It’s a great trail. Been riding it since the beginning. The elitists need to tone it down though. People like to enjoy the scenery and shouldn’t have to worry about getting ran into or yelled at by the Strava segment obsessors.

What a great trail of crushed limestone…great climb up from Cumberland at 660’ to about 2,600’ at the Eastern Continental Divide, then a slow decline the rest of the way to Pittsburgh. Great B&B’s along the way in Meyersdale, Rockwood, Confluence…Ohiopyle State Park is one of a few terrific places to stay for the night and take a day off for whitewater rafting. Also take a moment for a bit of hiking or even a trip to see Falling Waters, a Frank Lloyd Wright home built on a waterfall. Only went as far as West Newton this time around but will be back to do it again. Many also start at Pittsburgh and finish at Cumberland enjoying a 24 mile downhill ride into town. Many choices for food and shelter.

This could be such a nice trail, but it has been neglected for years and the tree roots and pot holes have taken over. Expect to pop your bike chain more than once. Avoid like the plague!

We just did the entire trail from Cumberland to DC and it was awesome. Lots of cool tunnels and good bike riding when dry. We had one wet day and trail got pretty muddy near Cumberland. Interesting history along the way. This is a must do bike trail.

Nice trail, easy. worth the drive

Fun ride last time I did it. Can be a bit bumpy in spots. I did see about 13 Copperheads sunning themselves on the route and one Rattlesnake, so sweep your corners.

My wife and I enjoy this well-maintained trail almost every weekend when the weather is nice. We like to drop onto the trail at different points along its 180+ mile length for variety—it’s absolutely beautiful with nature around every turn, mixed with lots of history. We recommend heading down to the Potomac River on one of the many paths to enjoy the scenery when you need a break.

Rode the trail from Harpers Ferry to Locke 8 on Tuesday, April 13th. Be aware that just east of Brunswick is a detour that crosses an ancillary canal that proved to be impassable and resulted in a 10-mile plus to detour, over road with little shoulder and hilly. Another cyclist said the area was passable as recently as the Sunday prior (4/11).

I've hiked or biked other much lavished trails, like the North Fork near Seneca, the Pine Creek in central Pennsylvania or the Cottonwood Canyon in Death Valley. This one has all the others beat. It really does have a picture for a museum at every quarter mile. T
his is trail could be done with a street bike but I would strongly recommend a mountain bike. It isn't full of obstacles or large rocks but it isn't level crushed stone like a typical rail-to-trail. It would be extremely bumpy on a bike with no suspension. I pedaled from Parsons to Thomas and then back again. I took 4 hours to go just this 25 miles, but the uphill pedal from Parsons is slow and I was constantly stopping to take pictures. This uphill end is not difficult, just not fast. It is never very steep, but it is sustained until near its end. I did the downhill ride back to Parsons in top gear and the only challenge was to stay focused on the trail surface and slow down when needed, so I didn't fly off the bike. I drove over 100 miles to do this trail and it was more than worth the time and gas.