Your Next Adventure
Your Next Adventure
GAP Trail Getaway Bike Tour
Trip Overview
The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) Trail is on the bucket list of many cyclists for good reason. Now you can ride the full trail with us in just 4 days … and all downhill on a gentle railroad grade! Bike from Cumberland, Maryland, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania … enjoying spectacular views and peaceful surroundings. The wide crushed-gravel trail offers views of the Allegheny Mountains and the Casselman, Youghiogheny, and Monongahela rivers. Finish in downtown Pittsburgh at the famous “three rivers” confluence of the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio Rivers.
Start with a shuttle to the Eastern Continental Divide for your initial ride (downhill & south) on the trail to Cumberland, Maryland. On Day 2, shuttle back to the Eastern Continental Divide and spend the next three days riding downhill (north) to the northern terminus of the trail in Pittsburgh. Each day there’s an option to hop in the van and skip part of the day’s ride. The first two days are deep in the Allegheny Mountains, highlighted by the beautiful Ohiopyle State Park. Your final day allows you to see the transition from rural lands through the evolving river corridors of Pittsburgh — with a triumphant finish at the revitalized downtown area … with its famous sports stadiums.
To fully experience the splendor of the entire length of this historic route, you stay in comfortable, but casual inns — some of which are a departure from Discovery’s customary sumptuous accommodations. You enjoy delicious meals, gorgeous scenery and outdoor camaraderie in these lovely locations.
Surfaces for this tour: 16% Paved and 84% Gravel.
Itinerary
From start to finish, check out the route.
The trip begins at 8:00 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn - Pittsburgh Airport. Meet your leaders and get ready to depart at 8:30 a.m. for a transfer to the start. Please arrive prepared to ride. Stop for lunch in Meyersdale and then head nearby to the Eastern Continental Divide. Cycling south on the GAP Trail, pass through the Big Savage tunnel, then cross the Mason-Dixon line and enter Maryland. The next 20 miles into Cumberland is the steepest grade on the GAP trail, so enjoy the downhill ride! Your hotel for the night is just a couple of hundred feet from the southern end of the GAP Trail. Enjoy dinner nearby and get to know each other!
Today’s ride starts with a 30-minute shuttle back to the Eastern Continental Divide. (Guests choosing a shorter ride start in Rockwood.) On the main route, you cycle across several trestles, including the 1,908’ Salisbury Viaduct. The Casselman River joins the Youghiogheny in the town of Confluence, where the larger and deeper valley takes you away from small towns and into Ohiopyle State Park. This is the area where George Washington fought for the British in the French and Indian War in the 1760s. The plunging waterfalls and soaring ridges remind you of why this was America’s Northwest Frontier in the late 1700s. Take your time along this stretch of trail and enjoy the views of the river far below … before rolling into the town of Ohiopyle, where river rafting vies with bicycling as the main tourist draws. Enjoy dinner at a nearby restaurant followed by a night at the rustic Ohiopyle Suites, just steps from the trail.
This day includes longer miles ... which can be shortened with a lift in the van. Rolling out of Ohiopyle, continue through the State Park and pass across beautiful, historic rail-trail bridges over the Youghiogheny rapids. Enjoy lunch in the first large town since Maryland — Connellsville, PA. The trail and river run right through the historic downtown. From there, rural farm country edges closer to the river and you see occasional small towns until you cycle into historic West Newton.
Bike out of farm country by mid-morning and into the suburbs … and cycle through a recovering industrial area along the Youghiogheny River. It joins the Monongahela in McKeesport, and you get to view this majestic, ship-going section of the river. Stop at Mitchell's Fish Market for lunch and then cross the famous Hot Metal Bridge into downtown Pittsburgh — arriving at Point State Park and the end of the GAP Trail. Finish the day with a special visit to Bicycle Heaven, which houses over 4,000 bikes in its collection. Following your visit there, transfer back to the start at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh Airport by 5 p.m., to say goodbye.
Map
Dates & Pricing
Prices are per person based on double occupancy (2 people in one room). Single supplement for private room is listed at the top of this page. A deposit of $500 holds your reservation for most tours. For weekend tours, the deposit is $300.
What’s Included
3 nights' lodging, 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners. Free transfer from Pittsburgh at 8 a.m. on the first day of your tour and return to the starting hotel near Pittsburgh Airport by 5 p.m. on the last day of your tour. We also include detailed maps and itineraries, experienced guides, full van support — plus the use of a bike and helmet. Airfare is not included.
Dates & Pricing
Prices are per person based on double occupancy (2 people in one room). Single supplement for private room is listed at the top of this page. A deposit of $500 holds your reservation for most tours. For weekend tours, the deposit is $300.
What’s Included
3 nights' lodging, 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners. Free transfer from Pittsburgh at 8 a.m. on the first day of your tour and return to the starting hotel near Pittsburgh Airport by 5 p.m. on the last day of your tour. We also include detailed maps and itineraries, experienced guides, full van support — plus the use of a bike and helmet. Airfare is not included.
Inns
Where you stay along the way.
Gallery
Images from this tour. Click each to see it larger.
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