Linking Up Starting to think about the trip: The Four Big Decisions

We designed this planning guide for people who want to bike the entire distance between Pittsburgh and Washington. Naturally, you don’t have to ride it all at once – you can pick a shorter trip of any length you like. We offer some suggestions on shorter trips.

Begin by making the Four Big Decisions that set the overall character of the trip.

Luxury: What kind of overnight accommodations do we want?

At the low end of the luxury spectrum, this is one of the finest bicycle camping trips in the east, and you can camp almost every night. At the high end of the spectrum, you can spend almost every night in a classy hotel or B&B. In between, you can use modestly priced hostels, motels or B&Bs.

Distance: How far should we ride each day?

As a practical matter, there are some stretches of 30 miles without indoor lodging near the trail, so that is the shortest practical day if you want to sleep under a roof. Average distances of 40 miles per day give a nice one-week trip. Some people find 60 miles per day a congenial distance. There’s lots to see, and you won’t ride as fast on these trails as on pavement; don’t plan to ride too far each day.

Support: How much support do we need?

You can make this trip completely self-contained, carrying your clothes and, if you’re camping, your cooking and sleeping gear. Alternatively, you can make it lightly-supported, with a single vehicle to carry baggage from one night’s lodging to the next. In these cases, you’ll choose lodging within easy biking distance of the trail.

Finally you can arrange, possibly through an outfitter, for a fully-supported trip with someone to make all the arrangements, drive your whole group back and forth between the trail and your lodging, and perhaps even send a guide with you on the trail.

Direction: Should we ride eastbound or westbound?

The trails on the west side of the mountains have smooth packed limestone surfaces and a steady gradient, downhill as you ride westbound. The towpath east of Cumberland is somewhat rougher, and it’s level except for 10’ rises (headed westbound) at the locks. Some folks (we’re among them) prefer the terrain going westward from DC to Pittsburgh; other folks prefer to ride eastward. Another factor that may influence your decision is the problem of getting people and equipment to and from your starting and ending trailheads.

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This page is part of the Allegheny Trail Alliance's site in support of the Pittsburgh to Cumberland Trail, a motor-free recreational rail trail connecting Pittsburgh PA and Cumberland MD. Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000 by Allegheny Trail Alliance, Bill Metzger, Mary Shaw, and Roy Weil. Amenity information courtesy of FreeWheeling Easy. We encourage you to create links to this site and to print copies of the maps for your personal use. We prohibit other uses of this site, especially if they generate spam or other mass communications -- see our Privacy Policy.. This page was last modified on 04/22/00. Send email to ATA or contact the ATA or member trails.