Bikes, Boots, & Boats: Biking the GAP Trail Part 3: Connellsville to Ohiopyle

Dates Biked: April 5, 2023
Posted Mileage: Milepost 88 in Connellsville to Milepost 72 in Ohiopyle
Total miles Tracked: 35.8
Type of Trail: Rail trail, crushed surface
Conveniences: Trailheads with bathrooms in Connellsville and Ohiopyle, plus restaurants and lodging adjacent to the trail in these towns
Best Features: Amazing scenery
Worst Features: Heading east, it's mostly uphill.
Wildlife spotted: Snakes, deer, herons, bald eagle
Vegetation: Hardwoods, wildflowers
Associated Website: Great Allegheny Passage (gaptrail.org)
Primary Author: James

When we planned this trip, we didn't really have much flexibility for the dates. We had the Steel City Con over the weekend, so the week that followed would be dedicated to the trail come rain or shine. But, a week out from the event, the long-range forecast showed snow as a possibility on Wednesday and Thursday, which is apparently a real possibility in this mountainous region. As late as Sunday, the forecast for Wednesday was still showing very cold temps plus precipitation. Then... Wednesday turned out to be perfect biking weather. Highs in the low seventies, not a drop of rain. The cold and damp were still on their way, but Wednesday, at least, was pure delight.

Of course, it wasn't just the weather. Most of the trail between Connellsville and Ohiopyle is part of the Ohiopyle State Park. The industrial sites and small towns vanish as you ride along steep mountainsides overlooking a rocky river. Numerous small waterfalls are adjacent to the trail. Save for the occasional train passing along tracks on the opposite side of the river, you ride far removed from the noise of traffic. It's a stark change of scenery for a trail we started riding in Pittsburgh adjacent to an interstate.

Ohiopyle has a few places to eat, and a state park headquarters with a viewing platform for waterfalls. It looks like a place that's probably quite crowded once the weather warms a bit. Given the hiking trails and the whitewater river, it looks like a place you can make use of bikes, boats, and boots for a full week without exhausting all the possibilities.

Of the segments of the GAP we rode, this is the one that most immersed us in nature. If you only had a single day to ride, this segment would be a terrific pick. Like the previous section, it's a fairly steady grade in one direction, but it didn't feel like as much of a slog. It's shorter and there's so much to see in any given mile that you won't be paying attention to the effort. That said, the ride back did provide several stretches where we could coast along, which was welcome after three consecutive days of riding. Of course, our legs were about to get an even longer rest, as the cold, wet weather forecast for Wednesday arrived on Thursday. More on this in our next post.