Trek through mountain passage yields adventure

By Peter H. Milliken

Cycle across the Alleghenies an easy and scenic way.

FORT HILL, Pa. — A full-grown black bear stood directly in my path about 200 feet ahead of me as I rode my bicycle alone at 12 mph along the Great Allegheny Passage here.

It was early evening on the longest day of the year, and I was in the final hour of a week-long, 278-mile bicycling and camping adventure, during which I traveled the entire length of the passage in both directions.

The bear was in a remote section of the trail where one can cycle for hours without seeing another human being.

This close encounter resolved itself as the bear ambled casually off the bike trail and into the woods before I had to apply my brakes. I then uneventfully returned to my car, which I had parked seven miles down the trail in Confluence, Pa.

I had frequently seen other wildlife on the trail, including wild turkeys and numerous deer, rabbits and groundhogs, but I never expected to see a bear.

The Great Allegheny Passage is a continuous 132-mile bicycle trail between McKeesport, Pa., and Cumberland, Md.

At Cumberland, the GAP connects with the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath Trail, which follows the Potomac River for 185 miles from there to Washington, D.C.

Plans call for completion of the final missing links in the 15 miles of the GAP between McKeesport and Pittsburgh this fall as one of the key elements of Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary celebration. That will result in an uninterrupted 332-mile bicycle trail from Point State Park in Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.

The GAP provides a means for bicyclists to cross the Allegheny Mountains on the gentle grade of a former railroad bed that follows the Youghiogheny and Casselman rivers, while savoring the area’s rich history and natural beauty.

Trailside signs inform cyclists of the area’s past, from its role in the French and Indian War to its days of coal mining and coke production in support of the steel industry.

Cyclists are reminded of the passage as a railroad corridor when they encounter former railroad stations turned into tourist information centers and hear the rumble and whistles of trains on an active railroad across the river.

Eastbound cyclists pass alongside a large pipe mill in McKeesport and through Westmoreland County’s well-maintained Cedar Creek Park before entering Ohiopyle State Park, where they can see and hear whitewater rafters navigating the rapids of the Youghiogheny River below.

As they ride beneath a lush canopy of trees, cyclists see and hear numerous scenic waterfalls cascading down the hillside and into the river.

Continuing east, cyclists cross the 1,908-foot-long Salisbury Viaduct, pass the electricity-generating windmill farm at Meyersdale and cross the 909-foot Keystone Viaduct as they slowly climb to the Eastern Continental Divide.

The divide, which separates the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico watersheds, is the highest point on the passage — 2,392 feet above sea level.

From the divide, eastbound cyclists coast rapidly downhill, passing the through the refreshingly cool, 3‚Ñ5-of-a-mile-long Big Savage Tunnel — a 1911-vintage former railroad tunnel.

This lighted tunnel, renovated for the bike trail in a $12 million, three-year effort, is closed in winter to protect it from the elements. No convenient detour is available.

After leaving that tunnel, trail users will enjoy a panoramic mountain vista toward Cumberland — the best scenic view on the entire passage — before crossing the Mason-Dixon Line into Maryland.

Cyclists pass through the much shorter Borden Tunnel, the town of Frostburg, Md., and the even shorter Brush Tunnel before dropping rapidly into Cumberland, which is a mere 605 feet above sea level.

Between Frostburg and Cumberland, the passage runs alongside the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, which usually features a steam locomotive.

After the rapid downhill ride east into Cumberland, cyclists can avoid the westbound climb by riding the train with their bicycles from Cumberland back to Frostburg.

June is probably the best month for long-distance cycling on the passage.

That’s because June offers the longest days of the year, allowing ample daylight in case of delays due to uncertain weather or mechanical breakdowns. By riding in June, cyclists also can typically avoid the worst of the midsummer heat.

Because the passage has a crushed limestone surface, it is ideally ridden in relatively dry weather.

Riders must carry ample food and water because many miles often elapse between towns. For example, no food or drinking water is available for 17 miles between Connellsville and Ohiopyle.

Bicycles should also be in good mechanical condition because bicycle repair shops are often few and far between. Riders should carry a spare inner tube, a frame pump and tools in case of a flat tire.

Although I opted for primitive camping at Cedar Creek Park, Confluence and Frostburg, those wishing more comfortable accommodations can stay in bed and breakfast establishments in many trailside communities.

It was a good week of cycling, kayaking and communing with nature — just me and the bear.