• Taking a sidequest to the Ferncliff Nature Area in Ohiopyle State Park; a unique habitat with many rare and unusual, for Pennsylvania, plants
• Utilizing the stairs in McKeesport; While you could always just ride down the road, It wouldn’t be an adventure in Western PA without a set of stairs.
• Take a short side trip to hike to Buttermilk Falls, one of the tallest falls in Pennsylvania
• Stopping by one of the many water sources for a swim; including Cranberry Glade Lake, Laurel Hill Lake, or the Youghiogheny River.
• Camping at one of the Laurel Highlands hiking trail shelters
• Taking in the view of the Spruce Flats Bog, a rare high elevation bog containing highly acidic soil and with it unique plants including carnivorous plants like the insect-eating pitcher plant and sundew.
• Catching views of historical landmarks such as the Laurel Hill Furnace, Jones Mill Run Dam, Air Glow Laboratory, and Connelsville Coke Ovens
• Taking in the scenic overlook at Laurel Hill State Park
• Trout fishing in some of the state’s least fished streams; see the extras/additional resources section for a state produced resource that will help you identify the best areas to fish.
• Stopping by Tissue Farm in Confluence, PA for some coffee, pastries, and the art gallery

When to go

• This route is rideable all year, but the best time is spring or late summer before hunting season begins.

Logistics

• For traveling by car, the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) or the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT) areas. Multiple parking areas allow overnight parking and give you flexibility on where you can start and end your trip, especially when taking into account camping options and daily mileage.
• For traveling by train, Amtrak offers bicycle service on its Floridian line (a temporary merger of its Capitol Limited and Silver Star routes) which runs between Chicago and Washington, D.C., with stops along the Great Allegheny Passage in Downtown Pittsburgh, Connellsville, and Cumberland. For an extra $20 on top of your regular fare, you can secure your bicycle in a retrofitted baggage car and get on or off at any station. Currently, each train has room for six (6) bicycles with a 2” tire maximum clearance. You must purchase and reserve your ticket and one of six bicycle slots ahead of time.
• This loop is best completed counterclockwise, read more about why in the Danger and Annoyances Section.
• Access to Laurel Highlands Hiking Shelters: Each shelter has a gravel access road that rangers utilize to patrol the shelter/campsite areas and they can be seen on the RidewithGPS platform. Please be certain to utilize the roads, in a pinch if you can’t locate one of the access roads, you could hike your bike in on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail.

What bike?

• As mentioned in the route difficulty section, there are a handful of steep climbs through this route once you get to the Laurel Ridgeline. They are often relatively short, but the cumulative effect of many in a row is notable. We recommend forgiving gearing or accepting that you might be hiking up a few hills.
• Fast-rolling, 32mm gravel rubber would be a good choice for this ride. As mentioned above, a good portion of this route is a mix of rail trail and paved road. The gravel road portions on this route are in relatively good shape so you shouldn’t need anything too burly.
• There aren’t too many bike shops on route. Once you get off of the Great Allegheny Passage don’t expect a lot of options on this route without getting a hitch from someone so bring some extra tubes.

Dangers & Annoyances

• While much of this route uses rail trails, gravel and relatively low-traffic roads, the 11 mile road section between Trafford, PA and Boston, PA utilizes some heavily trafficked roads. The route was purposely built to go counterclockwise in order to keep most of those busy road sections downhill.
• Private Land Issue: When crossing RT 30 and turning onto Ridgeview Road, a short while down the road you will run into an intersection where a “No Trespassing” sign is. After reaching out to the Chief Ranger of the Laurel Ridge State Park he has verbalized that there is a public right of way via a 2 mile section of Ridgeview Road, which later connects to Laurel Ridge State Park and PA State Game Lands. If you see a landowner on the road be certain to give them plenty of space, and wave a friendly hello. The Ranger noted that if there is a negative landowner interaction that you should deescalate the situation turn around and return to route 30 where you can call the State Park Office (+1 814-445-7725) first or if needed the Chief Ranger’s cell phone (+1 814-490-7520) to ask for assistance, if an emergency please dial 911. The other note he had was that the landowners specifically had issues with snowmobiles and four wheelers on the road so they have been taking things into their own hands by placing multiple “No Trespassing” signs along Ridgeview Road to scare people. See this alternative route option on RideWithGPS to avoid this 2-mile stretch.

• The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is a 150 mile rail trail stretching from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD. This route includes ~67 miles of the passage, which has a plethora of camping options. The campsite I most enjoy stopping at is the Cedar Creek Campground due to it being a biking/hike in camp area with access to free fire wood at campsites and water access to the Youghiogheny River. You can find more details on these campsites at the Great Allegheny Passage website.
• The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail Shelters offer a secluded experience that typically only backpackers experience, but thanks to public access roads this route is able to take advantage of them. Please be certain to book a site on the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website. Check out the Instructions here and make reservations here at the PA DCNR Reservation Website.
• The Bush Recreation Campground at Loyalhanna Lake is a necessity. Unless you plan to ride the 100 mile gap in between the nearest Laurel Highlands Shelter Area and GAP campground. Thankfully they have hot showers available so it’s not all bad.
• Forbes State Forest allows primitive camping without a permit if staying no more than one night in any location. Please note that you may camp overnight anywhere except: In designated Natural Areas, within 200 feet of a forest road, within 25 feet of a trail, or within 100 feet of a stream or any open water. If you plan to utilize the state forest, I recommend downloading a map as it isn’t always clear what is state forest, private land, state game lands, or state park lands.
• No Camping is allowed on Pennsylvania State Game Lands

