Pennsylvania

Maryland & Penn.: A Bike Trek on the Great Allegheny Passage

Program No. 22004RJ
Get ready for a fully-supported week of bicycling, trail towns and outdoor adventure as you join local experts to cycle the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage in the Laurel Highlands.

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At a Glance

The Great Allegheny Passage stretches 150 miles across some of the most beautiful scenery in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Join us for a biking adventure along this famed route as you cross the Mason-Dixon line with hosts who share their knowledge of the rich history and natural resources of the Laurel Highlands. Over the course of a week, cover the passage from Maryland to Pittsburgh, and discover the region’s flowing rivers, noted landmarks, and historic small towns.
Activity Level
Outdoor: Spirited
Biking up to 32 miles a day on flat, packed limestone trails.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

What You'll Learn

  • Cruise through isolated forests, parks, farms, and charming towns with plenty of bridges, tunnels, and wildlife, including a day in the urban Pittsburgh area.
  • Ride through Ohiopyle State Park, the historic coal patch town of Whitsett and the 3,294’ long Big Savage Tunnel.
  • In Pittsburgh, enjoy the spectacular view of one of the country’s most beautiful skylines from the top of Mount Washington, then travel down the Duquesne Incline, a 200-year old commuter cable car before some urban riding for half of a day.

General Notes

The Retreat Difference: This is a Road Scholar Retreats program. Our Retreat programs offer a tranquil respite from daily life in locales that lend themselves to outdoor exploration, reflection, or study. The accommodations may be basic in nature, but the facilities offer communal spaces to gather and to relax. During the week, opportunities usually exist for some combination of light exercise, a locally sourced meal, or evening entertainment.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Profile Image
Bill Metzger
Bill Metzger, author of “The Great Allegheny Passage Companion,” knows more about railroads, geology, nature, industrial history, financial chicanery, and trail construction between Pittsburgh and Cumberland than anyone else — and no one can tell all the stories as well. Bill has been a long-distance bicyclist, a working railroader, a freelance photographer, author, and a mapmaker. He is a founding board member of the Allegheny Trail Alliance and the Montour Trail Council, and lives, works, and bikes in Confluence, Pennsylvania, with his wife Pam.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Mary Kaufman
Mary Kaufman View biography
Mary Kaufman holds degrees in journalism-professional writing and in communications-PR. She began her career at VisitPittsburgh and is the new program director at Laurelville. A Penn State Master Gardener, she finds meaning in volunteering, teaching, and gardening. Mary co-owns a small plant nursery and enjoys garden design, biking, hiking, yoga, reading, cooking, and being outdoors.
Profile Image of Bill Metzger
Bill Metzger View biography
Bill Metzger, author of “The Great Allegheny Passage Companion,” knows more about railroads, geology, nature, industrial history, financial chicanery, and trail construction between Pittsburgh and Cumberland than anyone else — and no one can tell all the stories as well. Bill has been a long-distance bicyclist, a working railroader, a freelance photographer, author, and a mapmaker. He is a founding board member of the Allegheny Trail Alliance and the Montour Trail Council, and lives, works, and bikes in Confluence, Pennsylvania, with his wife Pam.
Profile Image of Robin Albright
Robin Albright View biography
Robin Albright is a registered yoga teacher (RYT 200) from Pennsylvania who works full-time in higher education. She has been teaching yoga for three years and practicing it for more than 20. When she is not on the mat, she might be weight training, trail running and hiking, playing tennis, or spinning. She enjoys reading, attending concerts and music festivals, and playing with her dogs. She loves helping people develop strength and self-love with a mindful practice that threads together breathwork and physical postures.
Profile Image of Daniel Cocks
Daniel Cocks View biography
Daniel Cocks is Executive Director of the Fayette County Cultural Trust. One of their projects is the Connellsville Canteen, a reconstructed B&O (Baltimore & Ohio) Railroad Station that highlights the “canteen ladies” who fed the troops during World War II. The museum showcases thousands of WWII artifacts. It also features a display on the late John Woodruff, one of Connellsville's residents who won a gold medal during the 800 meter race in the 1936 Olympics. Another highlight is Harry Clark's Indian Creek Valley Railroad display.
Profile Image of Fred Zelt
Fred Zelt View biography
Fred Zelt is a Pittsburgh native with a BS in Earth Science from MIT and a PhD in Geology from Princeton. He retired from ExxonMobil after 30 years, returned to Pittsburgh, and started cycling hundreds of miles for charity. A certified League Cycling Instructor, he created and teaches a STEM and Cycling curriculum., Fred led 13 geology-themed outings as a volunteer with Pittsburgh nonprofit Venture Outdoors in 2021. He is leading a geology-themed ride on each of the 25 major bike trails in western Pennsylvania.
Profile Image of Suzanne Trussell
Suzanne Trussell View biography
Suzanne Trussell is an archaeologist and museum specialist with a B.A. in history and a M.A. in anthropology. She began her career in archaeology focusing on Latin America. She also worked several years in the American Southwest before returning to her hometown in Western Maryland and establishing Oxbow Cultural Research as a cultural resource management (CRM) firm. In addition to federally and state-reviewed cultural resource investigations, Trussell works with museums, nonprofits, and private landowners to study, display, and teach local Mid-Atlantic Appalachia history and prehistory.
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While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
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7 days
6 nights
17 meals
6 B 5 L 6 D
DAY
1
Check-in, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Mount Pleasant, PA
D
Laurelville Retreat Center

