Your Next Adventure
Your Next Adventure
Great Allegheny Passage
Trip Overview
The GAP Trail is on the bucket list of many cyclists for good reason. Its spectacular views and peaceful surroundings will thrill you. The wide crushed-gravel trail follows a railroad grade the full distance, with views of the Allegheny Mountains and the Casselman, Youghiogheny and Monongahela rivers. Our route ends in downtown Pittsburgh at the famous “three rivers” confluence of the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio Rivers. We start in Cumberland, MD, with the trip up to the Eastern Continental Divide and through a one-mile historical rail tunnel. The first three days are deep in the Allegheny Mountains, highlighted by the beautiful Ohiopyle State Park. We’ll also visit the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, PA. In addition to the opportunity to ride all 150 miles of the GAP Trail, we’ll do a ride on the C&O Canal Trail on the first day out of Cumberland, MD. Our final day will allow you to see the transition from rural Pennsylvania 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 railroad route, we stay in comfortable, but casual inns — some of which are a departure from our customary sumptuous accommodations. You’ll enjoy delicious meals, gorgeous scenery and outdoor camaraderie in these lovely locations.
Itinerary
From start to finish, check out the route.
The trip begins with an 9 am Meet’n’Greet in downtown Pittsburgh at the Hilton Garden Inn. Bring your luggage and be ride-ready. We will depart at 9:30am after brief introductions, we will pile our luggage, bodies, and bikes in the van and trailer. We'll head into rural southwestern Pennsylvania to tour Fallingwater and have lunch at this unique house that was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935. After lunch we arrive at mile 0.0 of the GAP trail, where we stay at the Cumberland Fairfield Inn and Suites. We’ll change into biking gear and shuttle 20 minutes to the C&O Canal Trail and cycle back into town. This historical treasure of a trail begins in Washington, DC, and ends in Cumberland. The canal was finally abandoned in the 1920s having lost the battle for relevance with the railroads. Dinner is at a local Italian restaurant.
As the rail trail winds out of Potomac River valley toward the crest of the Eastern Continental Divide, you can see rolling mountains in all directions. The trail crosses the Mason-Dixon Line, which is a nice spot for a break. Then it’s on to the Big Savage Tunnel and the highest elevation of the tour. After cresting the divide, there’s a fun downhill roll into the historic town of Meyersdale. You can choose to ride the full 32 miles, ride a van to the very top of the climb or ride a van for one-half of the climb. Lunch is a picnic and dinner is at the inn.
This National Park Service site honors the 40 passengers and crew lost on 9/11. We’ll have time to explore the visitor center, the newly opened Tower of Voices, the Wall of Names and the 40 Memorial Groves. Following the site visit, you can choose to cycle 12 miles to lunch or take the van to lunch in Berlin, PA. Then cycle or van back to the GAP Trail — featuring farm country views and mostly downhill, quiet roads back to the trail at Garrett and on to nearby Meyersdale.
The Cassleman River joins the Youghiogheny in the town of Confluence, where the larger and deeper valley takes us away from small towns and into the 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 we roll into the town of Ohiopyle, where river rafting vies with bicycling as the main tourist draws. We’ll enjoy dinner at a pub followed by a night at the rustic Yough Plaza Motel, just steps from the trail.
Rolling out of Ohiopyle, we continue through the State Park and pass across beautiful, historic rail trail bridges over the Youghiogheny rapids. We 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 we see occasional small towns until we cycle into historic West Newton. Bright Morning Bed & Breakfast is a collection of four historic Colonial Era houses right beside the trail, and it’s a great location for our final evening together.
We bike out of farm country by mid-morning and into suburbs and cycle through a recovering industrial area along the Youghiogheny. It joins the Monongahela in McKeesport, and ride along this majestic, ship-going section of the river. We stop at Mitchell's Fish Market for lunch and then cross the famous Hot Metal Bridge into downtown Pittsburgh, arriving at the Point State Park and the end of the GAP Trail. We finish the day with a special visit to Bicycle Heaven which houses over 4,000 bikes in its collection. Following your tour, we transfer you back to the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh Airport and say our goodbyes.
Map
Dates & Pricing
Make your reservation with confidence. Your tour is completely 100% refundable until the final payment due date.
What’s Included
5 nights' lodging, 5 breakfasts, 5 dinners, 6 lunches, all gratuities for accommodations and meals, detailed maps and itineraries, experienced guides, full van support, hybrid bicycle, and helmet. Transfer from Pittsburgh at 10 a.m. on the first day of your tour and return to Pittsburgh by 4 p.m. on the last day of your tour. Airfare is not included.
Dates & Pricing
Make your reservation with confidence. Your tour is completely 100% refundable until the final payment due date.
What’s Included
5 nights' lodging, 5 breakfasts, 5 dinners, 6 lunches, all gratuities for accommodations and meals, detailed maps and itineraries, experienced guides, full van support, hybrid bicycle, and helmet. Transfer from Pittsburgh at 10 a.m. on the first day of your tour and return to Pittsburgh by 4 p.m. on the last day of your tour. Airfare is not included.
Inns
Where you stay along the way.
In the evening, guests relax in the historic doctor's library, play board games in the dining room and appreciate the company of other friendly guests.
Guests say …
Quotes from guests about this tour:
Michael and Jean R.
Susan and Chuck S.
Patti H and Rich E.
Susan and Chuck S.
Gallery
Images from this tour. Click each to see it larger.
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