Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Touring
Reload this Page >

Pittsburgh to DC?

Notices
Touring Have a dream to ride a bike across your state, across the country, or around the world? Self-contained or fully supported? Trade ideas, adventures, and more in our bicycle touring forum.

Pittsburgh to DC?

Old 10-07-12, 05:56 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 2,576

Bikes: 1992 Serotta Colorado II,Co-Motion Speedster, Giant Escape Hybrid, 1977 Schwinn Super Le Tour

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 448 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 112 Times in 85 Posts
Pittsburgh to DC?

Does anyone have RideWithGPS route starting in Pittsburgh?
Tandem Tom is offline  
Old 10-07-12, 07:10 PM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Vermont
Posts: 747
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Are you looking for a road ride or the Gap/C&O trail?
VT_Speed_TR is offline  
Old 10-08-12, 06:01 AM
  #3  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 2,576

Bikes: 1992 Serotta Colorado II,Co-Motion Speedster, Giant Escape Hybrid, 1977 Schwinn Super Le Tour

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 448 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 112 Times in 85 Posts
Sorry.
I am looking for The GAP and C&O route. Actually what I would like is the route through Pittsburgh to connect to the GAP. I am planning on starting from the Amtrak station.
Tandem Tom is offline  
Old 10-08-12, 07:56 AM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Vermont
Posts: 747
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Did a couple of quick searches on RidewithGPS and found these

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/70079

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/1211629
VT_Speed_TR is offline  
Old 10-08-12, 08:23 AM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 38,963
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18269 Post(s)
Liked 15,185 Times in 7,172 Posts
BF member Spinnaker can probably answer your question quite easily.
indyfabz is offline  
Old 10-08-12, 03:52 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 2,576

Bikes: 1992 Serotta Colorado II,Co-Motion Speedster, Giant Escape Hybrid, 1977 Schwinn Super Le Tour

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 448 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 112 Times in 85 Posts
VT_Speed,
How did you find thes?.When I searched I typed in Pittsburgh,Pittsburgh and GAP,etc.. But I had no luck.
Tandem Tom is offline  
Old 10-08-12, 04:52 PM
  #7  
Every day a winding road
 
spinnaker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 6,538

Bikes: 2005 Cannondale SR500, 2008 Trek 7.3 FX, Jamis Aurora

Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3394 Post(s)
Liked 63 Times in 46 Posts
Originally Posted by Tandem Tom
Does anyone have RideWithGPS route starting in Pittsburgh?
When are you thinking of doing this?

As of right now this is pretty much the detour.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=L...&z=15&lci=bike


But in a few weeks, you will be able to pass through Sandcastle and avoid Route 837

Next spring you will be able to go from Station Square in Pittsburgh to the trail in Boston.

Let me know if you need help at this end. A tour guide and / or a place to stay.

Be aware of your arrival time by train. I would not advise going through Hazelwood, Homewood or Mckeesport after dark.
spinnaker is offline  
Old 10-08-12, 05:13 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 2,576

Bikes: 1992 Serotta Colorado II,Co-Motion Speedster, Giant Escape Hybrid, 1977 Schwinn Super Le Tour

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 448 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 112 Times in 85 Posts
Spinnaker,
Thanks for your reply! I am thinking around October 20 there abouts. I would arrive in Pittsburgh from Cleveland about 4AM. Then just wait until it gets light enough to ride. Still working out the details as my wife decided that 60 days of touring this year was enough for her! Just have to round up a few things to go more lightweight.
A tour guide? That sounds like a neat idea if you are willing.
Thanks!
Tandem Tom is offline  
Old 10-08-12, 05:54 PM
  #9  
Every day a winding road
 
spinnaker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 6,538

Bikes: 2005 Cannondale SR500, 2008 Trek 7.3 FX, Jamis Aurora

Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3394 Post(s)
Liked 63 Times in 46 Posts
That is a Saturday. Assuming it is not pouring down rain or 30 degrees outside I should be able to help. I might have another commitment that weekend but I think it is on Sunday.

Are you doing B&B or camping? For B&B I would suggest the Yough Shore Inn, in Boston. That would give you some time to see the city, including the bike museum, that should not be missed.

BTW You do realize this time of year it will can be very cold in the higher elevations. It might even snow. The 20th might be a little early for the ground freezing but the big problem is the ground freezing, getting a layer of snow them a warm spell. Turns the trail into mush. But I am thinking you "should" be ok there, just expect it to be pretty darn cold at night.



I will PM you with my phone number.
spinnaker is offline  
Old 10-08-12, 06:28 PM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Vermont
Posts: 747
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by Tandem Tom
VT_Speed,
How did you find thes?.When I searched I typed in Pittsburgh,Pittsburgh and GAP,etc.. But I had no luck.
Well, you are doing much better using Spinnaker.com ;-).

As far as Ridewithgps searches, I searched for 50 miles of Pittsburth,Pa, then subsearched for Mckeesport. Still many rides that started in Mckeesport, but did narrow it down. I tried Amtrak, but that didn't return anything.
VT_Speed_TR is offline  
Old 10-08-12, 07:22 PM
  #11  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 2,576

Bikes: 1992 Serotta Colorado II,Co-Motion Speedster, Giant Escape Hybrid, 1977 Schwinn Super Le Tour

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 448 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 112 Times in 85 Posts
Spinnaker, I did PM you before I saw this post. It may be the 20th or a few days later. I am planning a bit of camping along the way. Yes I know it gets abit chilly. My wife and I rode the GAP to Cumberland and back last year at the end of October and the first few days of November.It was the weekend they hd 12"+ of snow.We had to ride over the bridges with about 8"of snow on them!
Tandem Tom is offline  
Old 10-14-12, 09:09 PM
  #12  
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Akron Ohio
Posts: 16

