Your Next Adventure
Your Next Adventure
Great Allegheny Passage Bike Tour
Trip Overview
The GAP Trail is on the bucket list of many cyclists for good reason. This bike tour from Maryland to Pennsylvania with 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 with a shuttle to Cumberland, MD, with stop for a tour and lunch at Fallingwater, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous buildings. After lunch you take a shakeout ride up to the Eastern Continental Divide. 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.
Surfaces for this tour: 16% Paved and 84% Gravel.
Itinerary
From start to finish, check out the route.
The trip begins with an 8:00 a.m. Meet’n’Greet in at the Hilton Garden Inn - Pittsburgh Airport. We will depart at 8:30 a.m. After brief introductions, we will pile our luggage, bodies, and bikes in the van and trailer. Please have riding gear ready to change into on arrival in Cumberland.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 nearby 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.
You start the day with a ride from the Inn in Meyersdale further along the GAP Trail to the town of Rockwood. After exploring the town and river valley, you ride back across the Salisbury aqueduct to Meyersdale. After lunch in town, van to the Flight 93 Memorial nearby for a visit to the site and museum. The Flight 93 Memorial site honors the 40 passengers and crew lost on 9/11. You have time to explore the visitor center, the Tower of Voices, the Wall of Names and the 40 Memorial Groves.
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 nearby restaurant followed by a night at the rustic Ohiopyle Suites, 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
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 $750 holds your reservation for most tours. For tours less than 6 days, the deposit is $500.
What’s Included
5 nights' lodging, 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners. Free transfer from Pittsburgh at 8 a.m. on the first day of your tour and return to Pittsburgh by 4 p.m. on the last day of your tour. We also include detailed maps and itineraries, experienced guides, full van support — plus 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 $750 holds your reservation for most tours. For tours less than 6 days, the deposit is $500.
What’s Included
5 nights' lodging, 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners. Free transfer from Pittsburgh at 8 a.m. on the first day of your tour and return to Pittsburgh by 4 p.m. on the last day of your tour. We also include detailed maps and itineraries, experienced guides, full van support — plus use of a bike and helmet. 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 …
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Gallery
Images from this tour. Click each to see it larger.
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