple of days and due to it being early in the season it can be cold.