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For more detailed information about the trails, you'll want to get a copy of a trail guide. Here are the books that cover various parts of the route from Pittsburgh PA to Washington DC. We begin with the books that are most focused on the ATA trails, then go on to other books with good coverage. |
| A Guide to History and Heritage along the Trail by Bill Metzger is the most comprehensive guide to the trail on the market. Divided into 22 chapters with maps, photos, illustrations, and descriptions for each five mile section of the over 100 mile long trail that will link Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD and eventually to Washington D.C. Hikers, bikers, rail buffs, armchair travelers and lovers of Pennsylvania history will find this the must have book about the Great Allegheny Passage! According to Larry Walsh, Recreational Bicycling Columnist, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the book is "A carefully researched history of one of America's great multi-use trails by an animated story-teller. Even those familiar with the Great Allegheny Passage will find themselves saying: 'Hey, I didn't know that.'" Order it from Amazon.com. $19.95 + shipping + tax or the publisher The Local History Company $15.96 + $5 shipping + tax [2003, 224 pages] |
| Let's walk! It's a great way to help stay healthy. Great Little Walks takes you on a dozen easy walks. A sturdy 4½ " x 7", 64 page book with spiral binding, just the right size for tucking in your pocket. It gives detailed information and maps on casual walks and short bike rides on the traffic-free Great Allegheny Passage and connecting trails. Out of print. Coming to a web page near you soon. [2003, 64 pages] |
| The trail from Pittsburgh to Washington is close enough to complete to make a good trip. Answers to common questions and directories to services and places to stay are collected in this small but powerful little book. Much of the content is available elsewhere at this site, but the book form may be more convenient. You can order from the Allegheny Trail Alliance, 419 College Ave, Greensburg PA 15601 for $4.50 (includes postage) or order it from Amazon.com. [2002, 48 pages] |
| The fourth edition of the comprehensive guide to motor-free recreational trails all over western Pennsylvania, this guide covers all the open sections of the Pittsburgh to Cumberland Trail. In addition to trail descriptions, it features clear driving directions to trailheads and descriptions of the amenities along the trails. You can order from Shaw-Weil Associates, 414 South Craig St. #307, Pittsburgh PA 15213 for $15.93 (includes tax + postage) or order it from Amazon.com [2001, 260 pages]. Out of print. New edition available April 2004. |
| Palmer explored the Youghiogheny valley from its headwaters in the Maryland mountains to its end in the industrial borders of Pittsburgh. Join him to meet the land and the people of the valley, both past and present. This isn't the usual sort of trail guide, but it's an excellent narrative about a major stretch of the trail. Order it from Amazon.com [1984, 337 pages] |
These two books are actually walking tour guides to
Pittsburgh, but their narratives provide insights that
bicyclists will enjoy. The trails bring you very close to
some of the areas they describe.
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| This compact bike-bag-sized volume (3.75" x 8.5") has a 2-page spread for each of the rail-trails in Pennsylvania that includes a photograph, a paragraph each on history and highlights, and a sketch map. Order it from Amazon.com [March 2003, 180 pages] |
| The national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy publishes a series of "40 Best" books, each sampling from three to six states. This volume covers Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. It has sections on most of the components of the Pittsburgh to Cumberland Trail. Out of print. Order it used from Amazon.com [1995, 281 pages] |
| This is the definitive guide to the C&O Canal Towpath, which starts at Cumberland and completes the connection to Washington DC. Hahn identifies everything from even the most obscure culvert or waste weir to the names of the lockmasters who once served the canal--down to the hundredth of a mile. This is hardly surprising, for Hahn is an industrial archaeologist. It's definitely idiosyncratic, but a favorite for many. Out of print. Order it used from Amazon.com. We usually see it at the National Park information centers along the canal. [1996, 226 pages] |
| This guide is more contemporary, if less detailed, than Hahn's. It has less information about what you're seeing and more narrative about the historical context. We prefer it to Hahn's for an overview, but not as the book to have with us on the trip. Order it from Amazon.com [2001, 280 pages] |
| To make it easy for you to
get these books, we include links for ordering them from Amazon.com. To order
several of these books, you may put each one in your
shopping cart and use the "back" button to
return here for the next book. Amazon.com is an on-line bookstore with secure procedures for credit card purchases. This page is a branch of Roy Weil's on-line bookstore, an affiliate of Amazon.com. To search for other books in Amazon's huge collection, you may go directly to Amazon's front page. Any proceeds from sales via this page will support ATA trail development. |
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[Overview Map] [ATA Information]
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| This page is part of the Allegheny Trail Alliance's site in support of the Great Allegheny Passage, a motor-free recreational rail trail connecting Pittsburgh PA and Cumberland MD. Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001by 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 12/04/03. Send email to ATA or contact the ATA or member trails. | ||||||
