Anyone ridden the Great Allegheny Passage trail?  Some of my ridiculously in shape friends have peer pressured me into riding this 150 mile trail from Cumberland, MD to Pittsburgh, PA.

The plan is to drive to Cumberland then take the train back to Pittsburgh and then ride back to the vehicles in 3 days, 60/60/30 miles per day.

Tips on training or gear would be appreciated if anyone has any to offer.

Is it all downhill?

Sort of.  Something like 1672' in 125 miles isn't much. It's a rail trail.



I've heard there are lots of places to stop along the way so we aren't packing food or too much water.  I'm thinking of a hammock for the nights.  Small and light.  A tent is definitely out.  Even a pad and tarp seems too bulky.  Weather will determine final preps as the time draws near though.

@brandon_

I have ridden most of the GAP (and part of the C&O as well).

Cumberland is a great starting point.  There is parking near the start of the trail where you can leave your car for multiple days.  Look for the big lot across the street from Cumberland Trail Connection bike shop.  There is also good  (and cheap) camping at the YMCA in Cumberland, which includes use of their shower facilities.

Camping is a bit harder on the GAP as there aren't as many camping sites compared to the C&O.  Reservations at campsites are advisable so you don't get shut out.  I will recommend Ohiopyle State Park in Ohiopyle, the Husky Haven Campground in Rockwood, the Festival Park Campground in Meyersdale and as mentioned above, the YMCA in Cumberland.  I assume you are not a "glamper" when it comes to camping; these places are clean but relatively sparse in terms of facilities (only Ohiopyle and Cumberland have showers).

Warning 1:  if you camp at Husky Haven, bring earplugs for sleeping.  Trains going through Rockwood blast their horns and you will hear them through the night.

Warning 2:  if you camp at Ohiopyle State Park, be prepared to walk your (fully loaded) bicycle up a VERY steep incline.  You cannot ride up this incline, as the path is not paved.

Warning 3:  regarding the Amtrak back to PGH -- while that train is RORO (roll on, roll off) bike friendly, there are relatively few bike slots (from memory, 4 per train) and there is only one train per day.  If you're committed to your trip, reserve your tickets (and bike) well in advance.  Wait too long and you may get stuck.

The GAP is better maintained than the C&O but can get squirrelly if you encounter heavy rain.  The GAP is mostly compacted gravel.  I am assuming you are riding a proper touring bicycle, not some road bike with 25c tires.  At minimum I would recommend 35c or 38c width tires.  For a mountain bike or hybrid, 1.5" width (or wider) mountain bike/touring tires being highly preferred.  I would not recommend riding on a "gravel bike" based on personal experience.

Before you leave, check to make sure the tunnels are open.  They have been known to close on short notice.  On the GAP side I think you only need to worry about Big Savage Tunnel.   On the C&O side the Paw Paw Tunnel was recently closed for a spell due to mudslides.

With regard to gear, let us know what areas concern you.  I am a tent camper; if you are dead-set on using a tarp/hammock, you will not be able to find appropriately spaced trees to lash your setup at The Festival Park or the YMCA.

It would help to know your current experience level with regard to your question on training.  My group rode 30-50 miles per day, with most days being closer to 40 miles than 50.  We wanted to take a more leisurely pace so we could take our time to see the sights and have casual lunches in the small towns along the way.  I highly recommend taking your time.  There is a ton of charm in the small towns along the way.  As an example, you may want to dine at the Morguen Toole Company in Meyersdale ... it's a former morgue.    Blasting through the trail at high speed means you miss too much of the variety.

You are taking the easy way on the GAP, in that you are going east to Cumberland.  The climb west from Cumberland to the Continental Divide is a steady uphill climb -- while not really strenuous, it is rather lengthy and can wipe out less experienced bicyclists.   Be careful descending into Cumberland from the east if you have narrow tires or if the ground is very wet, as you will slide around quite a bit if you are going too fast.

There is a ton of good info on bikeforums.net, Crazy Guy on a Bike and other forums but I will help if you can give us some more information.  However, and it pains me to say it, the $10 book that the "official" GAP manual is not worth the cash.  I purchased the book and frankly you can find better information online.

One day I hope to ride the entire trail from Pittsburgh PA to Washington DC, at a leisurely pace.

Wow...thank you.  My friend's dad is the one coordinating this and I was invited after planning had already begun.  We're going in the middle of May.

I can say so far that we all do have train tickets with bike spaces already.

The guy heading this up said he called some campgrounds along the way and they don't require reservations.  I don't know which ones he's planning on us stopping at but I've done stuff with him before and he wouldn't screw it up so I'll go with it.  Worst case scenario is we're homeless for a couple days.  Whatever...that's basically camping anyway

Training-wise I guess I just wondered how much was enough.  I'm a casual mountain bikes so I'm used to a hard 8-10 miles not a casual 60 miles and not sure if/how that compares.

Gear wise I just found out that there is another person going who isn't riding but is driving a van with all of our stuff in it so we just have to ride.

@brandon_

OK, that's some good information.

