January News and Alerts along the Great Allegheny Passage
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Pick Up the New TrailGuide!
Updated for the coming season and available here or on Amazon, TrailGuide: The Official Guide to Traveling the C&O Canal Towpath and the Great Allegheny Passage is your best resource for planning an outing. Great photography, trail town maps, and mile-by-mile descriptions form the core of TrailGuide. It also outlines detailed itineraries for day trips, overnights, and thru-rides, and showcases lodging, restaurants, and shuttle services between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. Best of all, it contains updated removeable weatherproof maps suitable for your pannier or backpack. It's a must-buy, and at $10 plus shipping, a deal. Proceeds benefit maintenance and improvements along both trails.
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Winter Construction Closes 10-Mile Section of GAP
The Regional Trail Corporation, which owns and manages significant sections of the Great Allegheny Passage between Homestead and Connellsville has closed the GAP to all travelers between mile marker 120.9 and mile marker 131.1 for a municipal sewer installation project that is planned to last at least until April 15, 2021. There is no posted or easy detour. Long-term benefits include the replacement or repair of culverts that divert stormwater runoff, and a complete trail resurfacing between Boston and Buena Vista. Our best advice to thru-riders is to arrange a shuttle between McKeesport and Buena Vista. The following businesses may be able to serve you: Bill’s Car Service (412-855-4484), Wilderness Voyagers (800-272-4141), or 2 Wheel Escapes (240-674-7626). Visit www.gaptrail.org for updates on progress.
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New Book Focuses Attention on Trail Town Culture
To ride or hike the Great Allegheny Passage is to experience its trail towns. A new book, Deciding on Trails: 7 Practices of Healthy Trail Towns, highlights how trail towns along the GAP first pivoted to welcome trail travelers as it was built between Cumberland and Pittsburgh. Author Amy Camp of Cycle Forward analyzes early successes along the GAP and provides a clear call to action for trail communities and those dedicated individuals who want to cultivate a trail culture and to "decide on trails” as a catalyst for flourishing. She recommends best practices for trail communities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Kindle and paperback versions are now available on Amazon.
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Paw Paw Tunnel Portal Closed
On November 25, the National Park Service announced an immediate closure of the northern entrance of the Paw Paw Tunnel to protect travelers on the C&O Canal Towpath from newly falling rocks near the tunnel's northern approach. The NPS anticipates this closure will last until mid-2022. According to the NPS, "during construction, visitors can walk into the Paw Paw Tunnel when approaching from the south but will not be able to continue past the north end of the tunnel. The campground and parking area will also remain open to through travelers on the towpath." Cyclists may walk their bikes up and over the Paw Paw Tunnel using the Tunnel Bypass Trail, which features beautiful views of the Potomac River and Paw Paw, W. Va. The Tunnel Bypass Trail is approximately a mile and a half long with an elevation change of 375 feet.
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