Activity note: Check-in available from 5:00 p.m. Rooms are not guaranteed to be available before 5:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration: 5:00 p.m. Check in at the dining hall lobby to register with program staff, get your room assignment, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. Report to your lodging. We will check and load bikes and enjoy light snacks until dinner at 6:00 p.m. If you arrive after 7:00 p.m., please locate your Site Coordinator and let them know you have arrived. If you arrive before 5:00 p.m., enjoy a walk around Laurelville's beautiful, wooded grounds, see the waterfall behind the office, or relax in the dining hall lobby.

Dinner: Gather with fellow participants in the Laurelville dining hall to be met by your Site Coordinator and hosts for dinner.

Evening: Orientation. The Site Coordinator will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. All transportation will be by vans to and from the trail each day. Each morning and afternoon, we will bike portions of the Great Allegheny Passage. We ride a maximum of 32 miles each day; the ride segments between meals and breaks may be from 7-19 mile stretches. Riders will have the opportunity to meet up with the support vehicle and staff for lunch and breaks. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Continue getting to know your fellow participants, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

DAY
2
Bike from Meyersdale to Cumberland, MD on the GAP
Cumberland, MD
B,L,D
Fairfield Inn & Suites Cumberland

Activity note: Getting in/out of a van; driving about 53 miles, approximately 1 hour riding time. Biking about 32 miles throughout the day. Riders will have the opportunity to meet up with the support vehicle and staff for lunch, and afternoon break; snacks and water refills will be provided at these stops. After the first seven miles, this section is called “The Big Coast” and riders need to be mindful to obey the 15 mph speed limit. We’ll cross many small footbridges that can become slick in the rain.

Breakfast: At Laurelville.

Morning: We’ll depart from Laurelville in vans for the start of the week’s ride. We will make a stop at the Meyersdale Train Station, which features an impressive railroad museum. The morning ride from Meyersdale to Deal will highlight the curved Keystone Viaduct.

Lunch: We will enjoy a sack lunch in Deal, PA.

Afternoon: The afternoon ride from Deal to Cumberland features the Eastern Continental Divide, the 3,294' Big Savage Tunnel, the Mason-Dixon Line, and the 957' Borden Tunnel. We’ll meet the vans for a break in Frostburg (mile post 15). Our ride will end at mile post 0, where the GAP meets the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath to Washington, D.C. (C&O Canal). Tonight’s hotel is visible from mile marker 0. After checking into our rooms, we will have time to clean up, relax, and explore historic downtown Cumberland before dinner.

Dinner: At a local Cumberland venue.

Evening: At leisure. The evening is free to further explore this walkable historic downtown or relax in the hotel pool or hot tub. Prepare for check-out and biking in the morning.

DAY
3
Bike from Meyersdale to Confluence, Evening Presentation
Mount Pleasant, PA
B,L,D
Laurelville Retreat Center

Activity note: Getting in/out of vans; driving about 29 miles, approximately 1 hour riding time. Biking about 31 miles throughout the day. We encounter one larger tunnel and cross several rural roads that require caution. Upgraded trail surfaces may have soft edges.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will depart the hotel in vans for the trip to Meyersdale where we will begin the second day of riding. The bike ride from Meyersdale to Rockwood will highlight the 1,908' Salisbury Viaduct which crosses the Casselman River Valley, and great views of a wind farm.

Lunch: We will enjoy a sack lunch in Rockwood.

Afternoon: The ride from Rockwood to Confluence will take us through the Pinkerton Tunnel. Our vans will meet us for snacks and water at Fort Hill. The ride will end in the town of Confluence, which has traditionally been called Turkeyfoot because of the three streams coming into one. The Youghiogheny and Casselman Rivers and Laurel Hill Creek look like the track of a turkey when viewed from the surrounding hills. The small broad valley here was the site of ancient Indian villages and a resting place between the mountains. George Washington camped here, and this is also the site of the Yough Dam, a major flood control and recreation project built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. If time allows, we’ll briefly stop in Confluence before returning to Laurelville.

Dinner: At Laurelville.

Evening: We’ll hear an informative presentation by a local expert to complement our experience on the trail. We’ll also review highlights of the next day's ride.

DAY
4
Bike from Confluence to Connellsville, Evening Presentation
Mount Pleasant, PA
B,L,D
Laurelville Retreat Center

Activity note: Getting in/out of vans; driving 55 miles, approximately 1 hour riding time to Confluence. Biking about 28 miles throughout the day. We cross several country roads with loose gravel. Upgraded trail surfaces may have soft edges.

Breakfast: At Laurelville.

Morning: We’ll depart in the vans from Laurelville for Confluence. The ride from Confluence to Ohiopyle will quickly take us into the beauty and serenity of Ohiopyle State Park. Much of the morning ride runs beside the river, providing great views and the opportunity to descend the slope and take a break riverside. This portion of trail also parallels the active CSX railroad across the river.