Food:

Other than the journey onto the Laurel Ridgeline you will find many options for food. My favorites are below:

• Coffee at Tissue Farm in Confluence, PA
• On a hot day I recommend stopping at Stiles’ Koolit Korner in Seward, PA for some ice cream and fries
• D’s Six Pax & Dogz in Murrysville, PA

Water:

• While there are plenty of options for treated water along the route, you should still bring a filter for the Laurel Ridge portion where streams and wells are untreated.
• Warning: Regardless of water filtering, don’t drink the water from Blacklick Creek, off of the Ghost Town Rail Trail. Blacklick Creek has been on DEP’s impaired waters list since its inception in 2006, impaired by mine drainage, which caused unbalanced pH and high levels of iron, aluminum, and manganese.

location Confluence, PA > US Route 30 Laurel Highlands Hiking Shelter

Day 1 (47.6 mi +5,682 ft)

Park your car at the Great Allegheny Passage – Confluence Trailhead parking lot and make your way into Confluence, PA for some coffee at Tissue Farm or some breakfast at Mitch’s Fuel & Food Restaurant.  While the shortest day of the ride it’s going to be the hilliest and packed with gravel roads as you climb up into the Laurel Ridge.  The first 10 miles from Confluence are climbing on a mix of pavement and gravel, but you’ll be rewarded shortly thereafter with Cranberry Glade Lake and your first opportunity for a swim or a snack break with a view.  After leaving Cranberry Glade lake you’ll make your way down a gravel road that weaves through the state forest before you get spat out on a paved road to ride over the historic Barronvale covered bridge and make your way to Laurel Hill State Park where another lake awaits along with a stunning overlook, a dam built during the CCC era and some fly fishing opportunities.  The remainder of the day you’ll be weaving multiple public backroads, including state parks, state forests, and a hiker/snowmobile bridge crossing the PA turnpike before arriving at a relatively busy road crossing over the Laurel Highlands, US 30.  When searching for the access to the Laurel Highlands US 30 Shelters it’s just a short ¼ of mile down the road on what turns out to be the driveway to an abandoned house.  There shouldn’t be anything obstructing the driveway, but if you are struggling to find the entrance I suggest looking for the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail and hiking your bike down that until you get to the shelters.

location US Route 30 Laurel Highlands Hiking Shelter > Loyalhanna Lake (Bush Campground)

Day 2 (55.2 mi +4,476 ft)

Your day will start with a choice, as mentioned in the Danger & Annoyances section, Ridgeview Road is public, but the landowners have apparently been annoyed with snowmobilers/4 wheelers.  I’ve traveled the road a few times on bike and seen landowners each time and never had any issues.  As I mentioned, if you have any issues, descalate, turn back and call the Chief Ranger of Laurel Ridge State Park or use the alternate route that can be found in the Danger & Annoyances Section or the Extra/Additional Resources Section.  Once you are through that section you’ll be traversing gravel/dirt roads on public lands for most of the remainder of the riding on the Laurel Ridge until you descend into Seward, PA and finish your time on the Laurel Ridgeline.  Once you get into Seward you can choose to restock supplies at the Ideal Mart/Dollar General or grab some food at Stiles’ Koolit Korner.  From there you’ll begin a climb up from Seward towards Route 22.  If you are feeling up for a sidetrip make sure to stop off at Buttermilk Falls and take a hike to see this unsuspecting waterfall.  Once you reach Route 22 you’ll want to take care when crossing as the highway can be busy at times but still crossable.  Across the road you’ll notice that the road dead ends shortly after crossing the highway and that there is a hill shortly after the road ends.  While they’ve closed the road crossing, there is still legal right away to cross, I recommend hiking your bike and hugging the side of the hill until you get to the other side and can connect to the other side of the Bethel Cemetery Road and begin a great descent down to the Ghost Town Rail Trail.  From there you will take the Ghost Town Rail Trail into Black Lick, PA where you’ll have a road ride to connect you to the West Penn Rail Trail and one of the more uniquely challenging sections that will require you to unload your bike and push your bike up a set of steep stairs to help get you around the Conemaugh River Dam before you can make your way down to camp at the Loyalhanna Lake – Bush Campground

location Loyalhanna Lake – Bush Campground > Cedar Creek Campground

Day 3 (61.5 mi +3,071 ft)

Once you leave the Loyalhanna Lake – Bush Campground you’ll begin your day with a steep climb to get you back onto the West Penn Rail Trail, if you are feeling the need for a breakfast after that climb you should stop into Saltsburg.  From there it should be smooth sailing as you connect the West Penn Trail to the Westmoreland Heritage Trail with a short road ride.  Along the Westmoreland Heritage Trail you can expect many options to resupply food or grab a lunch from one of many restaurants near the trail.  Once you get to Trafford, PA the Westmoreland Heritage Trail will officially end and you begin the 11 mile road ride to get to Boston, PA where you will join back up with the Great Allegheny Passage.  Be cautious during this section as you will see the busiest road riding of this route.

location Cedar Creek Campground to Confluence, PA

Day 4 (49 mi +1,357 ft)

With your final day all along the Great Allegheny Passage, expect smooth sailing and easy miles.  If you are riding this during the summer or early fall you’ll have many options along the way for food, beer, and other refreshments.  If it’s a hot summer day I recommend taking a break in Ohiopyle to enjoy a dip in the Youghiogheny River at the Ohiopyle State Park.