If you can do a full 10 mile hard ride, you will not have a problem from an aerobic perspective with 60 mile days.  Say you guys ride 6 hours total per day (not including time for lunch); that's only 10 mph average to hit 60 miles.  Your lungs can do that easily.  What you need to work on from now until May is training the rest of your body to do long rides.

Forget about your lungs for a bit.  Your backside is going to need to acclimate to being in the saddle for very long periods of time.  All the lung capacity in the world won't do any good if you end up in searing pain due to your bike or other factors.  You need to find out now if adjustments are needed, otherwise you are going to hate life after the first day.

First, if you don't already have dedicated bicycle shorts with the padding, you need to buy two pairs as soon as possible and get used to riding in them.  Six hours per day in the saddle is a long time.  The padding will help immensely, and the spandex material will prevent skin damage from chafing (more on that later).  Regular shorts will not help (and may hurt if you are wearing abrasive fabrics such as denim).

You need more than one pair of shorts because you will be riding for three or more days.  Unless you are planning on doing laundry every night I don't recommend riding consecutive days in the same sweaty shorts.    Smell aside, you don't need bacteria building up in your shorts over time.  Wear one pair and let the other pair air out while you ride by lashing them to your rack (this will not work well if you encounter rain).

Second, skin chafing can kill a tour very quickly.  Your thighs are not used to constant abrasion for 6 hour days.  Even if you have bicycle shorts, I recommend you buy a box of chamois cream, and use one packet at the start of each day.

Third, you need to figure out if the seat on your current bike will cut it for touring.  In most instances you will not have to buy a new seat, assuming you take the measures mentioned above and that your bike's seat was properly fitted for you upon purchase.  In extreme cases, that narrow carbon fiber seat on your MTB might be light and nice for trail blasts, but not so much for long tours.  If you were not fitted for your seat, ask your local bike shop if they have the special device to measure your sit bones.  It's basically a device with a gel pad that helps you determine what width seat is best for you.  If you can't get fitted, don't worry about it because you should always do a series of long test rides (more on that later) to see if your current equipment will work.

Fourth, the same goes for your shoes.  In particular, if you are using competition-oriented clipless shoes they may not agree with your feet when used during touring.  Those carbon fiber S-Works racing shoes are great for transferring power during climbs but you might develop blisters or hot spots if you use them for touring.  If you must use clipless pedals, I recommend sneaker-type SPD pedals that are designed for more casual use or mountain biking.  Even if you are using toe clips or flats, you need to ensure that your shoes won't give you issues.  Again, you should be doing test rides to figure out these issues.

Further, if it rains getting shoes to dry out overnight is difficult while riding and camping.  You have a buddy with a van so weight should not be a concern.  Pack a spare set of shoes -- if for nothing else, you can muck around the campsite or use them to go into town for dinner instead of clicking around in SPD/Look cleats all the time.  If your primary set of shoes gets soaked you can ride with your spare set and try to air out the first pair on the back of your rack while riding.  If the weather forecast calls for frequent rain, you might want to make your second pair of shoes a set of Teva-style sandals (not flip-flops) so you can ride or walk without socks.  Wet feet can be dried out much more easily than wet socks and shoes ....

Fifth, you might have other muscle/joint issues (unrelated to aerobic capacity) that you need to identify prior to leaving on your first tour.  The muscles and joints you will grind away for a slow 60 day slog are much different than a 10 mile MTB blast.  During your test rides you should keep an eye out for any discomfort that pops up, and ensure that you stretch well before each day.  As an example, you might get some pain in one ankle during long rides that will never show up during a short blast ride.  Those nagging pains might arise from ill-fitting equipment (e.g. clipless pedals that are set up incorrectly), stiff muscles or any other host of issues -- the point is to identify them before the tour to ensure that you can fix them.

Regarding the test ride -- in all cases, I suggest doing a few 20 and 30 mile slow rides on weekends to see how you feel, with your current bike and gear.  You'll find out quickly if you can double that over three days without running into issues.  If you encounter problems, you can fix them before your tour.

On gear, I recommend going with a free-standing tent.  As mentioned already there are some campsites on the GAP where it is not possible to find somewhere to lash a hammock.  You have a buddy with a van so the weight of a tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag and pillow should not be a concern.  This is your first tour so you should try to make this part as easy as possible.  You can do the ultra-light thing another time.

Make sure you bring a headlamp if you don't want to bring a bike-specific light.  You will not need a headlamp for The Big Savage Tunnel as there are a few overhead lights. You will need a headlight to get through the dark when riding to/from dinner and also for camping.   As an example, if you camp at the Husky Haven Campground, you will be across the river (and at least 1/4 mile ride) from the restaurants in Rockwood and it could be pitch black when you ride back to the campsite.  You also might encounter difficulties on the trail (e.g. flat tires, broken spokes) which cause long delays and force you to ride in darkness to reach your next campground.  Don't rely on hand-held lights for biking.  You probably already have a headlamp for camping so bring it along.

I'm going to assume that you already have a standard bike repair kit and enough skills to solve normal bike issues (mostly flat tires).  If you haven't tuned up your bike in a while, it's a good idea to take it to the bike shop before your tour so they can get it set up properly.  There are bike shops along the trail but it can be a long walk between towns.

