Great Allegheny Passage: Pittsburgh to Cumberland

This year's big biek ride is a return to the Great Allegheny Passage. The 150mile route starts in Pittsburgh and goes to (and beyond) Cumberland Maryland. I will be taking advantage of some availabe free time forced by the loss of the summer theatre seaosn due to COVID. My wife and daughter are going to visit family and look at a college in the area after dropping me off and will pick me up in Cumberland a few days later. Unlike the lasat time I rode this trail (in 2015) I will be riding West to East.

Finishing my first big ride - Pine Creek Trail from Jersey Shore to and back

Back in 2009 I bought a new bike. My grey Schwinn Sierra GL, it was a toss up between this or a Trek, but the Trek only came in red and green and I wanted black or purple but would settle for grey. And thus a new hobby was started. 

There are plenty of bike trails in the Lehigh Valley, and I started to try them all. but I really wanted to do a multi-day solo bike ride. I had read an article about a trail in northern PA that was 63 miles long and I thought that this would be a great adventure. So I packed up my bike and camping gear and headed to Wellsboro to ride  the Pine Creek Gorge Trail. That first trip was very rough around the edges. I wasn't;t really prepared for rides longer than 15 to 20 miles in a single outing. I did not have proper riding gear (bike shorts?) or the right kinds of accessories. I didn't't make it the whole trail that day, and decided to go home in the middle of the night. 

But I always wanted to finish that trail.  2020's pandemic and more time at home afforded me the opportunity. This time I would start from the Southern end (Jersey Shore PA) and work my way back up to the point I turned around at 11 years earlier (Slate Run, PA). 

I drove up to Jersey Shore Pa from Allentown, the ride took me nearly 3 hours and was mostly on major highways until the last section where it felt more like I was on the rural roads I remember from growing up in Wisconsin. I stopped once to get gas and some beef jerky on Allenwood, Pa and followed Rt 44 to Jersey Shore. The parking lot was easy to find and had plenty of parking available. Starting by the red caboose in the parking lot I started my trip north. Within the first mile you have to cross a very busy road (Railroad St). Fortunately there is a bridge going over the 4 lane highway less than a mile from Railroad St.

You hit the first of several bridges on the trail at around 4 miles from Jersey Shore.  The trail going South to North is slightly uphill but not so bad that you feel it. The trail runs mostly alongside Rt 44 up until this point. It's worth noting that you lose reliable cell coverage somewhere around the first bridge. 

For the next 4 miles or so you are riding through farmland or woods alongside the Pine Creek. The next bridge is near the Ramsey area and here you cross over the Pine Creek and pass homes. This continues until you reach the bridge (number 3 for those of you keeping track) leading into the Waterville area. In Waterville there is a convenience store (McConnell's Country Store) , a bar that serves takeout food (Waterville Tavern) , and a place to stay overnight (Pine Creek Valley Lodge). It also your chance at some spotty cell reception. 

After crossing Rt 44 one more time you keep going through wooded areas with little signs of homes or buildings for the next 5 miles or so. At this point you find yourself in the Jersey Mills area of the trail. 

The next ten miles offer more stunning views and dense wooded areas. there are signs for a couple of hiking trails along this section as well. When you get into Slate Run, you can either continue on the trail to the next town of Cedar Run, or you can turn left over the bridge and stop in Slate Run to grab a bite to eat. That's what I chose to do. I had a late lunch at the Hotel Manor and Bar. At this time restaurants could only offer outdoor seating and take out food. I got a Chicken Sandwich and a root beer and sat at one of the picnic tables to eat. There is also a general store just a few more yards down the trail that I did not go into.  When I ride the trails again I will proably make this my mid point and will stay overnight in the Hotel part of Manor Hotel and Bar, but for now it was time to turn around and return to my car. 

The ride back to my car was a little grueling despite being mostly slightly downhill. I thin I pushed myself too much to make Slate Run and should have turned around earlier. But the miles slowly went by and with a few well earned stops along the way i was almost back to my destination. with less than a mile to go to my car i had hit a wall, i was willing myself to "finish strong", then I literals hit a wall, well actually a retaining barricade. just as you cross Railroad St there is a sharp turn and  to see on coming traffic you need to look over your right shoulder. There is also salt/cinder on the crossing probably left over from winter road treatments. The combination of looking over my shoulder and applying my break into a turn caused my bike to slide out from under me sending me chest (and face) first into the metal guard rail. My chest took the brunt of my fall, while my hand and face only received minor scratches. The bruise on my chest would be spectacular. Fortunately I travel with a first aid kit (and a full kit in my car) so I was able to patch myself up and bike back to my car. I called my wife and told her what had happened and headed back home.

The trial is as good as I remember it, and I was glad to be able to say I rode the entire trail. I didn't really see that many people on the trail on this trip, but it was still early in the season and I suspect the trail is very popular in the summer months. The lack of reliable cell coverage could be an issue if you have a bad crash or smoother sort of emergency. There did appear to be several options for food and such along the lower half of the trail, which means if you plan properly you could forgo packing your own food for the ride. Next time I will do it from North to South and stop in the middle to overnight. Maybe in 2022. 

Total Mileage: 53.3 

Total time riding 6 hours 24 minutes