Altair 4

OH, YEAH! Stay to the right when crossing to the North Side! I remember the first time I rode the Ft. Duquesne bridge and thought how even a spray-painted bike symbol with an arrow on the concrete would be helpful there. I always wondered if anyone ever went down those steps on bike. Gawd, it would be awful sight. I even sent an email to Friends of the Riverfront about it.

john426

I am thinking of doing the GAP in late May or June. How are the bugs at that time of year? Also I noticed that there is camping along the trail, does it fill up on weekends? Are there grocery stores along the way to purchase food? Is it possable to "Credit Card Camp" along the way? John

spinnaker

Not to mention the ride along the river on the North Side. I think it would be an easy thing for someone not paying attention or trying to avoid crowds to go off into the river. Also headed up river if not paying attention to the fact that the path takes a hard left and if you go straight instead, you will wind up in the river if not paying attention.

spinnaker

Bugs are ALWAYS bad. But along the GAP just mostly at sunset. Along the C&O bad day and night if it has been raining.

I would not worry about camping. There always seems to be space for one more.

For groceries:

From Pittsburgh your best bet would be to take Route 148 (Walnut Street) to Versailles. There is a large grocery store at the top of the hill in the Olympia Shopping Center. There is a smaller grocery store (more of a convenience store) before you get to West Newton. And then again a small store along the trail in West Newton.

There is not much near the trail till you hit Connellsville,

It is possible to credit card camp the whole way. The only issue will be Connellsville. I do not believe there is much near the trail, unless things have changed recently. There is a motel a few miles up the road off the the trail.

Tandem Tom

There is a very nice B&B right near the trail. We have stayed there 2x's.

iforgotmename

There are plenty of opportunities to camp and groceries are abundant...you just have to go into town and look around or ask someone. The last time I did the GAPCO it rained and rained so it was a camp/ hotel trip. The storms forced us to Leesburgh and there is a cool hotel right in town above a restaurant. As far as the camping filling up I had no problem finding a spot.

Purchase the guidebook...it's worth the $10 https://www.atatrail.org/store/index.cfm?CategoryID=3

If you need any further info let me know.

DCwom

John, we are riding the GAP in June, about the same time as the 2013 sojourn by the rails-to-trails folks (https://wilderness-voyageurs.com/rail...n-details.html), you might want to check them out to see if that ride meets your needs. We will be doing a CC tour ourselves, the one thing I found during planning is that there aren't really any "main stream" hotels on the trail other than at Pittsburgh and Cumberland. You will find B&Bs and guest houses, but they have limited capacity of just a few rooms so a good plan with reservations or a willingness to push to the next town for lodging is prudent. A good resource is the ATA website, look under the trail towns section, there are pdf guides for most of the bigger trail towns and they list the lodging and food options. A word of caution about the guides and business, places come & go, including B&Bs so be sure to confirm that they are still viable if you think you might be using them.

Altair 4

One thing I have learned is never, never, never ride the North Shore when the Steelers are playing. The crowds are one thing, but the number of people who are incredibly drunk is quite another.

Altair 4

If Spinnaker is talking about camping near Connellsville, there's this (taken from the ATA trail website):
Connellsville Trailhead Campground (Free)
Mile Post 88

Campsite and 2 Adirondack Shelters are located at GAP mile marker 88
(GPS coordinates: N 40 degrees 01 minutes 59 seconds, W 79 degrees 36 minutes 00 seconds, Elevation: 1012 feet)
792 Vanderbilt Rd, Connellsville, PA 15425

Amenities include year around water fountain and toilet facility, covered picnic tables, grills, video surveillance cameras and bike racks
24 hour grocery for supplies, charcoal and ATM 100 yards away. WiFi available in Yough Park at mile marker 87.5

Contact Information: Ted Kovall, YRTC President - 724-628-6078 tjkpa@zoominternet.net

No reservations for these sites, first come, first served.