We did about twelve miles of the western part. Really pretty. We will be back!

We parked by the river on Douglas Road and rode to Hendricks. The ride is beautiful with many cool features to see. Douglas Falls was a bit chilly on 9/12 but we could not resist taking a brief swim.

Ride back up from Hendricks is a bit of an uphill push, but still a nice ride. If you have younger riders you might want to consider being dropped off in Thomas and picked up in Hendricks. Or perhaps starting in Hendricks and knocking off the uphill ride to Thomas and then saving the sweet downhill ride for the way back.

Great Trail!

On June 30, 2020, I started in Cumberland at first light. Bike was fully loaded for a self sufficient adventure. I was on a carbon road bike with 23mm tires. There were only a couple sections where the gravel was soft an pillowy slowing me down a bit to ensure I stayed upright. The key to getting through this brief section is to keep pedaling. The more you pedal the more your bike wants to stay upright. Beyond that the the trail is very isolated in sections. At some parks/ parking lots along the route There are tool stations with air pumps. There are bathrooms along the that I thought were few and far between, perhaps due to Covid and some being removed. I was able to do 122 miles in one day fully loaded at about 13 mph, just interested to see how far I could go. I noticed most others were not moving at that speed. I made the return trip back to Cumberland the next day.

One word describes this ride - WOW!!!

Beautiful scenery, and rode about 6 miles without turning a pedal.

First, I have to start with a disclaimer. Highlandtrails.org website clearly states “this section is quite steep and is not maintained for recreational use”.

I rode this on a hybrid with 700x38 tires and had no problems. Sure, wider tires would have been nicer, but maybe the suspension fork and seatpost saved me?

Trail is singletrack hard packed cinders with pea sized gravel. It will shake everything on your bike and give your arms a great massage. Trail never felt soft or mushy. Had one small washout about a foot wide and maybe 6” deep. Easy to walk across, and they had it marked with reflector posts so we knew something was there.

Started our ride behind the post office in Thomas. Don’t let the puddles scare you away. It’s not all like this. Trail starts as a 10 ft wide gravel driveway with potholes that goes to the sewage treatment plant. We missed the right turn across the bridge after the plant, so we ended up on Douglas Rd. Rode the paved road down the hill and across the river. Slight left turn onto the gravel road with the Douglas Falls sign. More potholes and have to watch for cars coming at you on the one lane road. Be careful crossing the bridge. I walked it. Went through a small parking area at the falls and finally got to the yellow gate. That’s where the fun starts. Beautiful Douglas Falls on the left. Partially obscured by trees. Next 6 miles was all down hill with some gorgeous views. Passed 3 waterfalls coming down the canyonside and under or over the trail and into the river. Great view of the canyon from the spot with the railing. I don’t think I turned a pedal until we got to the yellow gate north of Hendricks. What a ride!!! Had about 2 miles on a gravel road to the beautiful trailhead in Hendricks. Our driver had picked up sandwiches in Parsons, so we sat in the pavilion and enjoyed lunch.

Part of me wishes it was fixed up so more folks could enjoy it, but part of me says leave it wild and wonderful. Be sure to check out this gem if you are in the area....Bikin-Mike - 09/01/20

Started at Mile 3 right behind the Springhill Suites. Easy access from the back of their parking lot. Trail surface was in great shape. Cinders were a little thin from about mile 3.5 to 5.5. Could feel the ballast underneath, but nothing too bad. Easy on a hybrid with 700x35 tires. Trail is usually high above the creek. Closest to the creek with a nice little waterfall was at mile 7.2. Prettiest spot was at the rock overhang and the gorgeous waterfalls at mile 12. Good news - the grade flattens at about mile 12, so instead of 16 miles uphill it was only about 9!!! Had some pea size loose limestone near the road crossings at the limestone mine. Had about 5 small concrete bridges between Masontown mile 13 and Reedsville mile 17. Trail past Reedsville was a little soft, but they were working on it. Started a pretty steep climb from Reedsville to the dead end in the woods. Ate lunch at the DQ in Reedsville. Follow the signs to downtown. About a 1/2 mile up a steep alley with no traffic, then a very short ride on the sidewalk along Rt 7 from Church St to DQ. Nice pavilion to sit outside and eat.

My only complaint is quite a bit of road noise from trucks on Rt 7 for most of the ride. If I do it again, I think I’d turn around at Masontown. Not much scenery from there to the end.

After a break at the hotel, road the 3 miles of paved trail into Morgantown. Two nice restaurants right on the trail next to the river just left of the creek.

After dinner, rode the paved trail along the river up past WVU. All told, about 44 miles.

Great day! Great trail! Thanks for the wonderful trail.....Bikin-Mike - Aug 2020

We took this trail out of Morgantown on hybrid bikes. The first few miles were paved, but had broken pavement and became narrow in places. In town, the scenery was not great. About 2-3 miles out of town, the trail turned to limestone and was very rocky. After crossing 3-4 roads and getting bumped around, we turned back and took the Caperton trail, which was a delight. I assume this trail gets better a bit further out. Also, mountain bikes might be necessary.

In my last review (very recent, and in fact, just yesterday) of this section of the Great Allegheny Passage, I complained about the very poor condition of the trail. Well, I rode this section again today just to see if it was repaired yet. Lo and behold, it was! New limestone was laid down on the entire 10+ mile length between Ohiopyle and Confluence. This made for a smooth, fantastic ride. I hope that the trail will be continually maintained like this. Congratulations and a BIG Thank You to the crews who did this work!! What a great surprise this was. The trail was fun again.

Generally a great trail. However, the section between Ohiopyle and Confluence is in dire need of repair. I don't know when the last time crushed limestone has been added to this trail, but it must have been 15 years ago. The last few years, this section has been very rough on tires. There is actually no limestone in several places, and you are riding on exposed base stone, which is very rough. Rough enough to destroy a tire if you are moving fast. On my last trip this past spring, the trail condition was still horrible. I'm hoping that the trail has been repaired by now (August 2020).

Rode on 29 Jul 2020. This is a rugged trail, really need mountain bike with off road tires, etc. And it is hard to reach. Watch Google - it will try to take you through closed road through the COE land at the reservoir, leading to a 20 mile back track. There is no easy way to get here. If you can handle the rough conditions, the river views are fantastic. But a long drive for a 4 mile out and back ride.