Wow, what an amazing ride!
That's the most succinct description of our recent, four-week, 150-mile bicycle trip through the Great Allegheny Passage.
We encountered a little bit of everything: gorgeous scenery, well-maintained trails, interesting architecture – some things we expected, some things we didn't – did anyone else have rattlesnakes and porcupines on their GAP Ride bingo card?
As director of public relations and community outreach for GO Laurel Highlands, the tourism marketing organization for Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties in Pennsylvania, I spend a lot of time talking about the Great Allegheny Passage.
After all, the trail is annually ranked one of America's best recreational trails by USA Today readers and was the first trail to be inducted into the Rails to Trails Hall of Fame.
It's also one of the region's top attractions, serving about 1 million riders annually, including an estimated 134,666 “thru-riders” who completed the 150-mile journey between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Maryland, in 2022.
We'll also talk about the economic impact of the GAP: According to the most recent available report, from 2021, the trail had an economic impact of over $121 million in 2019. With towns along the trail like Confluence thriving over the past decade, with restaurants, lodging, and even art galleries popping up around the trail, it's easy to see why.
I also run the trails from time to time. My job is to bring journalists to the region to tell our stories to their readers. I've also had the opportunity to run different sections of the GAP with writers and content creators from around the country.
What I couldn't do was run the entire trail.
Until now.
Trail Crew
John Lukoski, an outdoorsy photographer for the Tribune-Democrat, and I had talked about hitting the trail and writing a story for his newspaper. We were documenting our experience trekking the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail in 2023, and this seemed like a natural extension of that idea.
I also invited my cycling-mad brother Larry along on the trip. We had been talking about riding across the GAP for a few years, and he played a vital role in providing transportation, motivation and inspiration throughout the ride.
At various points we were joined by other friends and family, including Russ O'Reilly of the Tribune Democrat, who had just finished a long day on his rickety bike from West Newton to Ohiopyle.
Day 1
We started at mile marker 150 at Pittsburgh Point State Park and rode 34.7 miles to West Newton. The trip was interesting. While most of the trail is rural and under a canopy of trees, this section starts in the city and follows the Monongahela River and then the Youghiogheny River through many old industrial towns.
We ended the day with lunch at Trailside Pub & Restaurant in West Newton. Together with the West Newton Bicycle Shop, which is located in the same complex, Trailside is a great example of a business that caters to cyclists.
We all drove home, tired and dirty with road dust, but a stay at the nearby Bright Morning Bed and Breakfast would have been the perfect way to end the day.
Day 2
After almost a week of rest (actually a 24 hour early ride to avoid a rainstorm), we set off from West Newton for Ohiopyle, encountering a deer, a very large black snake, and several art installations along the 42 mile ride.
We had lunch at Kickstand Kitchen in Connellsville and visited Bikes Unlimited to see if Russ' bike could be fixed (it couldn't, but he persevered anyway.) We ended our day with a beautiful ride across the Ohiopyle High Bridge.
For thru-riders, Ohiopyle is often a highlight, and options like the Falls Market & Inn and Ohiopyle Suites make it easy to stay in this little borough that was named Best Small Town in the Northeast by USA Today readers.
It's also a great place to explore Ohiopyle State Park, spend time on the Youghiogheny River, or take a detour to Mill Run to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, built over a waterfall.
Day 3
The trip from Ohiopyle to Meyersdale, while two miles shorter than last week's trip, was our most difficult section. The road follows an old railroad so the grade is never too steep, but the steady elevation gain, plus an overnight rain made the road a bit sticky, really tested our legs.
We started by crossing the Ohiopyle Low Bridge followed by stops at Confluence Cyclery, which was bustling on a Saturday morning, and Tissue Farm, an espresso shop and art gallery, and the views were some of the best on the trail.
We had only covered 10 miles from Ohiopyle and it was too early for lunch, which is a shame, because River's Edge Cafe is one of my favorite places on the trail.
Tribune Democrat reporter Joshua Byers met us in Rockwood, where we bought some drinks at the visitors' center, checked out the push pins and Post-it notes detailing the places cyclists had been, and chatted with some very enthusiastic cyclists from Wisconsin and Virginia. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit Trailhead Brewing Co., a microbrewery located less than a quarter mile from the visitors' center.
Shortly after leaving Rockwood, eagle-eyed John spotted a rattlesnake on the side of the trail and used a large stick to chase it into the weeds. Though we didn’t see a bald eagle, which we spotted outside Meyersdale on our 2023 ride, the Salisbury Viaduct is always a welcome sight, offering sweeping views over the farmlands and ridge tops of Somerset County. We especially appreciated it this time, as it marked the end of a tough day.
Maple City is a popular spot for thru-cyclists to stay overnight. The beautifully restored Western Maryland Railroad Station is home to a visitor's center and the Meyersdale Area Historical Society. Bed and breakfasts like Levy Diehl Mansion, Yoder's Guest House, and the Inn on Main are great places for cyclists to stay.
Day 4
The final leg of our trip was 32 miles, but the ride from Meyersdale to Cumberland felt like a ritual, like the final day of the Tour de France. Unlike the leg-wrenching ride of Day 3, this one was a breeze. The first few miles were uphill, but the ride from Meyersdale to the Mason-Dixon Line offered plenty of interesting scenery.
We spotted seven deer in the first few miles of the ride, and soon came across the Bollman Bridge, the Keystone Viaduct, the Eastern Continental Divide, and the Big Savage Tunnel. The overlook outside the tunnel is a great place to rest and take in the views of southern Somerset County stretching into Maryland.
From there it was literally all downhill, and sticking to the GAP's 15mph speed limit was the hardest part, as we were often going well over 20mph on the downhill stretches.
Shortly after arriving in Maryland, you'll see the Borden Tunnel, and just beyond that is Frostburg. Another overlook offers views of Mount Savage, a small residential area that was once an industrial center and Maryland's fifth-largest city.
A short time later we spotted a porcupine walking slowly along the side of the road, and then, as we approached Cumberland, had the exhilarating experience of a Western Maryland Scenic Railroad train passing just a few feet to our left.
By the time we saw the signs for Lover's Leap and The Narrows, we were ready to take a few souvenir photos at Mile 0 near the Western Maryland Railroad Station and stop for lunch at the Crabby Pig, a bustling seafood restaurant just past the intersection of the Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal Trail.
For those with the energy to continue cycling, the C&O runs another 180 miles to Washington, D.C. Cumberland has a number of chain hotels and bed & breakfasts where you can rest up before another day of cycling.
John, Larry and I weren't interested. Maybe next year.