I also recommend over-loading on water so ensure that your bike has at least two bike bottle cages and keep those bottles filled.  Unlike the C&O (which has free water pumps available at each hiker/biker campsite along its route), there are relatively few public water fountains on the GAP.  You should ensure that you are topping off your bottles whenever possible, mostly in the towns where you are stopping for lunch and dinner.  This is especially important if it is very hot and humid during your trip.  I have experienced mild heat exhaustion (despite over-hydrating) in bike touring situations and you want to avoid that situation where possible.  You should also be taking salt tablets or other electrolytes with your water in hot conditions.

If you let us know what type of bike/tires you will be using, other gear recommendations can be made.  I think you'll be fine as long as you're not riding a road bike on skinny tires.

Regarding the Amtrak, it is good that your buddy has things covered, but you should confirm your departure/arrival times.  My recollection is that the westbound train to PGH arrives VERY late at night (around midnight).  It has been many years since I lived in Pittsburgh but I also recall that the area between the start of the GAP in PGH and the Amtrak station may not be the best of areas.  You don't want to arrive on the train at zero dark thirty and have to ride through not-so-nice areas of town.  If my memory is correct about the midnight arrival time you do not want to camp the first night -- you should go straight to your hotel and hit the trail the next day.  Make sure you get clarity on this situation, otherwise you will be riding in the dark very late at night!

On camping reservations your buddy is probably correct that reservations are not required at many of the campsites that I mentioned.  That said, you guys are going during near peak season so you run the slight risk of the campsites being full.  From memory the campsites I mentioned had decent capacity (especially Husky Haven), with less spaces being available at the Festival Park and the Cumberland YMCA.   I'll leave that issue of logistics to your buddy.  

Best of luck, you should have a great time.  I've always enjoyed my trips on the GAP and C&O (and they have NOT all gone well).  It's a valuable recreation area that Pennsylvania can offer and you should take full advantage of it!

Wow, you guys are really serious.
.good luck and have a great time.

I feel like my bike and riding gear is pretty good but I am absolutely going to do some longer rail trail rides just to get used to sitting.  Starting tomorrow!

I'll be riding my normal fs mtb, a 2014 Breezer supercell.  I forget what tires are on it right now but they're 2.2"x29" half worn out XC tires.  Bike had a tune up and fork and shock rebuilt last year.  I was planning on a little higher pressure in the suspension and tires than normal (no, not tubeless).  I am going to put lights on my bike.  I was already planning on the head lamp for around camp but I hadn't considered getting delayed and it being dark while we're still on the trail.  That's why I come here

I usually ride in flat pedals (Shimano saints), although I do have a pair of clipless pedals and the sneaker-like shoes.  I was planning on doing this ride with the flats just because I feel like being able to move my feet around (and not having to worry about them coming off the pedals on rough downhills this time) will be an advantage.  My normal riding shoes are a pair of New Balance trail runners with a very firm sole.  Pack is an Osprey Raptor 14 that I think might be small for this trip so I might get something a little bigger there. It easily fits a full bladder, spare tube, multitool, tire levers, tire pump and shock pump but not a lot else.

Our arrival time in PGH is 11:48pm and we have rooms 2 blocks away from the train station I am told.  It's a little concerning you brought up safety in the city because that was my first thought when I saw that.  Hopefully being in a group of 6 will be enough of a deterrent.

Your Breezer will be great for the trail.  Same with your tires.  Most of the GAP is compacted gravel.  It can get bad in heavy rain but with a MTB you will be fine.  The downhill into Cumberland from the west can get a little loose as the gravel is not as compacted as the rest of the trail but as you are an experienced MTB'er you will not have any problems at all.

Your pedals, pack and shoes are fine.  Clipless/SPD is not required for the GAP.  First time I rode the GAP was in toe clips and running shoes on a hardtail mountain bike.  I only use my double-sided SPD/flat pedals for touring due to the fact that I'm too lazy to pull them off my commuter/touring bike.  

Safety should not be an issue as your buddy has planned things properly (i.e. going straight to a hotel).  The Amtrak station is in the business zone and while it can be desolate late at night, it is not unsafe.  I mention safety only because you said you were camping, and as such I had assumed your group was one of those that insisted upon 100% camping (no hotels) so when they arrive at PGH they try to ride to their campsites further down the GAP immediately.  This is a bad idea.

Some of the routes to the start of the GAP from PGH go through or dangerously close to Oakland, which is not a good part of town -- especially if you are group of spandex-clad folks on expensive bikes riding through those bad areas after midnight.    I am speaking of the area immediately to the north as you approach the Hot Metal Bridge, which you must cross if you are going to the GAP from Union Station.   For obvious reasons, one should avoid trying to ride any part of the GAP after arriving at Union Station near midnight.

There are other unsafe areas as well, but I am less familiar with the situation as it has been 20+ years since I lived in Pittsburgh.  The locals should feel free to correct me on the safety situation in Oakland.  As your group will be riding in daylight on the following morning, I think you will be fine (even though you may be riding near the aforementioned shady areas).