timber@earthnet.net
Great Allegheny Passage & The C&O Canal:
Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.
Appalachian Highlands:

Dates:
(8 days, 7 nights; Sat-Sat)
May 29-June 5
Oct. 2-9

Assembly Point: Pittsburgh/West Mifflin, PA
(airline service to Pittsburgh; Timberline van shuttle from airport to West Mifflin.  Note that tour originates in Pittsburgh and terminates in Washington)

Tour Cost: $2,595
(includes all lodging, breakfasts and dinners, park entrance fees, support van, Timberline van shuttle from Pittsburgh to West Mifflin prior to tour, leaders, trail maps & narratives)

Itinerary

           After 30 years of planning and years of construction, along with the cooperative, heroic efforts of a committed battalion of volunteers, the final section of the Great Allegheny Passage was completed in late-December, 2006, and opened to public use during the summer of 2007. With its seamless connection to the Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Trail, cyclists can now celebrate and enjoy an incredible 335-mile off-road, traffic-free adventure from Pittsburgh, PA, to Washington, D.C. Without a doubt, the Allegheny Passage/C & O Trail ranks as the crown jewel in our nation’s growing network of Rails-to-Trails.

    For us, the opportunity is irresistible. For years, we’ve considered new adventure opportunities in the trans-Appalachian regions to our east, but we’ve always deferred because of reluctance to deal with some of the issues inherent in riding the heavily-traveled roads of the area. Last season, the Allegheny/C&O joined a growing number of rails-to-trails in our program that has included the Katy across Missouri, the Mickelson in South Dakota’s Black Hills, and the Kettle Valley in southern British Columbia. Like our other rails-to-trails tours, we’ll ride a hard-packed crushed limestone and gravel surface best-suited for a hybrid, rather than a skinny-tire road bike.

    We’ll assemble near West Mifflin, join the Allegheny Trail early morning and ride to Perryopolis on Day 1. We’ll spend the evening at the Inn at Lenora and then, on Day 2, trace the Youghiogheny River as we ride beyond Falling Waters to Ohiopyle in the heart of the Laurel Highlands. We’re ultimately headed to Confluence on this day, named for the town’s location at the confluence of the Youghiogheny and Casselman Rivers.

    The excitement builds on Day 3 as we ride from Confluence toward the Allegheny Highlands. We’ll detour around the 800’-long Pinkerton Tunnel, which remains closed because of extensive freeze damage, and then cross the 100’-high Salisbury Trestle that spans the Casselman Valley. Meyersdale offers a good opportunity for lunch before we begin our climb to the Eastern Continental Divide, separating waters flowing to the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The Divide also marks the high point on the Allegheny Passage. Lurking 1-1/2 miles beyond the Divide is the Big Savage Tunnel, a 3300-foot, illuminated course cut through the heart of Big Savage Mountain. The views of the surrounding Allegheny Highlands are spectacular as we emerge from the tunnel and launch into a long downhill beyond the Mason-Dixon Line to Cumberland, MD.

    Cumberland, for us, marks the end of the Great Allegheny Passage and the beginning of the C&O Trail. The C&O, for most of its 184-mile length, follows the north bank of the Potomac River. Built between 1828 and 1850, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal operated sporadically until 1924. The canal lapsed into inactivity and proposals to convert the towpath into a highway were seriously considered. Led by the efforts of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas to preserve this national treasure, the canal’s towpath achieved protection as a national historical park in 1971.

    Early morning of Day 4, we’re back on the trail as we set out from the Western Maryland Scenic Rail Station in Cumberland. We’ll ride east through the Maryland countryside into West Virginia and then plunge into the darkness of the 3100-foot Paw Paw Tunnel. A light is essential through the tunnel. Another viable option is a half-mile walk to the light at the end of the tunnel. The landscape beyond the tunnel is rugged, remote and stunningly beautiful. We’re headed for Hancock on this night, a town that was a major inland port during the canal’s heyday.

    We’re off to Fort Frederick early on Day 5. Built in 1756 to defend Maryland’s western frontier during the French and Indian War, the fort today is preserved and remembered as a state park. Later that afternoon, we’ll leave the C & O and detour to the National Battlefield at Antietam. We’ll walk the grounds of this storied Civil War landmark and then ride the short distance into Sharpsburg to the Jacob Rohrbach Inn, where we’ll spend the night. Day 6, we’ll return to the trail and ride to Harpers Ferry, at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. We’ll then continue on to White’s Ferry and cross the Potomac for access to Leesburg and our overnight at the Norris House. It should be noted that Confederate General Robert E. Lee utilized this same ferry on the way to his command at Antietam.

    Day 7, we’ll ride through Great Falls Park, marking the site of what once posed the most formidable obstacle to navigation on the Potomac. We’ll follow the trail to its end in the heart of the Georgetown District of D.C., and our final evening at the Latham Hotel, situated a block from trail’s end.

    The history that surrounds us in our nation’s capital is overpowering—so much so that we need to linger for an additional day. And what better way to spend this final day than a ride to the historic home of George Washington on the Potomac along the 18-mile paved trail to Mount Vernon.

Total mileage – 271


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