Bicyclists can celebrate the opening of the final link of the Great Allegheny Passage with a fully supported bike tour that spins from DC to Pittsburgh this summer.
Dubbed the Greenway Sojourn 2007 by organizers Rails to Trails Conservancy, the bike ride takes advantage of 335 miles of unbroken bicycle path comprising the C&O Canal towpath (DC's Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland) and the Great Allegheny Passage (Cumberland to Pittsburgh).
The bike tour, limited to 500 cyclists, runs from June 23-30, 2007. The northbound tour provides camping accommodations, meals, luggage transport, maps and activities. Registration is available early next year at the Greenway Sojourn webpage.
The ride
The bike ride starts in Georgetown where it takes the 185-mile C&O Canal towpath to Cumberland along the Potomac River. Along the way, cyclists will pass Harpers Ferry and Fort Frederick. The Antietam Battlefield is not far away.
After Cumberland, the bike tour enters the more rugged Great Allegheny Passage that passes through tunnels and over trestles on its way to McKeesport, just south of Pittsburgh.
Although this is an old railroad right-of-way, a Great Allegheny Passage elevation chart shows a steady, 1,700-foot climb in the first 22 miles after leaving Cumberland. It's in this area that the trail passes through the 3,300-foot-long Big Savage Tunnel. North of Big Savage, the trail maintains a 1,600-foot downward slope over the next 126 miles.
Equipment
The Great Allegheny Passage roadbed is crushed limestone or better. The website recommends touring bicycles with slightly knobby hybrid tires or mountain bikes with semi-slick tires. The C&O towpath surface is clay and crushed stone; I remember it being a pretty rough ride saddle-wise about 25 years ago, and its description at BikeWashington reveals little has changed.
Says Tom Sexton, director of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's (RTC) Northeast Regional Office:
“Combined, these two trails create the longest multi-purpose trail in the country. What really make it stand out, besides its length, are the services found immediately adjacent to the corridor. Bike shops, restaurants, bed-and-breakfasts, shuttle services and more are being established in key spots to serve travelers' every need. It will be a great destination.”
The Allegheny Trail Association, a coalition of seven trail groups that have been working to complete the Passage for nearly 20 years, received the Pacesetter Award from Adventure Cycling Association.
Photo at top is Brush Tunnel, where the trail shares space with the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. Photo by Kordite at flickr.com; also see more photos of the Great Allegheny Passage on flickr.
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