Great Allegheny Passage

Bike Tour Blueprint

DIFFICULTY

Easy to Medium

MILEAGE

150 Miles

TRAIL SURFACE

Crushed Gravel

SERVICES

Luggage Transfers, Shuttling

LOCATION

Mid-Atlantic - Pennsylvania

TRIP ITINERARIES

4, 5, & 6 Days

ACCOMMODATIONS

Hotel, B&B, Camping

BIKE RENTAL

Yes

OVERVIEW

The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is a 150-mile trail system that leads you beneath leafy green canopy and rural small towns, past hidden waterfalls and glens, chasing glimpses of the river beside you. The gentle grade and crushed gravel surface makes biking the GAP an easy ride and accessible for cyclists of all ages and abilities. The GAP trail moves you from big city to green forest to small town for an adventure like no other.

GET THE BLUEPRINT!

Our guests who purchase the Katy Trail Bike Tour Blueprint receive the following:

In-Depth Trail Knowledge
Detailed Trip Itineraries
Build-it Guide to Reserving Your Trip
Digital Route Maps with POIs

MORE INFO

Highlights

Itinenaries

Must Know

Services

Bike Rental

Connecting Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania to Cumberland in Maryland, the Great Allegheny Passage stretches for nearly 150 miles through the Appalachian Mountains. It traverses rugged natural terrain and is dotted with small towns, offering plenty of opportunities for cyclists to rest along the way.

With most of the trail was converted from abandoned rail beds, the surface is ideal for hybrid and/or touring bicycles, with an average grade of less than 1%. At the highest point of the trail, you’ll cross the Eastern Continental Divide, after which the trail drops around 1,750 feet over 20 miles before reaching Cumberland.

The Great Allegheny Passage incorporates defunct corridors of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, and the Western Maryland Railway. Highlights along the route include Ohiopyle State Park and “Fallingwater” designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as one of only two surviving cast-iron truss bridges in North America.

Our Great Allegheny Passage itineraries are designed to give you ample time to take in the sights along the way and experience the region’s natural beauty. It’s also possible to add on an extra night in Pittsburgh at the start or end of your trip to discover the Gilded Age sites and museums of this historic city.

Difficulty: The Great Allegheny Passage is rated at easy to medium difficulty. The trail has little daily elevation gain (with the exception of Meyersdale-Cumberland) and the surface is well-maintained. Included itineraries range from 20-40 miles/day.

GALLERY

MAP

REVIEWS

The Schoolhouse and Lindenhof B&B were spectacular. The beds in all the hotels were really, really comfy. We loved the small towns along the trail and the downhill direction of the trail. We met lovely people everywhere….midwest hospitality and friendliness. There were plenty of little towns along the way. And there were many really, really friendly bikers who were very helpful and fun. Was the trip paced to your satisfaction? Yes, very much so.

The Country Inn staff did everything they could to help us…The Hotel Bothwell and Hotel Frederick were both very accommodating and friendly….Capt Wohlt Inn, in Hermann, had Brant going out of his way to help us. He even cleaned our bikes for us. …It was fine for us older folks ( we’re 71 & 72) with no shuttle taking our luggage. Each day was very doable. Of course we had almost perfect weather. We had no issues with food our water etc. thanks to your materials. And, of course, you can’t do anything about the Missouri wind and dust.