Lunch: We’ll enjoy a sack lunch in Ohiopyle, followed by a quick visit to the famous Ohiopyle State Park waterfalls, visitor center, and native pollinator gardens.

Afternoon: The ride continues out of Ohiopyle State Park and highlights the high and low bridges over the Youghiogheny River. The ride ends in historic Connellsville at Yough River Park. The vans will take us back 15 minutes to Laurelville, where we’ll have time to relax before dinner.

Dinner: At Laurelville.

Evening: We'll hear an informative presentation by a local expert to complement our experience on the trail.

DAY
5
Duquesne Incline, Bike from Pittsburgh to Buena Vista
Mount Pleasant, PA
B,L,D
Laurelville Retreat Center

Activity note: Getting in/out of a van; driving 46 miles, approximately 1 hour riding time. Biking about 30 miles throughout the day; paved sections, with a few brief share-the-road sections. Riding a few miles in urban downtown Pittsburgh, bike across several high bridges with switchbacks, some root-rutted pavement in the morning.

Breakfast: At Laurelville.

Morning: We’ll depart from Laurelville to Pittsburgh (traffic dependent) to begin our urban riding in the heart of the “Steel City.” While the bike experts unload our bikes, we’ll first ride the Duquesne Incline to see a spectacular view of the city and learn about Pittsburgh’s history. We’ll then bike to Point State Park. Here the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers form the Ohio River at the iconic “Point” fountain. We’ll then begin our 12-mile journey to Homestead, winding through downtown. This segment of the trail runs alongside the river, offering great urban views, particularly as you cross over the Smithfield Street and Hot Metal Bridges. It’s crucial to travel together this morning. Today’s stretch is the final part of the trail to have been constructed and now formally connects the Point in Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.

Lunch: Sack lunch in Homestead.

Afternoon: After lunch, we’ll bike from Homestead to Buena Vista, which is 18 miles. This afternoon, we’ll go through McKeesport, which is strategically located where the Youghiogheny and Monongahela Rivers join. The city became a major steel center for most of the 20th century until mill closures affected the economy in the 1980s. Today, the major industries are telecommunications, pipe-making, and steel fabricating. We’ll stop at Boston for snacks and water, as well as a chance to see their visitor's center, a retired caboose. We’ll end at mile 120 at Buena Vista and return by van to Laurelville.

Dinner: At a favorite locally owned restaurant, the Connellsville Canteen, where the proprietor will present a program about local railroad history and explain the venue's vast historical collections, which includes a WWII parachute bike.

Evening: The evening will be spent enjoying each other’s company over fine food at a local restaurant, so expect a late return back to Laurelville.

DAY
6
Bike from Buena Vista to Connellsville
Mount Pleasant, PA
B,L,D
Laurelville Retreat Center

Activity note: Getting in/out of a van; driving 35 miles, nearly 1 hour riding time. Biking about 30 miles throughout the day.

Breakfast: At Laurelville.

Morning: We’ll depart by van from Laurelville to Buena Vista to begin our final day of riding. Vans will meet us in West Newton at the historic Train Station for a water break. This day takes you back in time to the heart of coal and coke country. Considered “the most important mineral resource in the history of the world,” during the late 1800s and early 1900s, coal fueled the Industrial Age in western Pennsylvania and the U.S. Towns like Adelaide, Whitsett, Van Meter, and Smithdale are examples of the coal patch towns that were built by the coal and coke companies to house their workers. Whitsett, an intact coal patch town, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Lunch: Sack lunch in Whitsett.

Afternoon: After lunch, we'll continue our journey through tree-lined tunnels along the river. Many remnants are visible from these old industrial towns and businesses. George Washington, whiskey making, and modern movie making have all touched this area. These historically significant areas that once connected key coal towns to Pittsburgh have been mainly left in the shadows, being overtaken by Mother Nature, including old coke ovens at about mile post 93. We’ll bike through the ornate glass archway and once you’ve reached Yough River Park again in Connellsville, you’ve completed the 150 miles of the Great Allegheny Passage!

Dinner: At Laurelville. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Evening: At leisure. Relax around a campfire outside (weather dependent) or a roaring fire in the Guesthouse fireplace. Share your thoughts about the week's adventures! Prepare for check-out and departure tomorrow.

DAY
7
Program Concludes, Elective Fallingwater Trip
Mount Pleasant, PA
B

Activity note: Check-out by 12:00 Noon. Elective: Getting in/out of a van; driving 42 miles, approximately 1 hour riding time; walking around the grounds and through the home of Fallingwater, Architect Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece.

Breakfast: At Laurelville.

Morning: Following breakfast, this concludes our program proper. However, those who wish may join us on an elective trip to Fallngwater, where you’ll discover the beauty of the landscape that was a respite for the Kaufmann family and explore the house’s intimate relationship with nature. Fallingwater is among eight Frank Lloyd Wright designed buildings now inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List. This inscription represents the first modern architecture designation in the United States. If you’re going on the trip, you will need to be completely out of your rooms as we may return after the noon check-out. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!






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