I’m doing the GAP-CO next month and am planning on flying in from the west coast. I’m trying to decide if I should assemble my bike in the airport and ride to my hotel or just take everything to the hotel and work there. Anyone build there bike at the airport? Is there room to do this at the airport? I looks like most people come by train on this sub
Looking for opinions and advice for both the GAP and the C&O. I have both a sleeping hammock and a small, 2-person tent and am just wondering if there will be enough places to hang the hammock for my 225#.
My 11 and I leave tomorrow, we plan to ride from McKeesport to ohiopyle or maybe a little past if we’re feeling up to it. We’ll probably camp 2 nights.
Any favorite stops along this area? Birding, hikes, scenic spots?
Best lunch or dinner spots? Is ohiopyle a mess after yesterday’s rainstorm? Any general advice?
Spotted this weekend right next to the trail near Confluence
Aug 5-10 2026
My first bike packing trip and it was a blast. Met some cool people, ate some good food, saw a lot of good views. Tent camped most of it but of course had to stop at the Cross Trails Hostel.
start at the point
ride to the T in Station Square
ride the T to Library station
take the Montour trail to McKeesport
thats it.
Library station to McKeesport is 15 miles on Montour
Station Square to McKeesport is also about 15 miles on the GAP
this fact makes me happy.
Is there any good way to get from the GAP trail on to Cleveland by bike?
Pitt — OhioPyle
OhioPyle — Cumberland
Cumberland — Hancock
Hancock— Harper’s Ferry
Harpers Ferry — DC
Setting out in a few weeks. Lodging or camping accommodations made at each stop except Hancock. Expecting to use a hiker/biker site around there.
I’ve made pretty extensive notes on what each little town along the way has to offer in terms of food.
Any additional tips, suggestions, detours?
I'm working on the logistics of a trip from Pittsburgh to DC and have found a fairly long list of B&Bs in the various trail towns but was wondering if folks who have done it before have any recommendations.
My base plan is to do ~60 miles a day because that gives me plenty of time to spare each day for stops along the way or getting done early and exploring. I'll also have a personal shuttle driver so I have the option of lodging away from the trail or farther along if the options are better.
My biking plans involve stopping in Connellsville, Meyersdale, Cumberland, Hancock, and Harper's Ferry, but I'm pretty flexible if there are towns that make better overnight options. Meyersdale to Cumberland for instance is only 30 miles, but I could fit that half day in elsewhere if there are better lodging options or points of interest worth taking a half-day to detour for.
A two mile section of the GAP Trail in West Mifflin is scheduled to remain closed for two more weeks, from yesterday August 5 until August 20, for no good reason. The trail between GAP mile markers 136 and 138 has been closed since July 10, and was originally scheduled to reopen on August 6 after a contractor, Rockstar, did rock scaling: removing loose rocks from the cliffs above the trail near Kennywood that have, in past years, caused occasional rockslides. Rockstar completed this phase of their planned rock scaling work yesterday, and the trail in this section is now in excellent shape: no rocks, trees, or equipment on the trail, and fewer loose rocks above the trail than ever. So this section of trail is probably safer now than it’s been since the trail opened here in 2011. But the trail is not reopening today as originally planned. It’s closed for at least two more weeks! And perhaps longer. In the meantime the trail sits clean and rideable with no work going on, but CLOSED!
How do I know this? I’m a board member of Steel Valley Trail Council (SVTC), and one of the volunteers that does regular trail maintenance here, helping to keep the trail clear of vegetation, trash, and occasional small rockfalls. I was part of a special tour of the rockfall section yesterday given by the Rockstar company. Rockstar was contracted by the Regional Trail Corporation (RTC), SVTC’s parent trail organization, the trail’s landowner.
Why is the trail closed for now? Some at RTC fear that remaining large boulders in the cliffs above the trail could roll down the hill and injure or kill a cyclist or pedestrian on the trail, exposing RTC to liability. I believe this is an irrational fear, both because the probabilities are so low, and because there are other unaddressed risks along the GAP that are probably more severe, such as being struck by a car where the trail crosses the Costco driveway in West Homestead or crossing Hot Metal Street in Pittsburgh’s Southside. Some at RTC have exaggerated the liability fears to argue that the trail near Kennywood needs to be PERMANENTLY closed! I disagree with that.
Further, closing the trail induces some cyclists to bike along highly dangerous Route 837 (sadly, RTC refuses to acknowledge that workable detours via Ravine St exist) exposing people to safety risks FAR greater than that of rockfalls. The shuttle that the GAP Conservancy has arranged and subsidized helps, but its hours are limited and its cost ($20) is prohibitive for some.
What are reasonable safety measures? RTC is considering spending millions of dollars to erect rockfall barriers and/or rockfall bolts in a few places. This may make sense. Additionally, I have observed that rockfalls are highly clustered in certain months of the winter and summer, and typically occur within a day or two of a big thaw or rainfall. Perhaps we can predict the high-rockfall-risk days and close the trail for just those days.
As an avid trail user, I ask of RTC that all of the GAP remain open as much as possible, that it not be closed unnecessarily, and that any future trail closures NOT be in mid-summer, when trail use is highest, but in the off-season, e.g. November. Any closures should be as short as possible.
And for now, RTC should reopen the GAP near Kennywood IMMEDIATELY!
To share your thoughts on this with the RTC, contact Brandon Simpson at rtcslideproject@gmail.com .
