Allegheny Trail Alliance Long Distance Trip Planner

The trails of the Allegheny Trail Alliance provide outstanding local recreation and one-day trips from home base. The special advantage of this long-distance system emerges when you decide to link some of these outings into a multi-day trip. This could be as simple as a weekend trip to a bed-and-breakfast and back or as complex as a week-long camping trek from Washington DC all the way to Pittsburgh.

The maps and amenities information elsewhere in this site will provide the details for your plan. Here we gather some additional information that will help you plan these longer trips.

Trip Distances

For on-line maps and driving instructions to find these trailheads, try Mapquest.

Arrangements

You'll need food and lodging. The maps of the ATA trail system identify trailside amenities; just click on the amenity icon near the town you're interested in. For the continuation down the C&O Canal Towpath, see our special page on C&O amenities.

If you want to make a round trip on the trail -- say a weekend trip to a bed-and-breakfast and back -- you don't need much help with arrangements. Just call the B&B for reservations and have fun. For information on things to do near the trailheads, see our collection of links to visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, and similar sites.

If you want to make a one-way trip, you need a way to get yourself and your gear back to where you left your car. Outfitters can help with the required shuttle arrangements, as well as with making food and lodging arrangements for longer trips. Catoctin Outfitters will arrange shuttles for the portion of this system in Maryland. We've noted other outfitters on the amenities directories for the trailheads where they operate.

Amtrak will carry your bike, but only between stops with baggage service. Currently, the only baggage-service stops are Pittsburgh and Washington DC. You must partly dismantle the bike and pack it in an approved box. Amtrak considered allowing bikes on the passenger cars on this route so you could take them off at any stop, but they backed away from the idea. Let them know if you'd like to have such service.

Coping with Unfinished Trail Segments

Until the trail is completed, you may have to detour on roads to get around gaps in the trail. Check the maps and trail mileages carefully to be sure you don't get surprised. When you're planning, the ATA construction plans can give you hints about areas that may be finished before your trip -- but check with the trail organization before you start to be sure construction is on schedule. Mary Shaw's cue sheet for avoiding the eastern gaps may be useful; it avoids heavy traffic wherever possible (alas,it's not always possible).

[Overview Map] [ATA Information]

This page is part of the Allegheny Trail Alliance's site in support of the Pittsburgh to Cumberland Trail, a motor-free recreational trail providing the western 40% of the motor-free connection between Pittsburgh PA with Washington DC, connecting with the C&O Canal Towpath. The ATA is an alliance of seven trail organizations: Montour Trail Council, Friends of the Riverfront, Steel Industry Heritage Corporation, Regional Trail Corporation, Ohiopyle State Park, Somerset County Rails to Trails Association, and Allegheny Highlands in Md. It is brought to you in cooperation with the authors of FreeWheeling Easy in Western Pennsylvania. Smilin' Bill Metzger, Culprit-in-chief. Mary Shaw, Lead accomplice. Roy Weil, Master byte mechanic. Pam Metzger, Co-conspirator. Copyright © 1998, 1999 variously by Allegheny Trail Alliance, Bill Metzger, Mary Shaw, and Roy Weil. All rights reserved. We encourage you to create links to this site and to print copies of the maps for your personal use. We do not grant permission for you to copy parts of this site for any other use. We absolutely prohibit the use of any portion of this site to generate spam or other mass communications. This page was last modified on 10/10/99. Comments to the ATA office.