MEYERSDALE, Pa. — When the Meyersdale Wind Farm beckoned to us, we were still a couple of miles from town, on a 1,000-foot-hiker-biker bridge stretched 10 stories above the Casselman River Valley.
Just beyond the town, a long line of 400-foot windmills turned lazily atop Mount Davis, Pennsylvania's highest mountain. We welcomed the sight because we knew it heralded the end of the day's mountain bike ride on the Great Allegheny Passage trail. After 60 miles uphill pulling a full load of camping gear, our leg muscles ached, our stomachs rumbled and our throats were parched.
Beer, lodging, showers and dinner — in that order — were the priorities as we pedaled into the charming town of 2,500 people. And with the first two came some surprises.
First, it wasn't easy to find a place that sold six-packs — probably because the two men I asked directions from weren't the best authorities.
"I can't believe you asked Amish guys where to buy beer!" raved one of my companions, Tom Glotfelty.
The second and better surprise was the reception we got at the Allegheny Trail Hostel, which is operated by the town of Meyersdale. An honest-to-goodness welcoming committee awaited our arrival.
The parks and recreation board chairwoman was there, as was the editor of Meyersdale's weekly newspaper. The editor's husband ushered us through the building and gave us a tour. Their young daughter was there, and so was his mother.
Before their departure, the group suggested a local restaurant for dinner and another for breakfast in the morning. Meyersdale's high school was holding its prom that night, they confided, with a gentle hint that might mean action on the town's normally quiet streets.
Not to worry. After 60 miles of climbing, nothing was going to keep us awake for very long.
Great Allegheny Passage
Meyersdale, about 100 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, is one of many bucolic towns along the Great Allegheny Passage trail, the longest rails-to-trails project east of the Mississippi.
Begun 20 years ago this summer with a 9-mile section through Pennsylvania's Ohiopyle State Park, the crushed limestone path now stretches for 123 miles, from McKeesport, Pa., just outside Pittsburgh, to Mount Savage, Md., nine miles west of Cumberland, Md. Along the way are gorgeous river valleys, pastoral farmland, rhododendron forests, and small towns and villages nestled into Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands.
The former railroad towns along the way have made valiant efforts to turn the trail into a tourist draw. To a degree, they have succeeded. Last year, the Great Allegheny Passage counted more than 500,000 visitors, most of them between April and October.
But the number appears destined to explode this year with the opening of the trail's final section into downtown Cumberland. When that happens late in the summer, the Great Allegheny Passage will link up with the C&O Canal Towpath, a separate 184-mile-long national park that runs from Cumberland to Washington, D.C.
The result will be an uninterrupted trail from Pittsburgh to the nation's capital — more than 300 miles. My cohorts and I already are planning our trip next year.
Tunnels and bridges
The Great Allegheny Passage shares some traits with other rails-to-trails projects in the Roanoke region, such as the Virginia Creeper in Abingdon and Damascus, the New River Trail, and the Greenbrier Trail in West Virginia.
Dan Casey | The Roanoke Times
GAP Tunnel - Paul Giordano, of Roanoke, rides out of the eastern side of the Big Savage Tunnel, followed by Greg Edwards of Botetourt County. The 1-mile cut through Big Savage Mountain marks the Eastern Continental Divide. It took 2 years and $12 million to renovate the tunnel for trail users.
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- About the trail
- The Great Allegheny Passage trail runs for 130 miles between McKeesport, Pa., which is just outside Pittsburgh, and Cumberland, Md. The final 9 miles of the trail into Cumberland are scheduled to open later this year; until then, detours via road are necessary.
- Grades
- The trail heads uphill for the first 100 miles out of McKeesport, but the grade is barely discernible as you're riding – less than 1 percent in most areas.
- Shuttle services
- If you're doing a multiday point-to-point bike trip on the Great Allegheny Passage trail, you'll need transportation. There are a number of shuttle services between Pittsburgh and Cumberland. One I can recommend is Yough River Transport. Contact them at www.youghrivertransport.com or call them at (724) 277-0550.
- Accommodations, maps
- The Great Allegheny Passage trail has numerous campgrounds, bed & breakfasts, inexpensive motels at least one hostel and many bike shops along its 130 miles. For details, see the trail's Web site, www.atatrail.org and click on "Trail Maps and Info."
Because all are built on abandoned railroad rights of way, grades are gentle. On the day we rode to Meyersdale, the gain in elevation was a little more than 1,200 vertical feet over 60 miles. The grade was barely perceptible, though it wore us down by the end of the day. (By contrast, Roanoke's Mill Mountain rises about 1,000 feet from the Roanoke River in just two miles).
Another feature of rail trails is their use of former railroad viaducts and tunnels. The Great Allegheny Passage features dozens of former railroad bridges, including the 1,000-foot long Salisbury Viaduct just west of Meyersdale. Just east of the town is the mile-long Big Savage Tunnel, which took two years and cost $12 million to renovate.
Charming towns
But it's the Pennsylvania towns along the way that distinguish the Great Allegheny Passage and give it a special appeal.
As the trail developed since the first section opened in 1986, the towns sought to capitalize on the tourism potential. The results are reasonably priced bed and breakfasts, understated cafes with home-cooked food, bike shops galore, antique stores, whitewater and fishing outfitters and lots of friendly people who seem glad to see you.
Each town seems to have its own identity. At the aptly named Confluence, where the Casselman and Youghiogheny rivers meet, trout fishing appears to be a major town industry. If the numbers of fly fishermen we saw in the rivers are any example, business is thriving.
Meyersdale is the maple syrup capital of Pennsylvania, an industry founded by the Monongahela Indians long before white settlers arrived. But what you notice first are the Amish horses and buggies.
"I doubt a day goes by without seeing a buggy or a family in town at the local stores or banks," said Angie Brant, editor of The New Republic, the town's weekly newspaper. Meyersdale plans to convert a former department store on Main Street into an Amish market that would offer a central place for their old-world products.
If you crave whitewater action, the town of Ohiopyle has outfitters who will guide you through Youghiogheny River rapids. Rockwood bills itself as a hub for antique hunters, with the Rockwood Mill Shoppes & Opera House. A few miles north on Pennsylvania 653 is Seven Springs Mountain, a ski resort in winter months and a golfing destination in warmer weather.
Week or a weekend
For this bike trip I'd rounded up six pals: Paul and Robin Giordano and Doug Clary of Roanoke, Greg Edwards of Botetourt County, Tom Glotfelty of Cumberland and Kevin Dooley of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. We rushed 160 miles over two-and-a-half riding days, including 30 miles of the C&O Towpath.
But the beauty of the Great Allegheny Passage is that you don't have to rush, or do the entire trail to understand what southeastern Pennsylvania has built and what others will surely discover soon.
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