The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is a scenic, safe, and satisfying 150-mile rail-trail through the Allegheny Mountains, its the longest such trail east of the Mississippi River. In Cumberland, the GAP connects to the C&O Canal Towpath, which runs from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland along the Potomac River. Using both trails, riders can trace a 332-mile path outlining our country’s westward expansion.
The Great Allegheny Passage soars over valleys, snakes around mountains, and skirts alongside three rivers (the Casselman, Youghiogheny, and Monongahela) on its nearly level path. Cyclists pass through the Cumberland Narrows, cross the Mason-Dixon Line, top the Eastern Continental Divide at 2,392’, weave through the breathtaking Laurel Highlands, wind their way through 19,052-acre Ohiopyle State Park, journey through the region’s coke, coal, mining, and steel-making corridor, and end at Pittsburgh’s majestic Point State Park.
Stunning views of waterfalls, gorges, river valleys, and farmland are everywhere, especially from outside the 3,294’ Big Savage Tunnel, from the sweeping 909’ Keystone and 1,908’ Salisbury Viaducts, at both ends of the 849’ Pinkerton Tunnel, via the soaring Ohiopyle High and Low Bridges, and the 1,174’ Hot Metal Bridge. Riders overlook the joining of rivers at Confluence, McKeesport, and Pittsburgh, and can explore adjoining peninsulas, hollows, wildflower stands, and forests at many places along the trail.
Get a TrailGuide book and maps at www.GAPtrail.org