Biking across America has become a big goal for many people in their summers off, but if you don’t feel like becoming a Forrest Gump-figure or don’t have enough time, try this shorter trail.
Knows as “America’s friendliest long distant bike trail”, The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and the C&O Canal trail form the well kept hiking and biking trail that connect the cities of Pittsburgh and Washington D.C. Completed in 2013, the trail runs mostly along beautiful rivers, is mostly flat, and has great old towns and historic places to stop off at.
Although there is slightly less elevation gain if you start in Pittsburgh, either way, it is not incredibly challenging other than a small 24-mile section in the middle. From D.C. to Cumberland Maryland is the 184.5-mile C&O Canal trail which runs parallel to the now abandoned historic canal which helped transport many goods from the industrial factories near the Great Lakes from 1850 until its closure in 1924.
Some other highlights on the C&O are Harpers Ferry at mile 64, the famous Antietam Civil War battlefield, known as the bloodiest day in American history, and the Paw Paw tunnel.
From Cumberland, Maryland is the start of the GAP, and if you are coming from D.C. these are the hardest 24 miles, gaining about 2,500 feet of elevation until you reach the continental divide. Make sure to stop off at the small, old towns along the way for some great diners or cold drinks! Some other highlights along the GAP are Ohiopyle State Park, where waterfalls and whitewater rafting are a great addition to the trip. The ride from Ohiopyle to Pittsburgh is where the old steel mills and industrial factories tell the story of what the area used to be like and the trail ends at Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh.
