Recap: 3 days on the GAP
Several weeks ago, four of us had a spur of the moment adventure on the GAP to take advantage of the warm sunny April weekend that occurred in the middle of a late spring winter. The idea was conceived on a Monday, and after some trolling to see who could get off work, four of us (myself, Doug, Catherine, Teresa) committed and plans were in place by Thursday. We decided to avoid an out and back and just riding parts we had ridden before, so we utilized a shuttle to allow us to bike from Cumberland to Pittsburgh.
Day 1. Cumberland to Rockwood, We lined up Bill’s Car Service to pick us up at the First Street Garage in Pittsburgh Friday at 10 am, and take us to Cumberland. Highly recommend this shuttle. Was $70 per person and well worth it. Pro tip – if you have some flexibility and can fit in to make his schedule work better, lower rates are possible. We checked out Amtrak and car rental and neither worked on this short notice. Also – the train departs Pittsburgh for Cumberland at 5 am. Ouch. The garage is used to having cyclists park for multiple nights. There’s a form to download and fill out that you give to the office to let them know your car will be there. After lunch in Cumberland (European Desserts and More – wouldn’t eat there again), one of us (who was not tubeless) started off with a flat tire. Seemed easy to take it to the bike shop which was right there. But then we experienced the slowest and most painful tube replacement ever as the shop’s “veteran” used the opportunity to teach the shop’s novice everything you did and didn’t need to know about tube replacement. Same tire experienced another two flats within a short period on the second day of the trip. Always take two tubes with you kids. Or just go tubeless. Yeah – do that. So our first day started after 2 pm with the 20+ mile climb up from Cumberland to Savage Mountain. It’s a long grind with beautiful views, but going that direction meant a downhill for the rest of the trip and ending where our car was parked. We rolled into Husky Haven campsite (always recommended) about dark. Got sprinkled on while we set up tents and that was the only rain for the duration of the trip. Editors note: Husky Haven campground closed permanently on October 31, 2022.
Day 2. Rockwood to Connellsville. Leisurely ride in great weather. Flowers and leaves on trees were sparse up on Savage Mt still, but as we dropped lower, everything became more lush and colorful. Lunch at Mitch’s Fuel and Food. Don’t let the name fool you – had good breakfast and lunch there past two trips. Group got somewhat split up on way from there to Ohiopyle. One of us stopped and napped on a bench en route while the other three of us messed around and napped in town. An espresso hit the spot here also. Then to Connellsville which was slower due to the two flats (author admits that the second one may have been pinch flat and takes some responsibility for this). Great dinner at Kickstand Kitchen. We opted to camp at the Adirondack shelters behind the grocery store where we pitched tents. Not sure we would camp here again. Noisy and people milling around well into the night. Next time would probably go down the trail farther to the KOA or the free campsite. Plus side is water fountain and the grocery right there though.
Day 3. Connellsville to Pittsburgh. A sunny and fairly hot at times ride that became progressively more urban. Had to pay attention to directional signs in various places to avoid wrong turns (can also download the route onto Garmin). Had burders at a food truck along the river in West Newton (eh). Checked out another free campsite west of there for future reference. Also came upon the monument to mining that involved recreation of scenes solely from handmade tiles. We started up the drive into this (rudely I guess in retrospect) and then were called back by the owner who allows entrance only via the tour she gives several times a day ($15). Sounded super interesting but would have delayed us by couple hours. I had not ridden this part of the GAP before and found the ride through the industrial area really fascinating. Had no idea of the size of the once booming steel area. Goes on for miles and miles and almost post-apocalyptic in places. There’s really just one sketchy area, near some low-income housing. No easy options to refill water in this stretch but we were able to refill at a Costco food court eventually, which was right on the route. GAP then transitioned into the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, and it was a fun ride all the way down to the park at the Point where rivers converge. This is actually a couple miles past the First Street Garage. Catherine ran into a friend who knew the city, so after the obligatory group photo we were guided along a shortcut back to the garage. Cool trip with great friends. Highly recommend for a three-day adventure.