Bikes: Biachi Eros, Surly Crosscheck, Bike Friday Tikit, Burley Samba

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Tom, you're not the only one planning to ride the GAP + C&O this late. I've leaving Akron OH 10/20, picking up the Adventure Cycling Underground Railroad route in New Castle, and will be coming through Pittsburgh on 10/21.
Spinnaker, I plan to follow your directions - thanks much cause I've been concerned about getting to the GAP once I get to Pittsburgh.
I'd like to stay overnight at Yough Shore Inn on 10/21, but that's probably 70-75 miles from New Castle so I want to have a shorter option for Plan B. Do you have any suggestions for lodging closer to Pittsburgh or perhaps Homestead?
Ron.Zito is offline  
Old 10-15-12, 04:16 PM
  #13  
Every day a winding road
 
spinnaker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 6,538

Bikes: 2005 Cannondale SR500, 2008 Trek 7.3 FX, Jamis Aurora

Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3394 Post(s)
Liked 63 Times in 46 Posts
Originally Posted by Ron.Zito
Tom, you're not the only one planning to ride the GAP + C&O this late. I've leaving Akron OH 10/20, picking up the Adventure Cycling Underground Railroad route in New Castle, and will be coming through Pittsburgh on 10/21.
Spinnaker, I plan to follow your directions - thanks much cause I've been concerned about getting to the GAP once I get to Pittsburgh.
I'd like to stay overnight at Yough Shore Inn on 10/21, but that's probably 70-75 miles from New Castle so I want to have a shorter option for Plan B. Do you have any suggestions for lodging closer to Pittsburgh or perhaps Homestead?
You are welcome to stay here. I live on the west end of the city. PM me if you are interested,

If you stay here then you have the option of taking the city route or the Montour trail to the GAP. The Montour adds about 20 miles or so but is mostly all bike trail. A Monday morning via the city route will test your nerves if you are not used to city traffic. There is a bike trail into the city but to get to it, is a little complicated but not overly so.



There is nothing in the city that will be affordable. There is a hotel at the Waterfront in West Homestead where you should not have to offer our first born to get a room.
spinnaker is offline  
Old 10-16-12, 08:53 AM
  #14  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,094

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3417 Post(s)
Liked 1,434 Times in 1,119 Posts
I am also planning a trip from Pittsburgh to Washington DC this coming year, probably in April 2013.

I found someone posted a GPS track in gpx format at this link:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/1085023

The track had over 10,000 points (or bread crumbs) and my vintage GPS only takes tracks with a max of 750 points. I used the filter in Mapsource to reduce the points to a quarter of what it initially had and then I split that track into 4 separate tracks.

The person that posted this appears to have left the trail at several points and switched to roads, I have no clue why. I learned this by zooming in on the map at that site and comparing that to the bicycle trails marked by Google. Perhaps there were trail closures when he or she rode the trail? Much of the deviation occurred in and near Pittsburgh.

Have a good trip. If you learn of a "best" route from the Pittsburgh Amtrak station to the trail, please post that.

Last edited by Tourist in MSN; 10-16-12 at 03:53 PM. Reason: CORRECTION
Tourist in MSN is offline  
Old 10-16-12, 07:53 PM
  #15  
Every day a winding road
 
spinnaker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 6,538

Bikes: 2005 Cannondale SR500, 2008 Trek 7.3 FX, Jamis Aurora

Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3394 Post(s)
Liked 63 Times in 46 Posts
By April the trail to Mckeesport should be 100% open. You might want to stay a bit flexible as the opening is sometime in April. You might be best to wait a bit anyway. The trail could still be a bit soft that time of year.
spinnaker is offline  
Old 10-16-12, 09:08 PM
  #16  
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Akron Ohio
Posts: 16

Bikes: Biachi Eros, Surly Crosscheck, Bike Friday Tikit, Burley Samba

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Spinnaker, I tried to PM but since I'm a newbie and haven't posted much I was unable to do so. I'd like to consider your offer for my "plan B" - please email me @ pzito@att.net - Thanks,
Ron
Ron.Zito is offline  
Old 10-17-12, 10:18 AM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,094

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3417 Post(s)
Liked 1,434 Times in 1,119 Posts
Originally Posted by spinnaker
By April the trail to Mckeesport should be 100% open. You might want to stay a bit flexible as the opening is sometime in April. You might be best to wait a bit anyway. The trail could still be a bit soft that time of year.
Thank you for the input.

I live in Southern Wisconsin and the gravel rail to trail routes around here are usually pretty good starting in mid April or thereabouts. I assumed in your area that spring would be a week or two earlier. I and my touring partner would likely use 2.0 width tires.

I was thinking starting around April 23 or so. I was more concerned about campgrounds not yet being open for the year. Is that a genuine concern or not?
Tourist in MSN is offline  
Old 10-18-12, 06:29 AM
  #18  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 2,576

Bikes: 1992 Serotta Colorado II,Co-Motion Speedster, Giant Escape Hybrid, 1977 Schwinn Super Le Tour

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 448 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 112 Times in 85 Posts
Hey Tourist in MSN, I pm'd Spinnaker yesterday about that route he said there was some good climbs. So I am going with the route he suggested. I re-did it in RidewithGPS and it is on my Garmin.
Tandem Tom is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
motorapido
Touring
7
08-22-15 12:43 PM
bktourer1
Northeast
5
06-15-14 06:33 AM
Tandem Tom
Touring
5
11-12-13 07:48 PM
Tandem Tom
Touring
4
09-28-13 03:50 AM
Longmont_Tom
Touring
6
04-18-11 09:40 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.