The Great Allegheny Passage starts in Cumberland, Maryland and runs approximately 150 miles through fantastic scenic hills and valleys, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In this post, we’re going to explore the trail segment from Ohiopyle to Connellsville, PA.
History of the Trail
For a more detailed history of the Great Allegheny Passage, please see our overview.
History Along The Way
Ohiopyle
Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, is a small but historically significant town located in the southwestern part of the state, within the Allegheny Mountains. The area’s name, “Ohiopyle,” comes from the Native American language and is often translated either as “it turns very white”, or “the place of the white water,” referring to the Ohiopyle Falls on the Youghiogheny River.
Before European settlers arrived, the region was inhabited by various Native American tribes, primarily the Shawnee and the Delaware. The area was an important site for the tribes due to the river and its surrounding natural resources.
In the mid-1750s, the French and the British vied for the Ohio River Valley. Employed by the British, George Washington traveled through the Ohiopyle area to talk to the French in 1753. In 1754, Washington arrived at nearby Confluence and tried to find an easier travel route by river. However, the falls at Ohiopyle were impassable.
By the late 1700’s, European settlers, mostly of Scotch-Irish and German descent, began arriving to the area, drawn by the natural beauty, including the falls, and the fertile land suitable for agriculture. The town began to grow as settlers established farms and other small communities nearby.
By the mid-1800s, the arrival of the railroad and the development of the coal and iron industries brought significant change to Ohiopyle. The Youghiogheny River, which was once a vital route for Native Americans and early settlers, became a key transportation route for goods, especially coal. This brought new people to the area, many of whom worked in the mills and mines.
In the 20th century, Ohiopyle’s focus shifted from industry to recreation. In 1952, Ohiopyle State Park was established, transforming the area into a major destination for outdoor enthusiasts. The park, which spans over 20,000 acres, offers hiking, biking, white-water rafting, and camping, becoming one of the most popular tourist spots in Pennsylvania. It’s also nationally recognized as one of the country’s best places for white-water rafting.
The Ohiopyle Falls, a prominent feature of the park, continues to be a symbol of the town, drawing visitors with its natural beauty and the opportunities for adventure along the river.
Today, Ohiopyle has retained its small-town charm despite becoming a major hub for outdoor recreation. It draws thousands of visitors year-round for activities like white-water rafting, kayaking, and wildlife watching, for hiking the numerous trails throughout the park, as well as for biking the Great Allegheny Passage that runs through the park and the town.
As one of the major “Trail Towns” along the Great Allegheny Passage, Ohiopyle caters to the many visitors it receives year-round, with a number of options for lodging, outdoor outfitters, restaurants, coffee shops, and other businesses that make visits to the community comfortable for those just spending a few hours, a few days, or just making Ohiopyle an overnight stop along their way.
Ohiopyle’s rich history, combined with its natural beauty, makes it a unique blend of historical interest and outdoor adventure as the southern gateway to the Laurel Highlands.
Trail Details
Trail Length
According to the Great Allegheny Passage Conservancy, the total distance from the Ohiopyle trailhead to Connellsville is a total of 17.2 miles.
Trail Surface
The treadway surface is primarily crushed limestone, with an average width of 8-10 feet. The Ohiopyle trailhead area has a concrete treadway surface, and the last approximately 1.5 miles of this segment in Connellsville is paved. There is a small portion of the treadway in Connellsville that the treadway narrows to about 4 feet, but this only lasts for about 1/10 of a mile.
There are four bridges that carry the trail along this section: the Ohiopyle Low Bridge, Ohiopyle High Bridge, the Bowest Bridge, Dunbar Creek Viaduct Bridge. These four have a wood-plank surface; the Bowest and Viaduct bridges also have steel crossbars at intervals along the wood-plank surface.
Trail Signage
The Great Allegheny Passage utilizes standardized signage, as I mentioned more specifically in my overview of the trail [here].
Trail Views
The Youghiogheny River is our companion for the entirety of this segment. We get a number of opportunities to observe the river in states ranging from exciting rapids to calm flows.
Within Ohiopyle State Park, there are a number of hiking trails that offer exceptional views of waterfalls, gorges, rock formations, and river rapids. Some of these trails, including Ferncliff Trail, Great Gorge Trail, Camp Connector Trail, and Jonathan Run Trail, while not all bicycle-friendly, intersect with the GAP trail.
Let’s not forget the Ohiopyle Low and High bridges that offer their own fantastic views of the Youghiogheny!
Trailheads
Ohiopyle (GAP Mile 71.9)
The main trailhead parking area is right here, by the former train station accessible from Sheridan Street. It’s lined and paved, with space for over 40 vehicles and several designated handicapped spots. There is a second parking area behind here, with more space, but this lot is often used for river access.
There is another parking area at the Ferncliff Peninsula lot on the other side of PA Route 381, that also provides direct access to the trail.
And let’s not forget the other major parking area that’s riverside, accessed off of Main Street or PA Route 381, that can also be used for staging. This lot is near the Ohiopyle State Park Visitor Center and the falls observation decks. But if you use this lot, it’s not technically trailside, so you have to ride through the town a bit to get onto the trail. Both the main lot trailside and this riverside lot can get very crowded during summer afternoons.
Riding the Trail: Trail Tips
The Biggest Little Town in the Park
Now, when you think of quintessential trail head towns along the Great Allegheny Passage, Ohiopyle is absolutely in the top five. The town seems to have been made for the trail user and the outdoor enthusiast.
Ohiopyle is nationally known as one of the best spots for white-water rafting with its location right in the middle of Ohiopyle State Park and the Youghiogheny River’s famous rapids that draw thousands every year to experience the thrill.
There are a number of river opportunities at Ohiopyle, ranging from the Falls Visitor Center and the overlooks, to wading/swimming access closer to the Low Bridge area, and boat launch and takeouts further up the river before the rapids area, for people who want a more peaceful experience on the Yough.
At least four outfitting companies are based in Ohiopyle, that offer a wide range of river and trail activities. These range from basic bike rentals to guided tours of the trails and the rapids.
Ohiopyle also offers many other amenities for the trail user. Within this little hub of outdoor activity, you can find a variety of guest houses, a general store, bars and restaurants, ice cream shops, a couple of coffee shops, a bakery and sandwich shop, along with other local shops.
Ohiopyle also plays host to several notable events during the year.
Wilderness Voyageurs sponsors an annual “Beer and Gear Fest” every June, where various local microbreweries feature their wares. Ohiopyle also features a “Spirit of the River” Arts & Wine festival every May, and “Youghtoberfest” every fall.
Check out Ohiopyle Borough’s official webpage for more information on these fun events!
One River, Many Views
As the Youghiogheny River traverses through Ohiopyle State Park, there are a variety of places where you can view the river, and the rapids. I’ve already mentioned the Falls overlook area near the Visitor Center, easily accessible from Route 381.
Beyond the GAP that cuts through the park, the park itself has some other trails that offer exceptional views of the river as it snakes its way around the Ferncliff peninsula. These include the Ferncliff Trail (of course!), the Great Gorge Trail, and the Cucumber Falls trail. These are all hiking trails. You can actually get right next to the river on the Ferncliff trail portion that intersects the GAP at the end of the Ohiopyle Low Bridge. There are steps leading down to the trail from the GAP, so be careful as sometime they can be slippery – as can the rocks, of course!
If you’re staying on the GAP trail, the gently-curved Ohiopyle Low Bridge sits about 30 feet above the river and offers views of the swimming/wading area and upstream, as well as the town itself.
The Ohiopyle High Bridge is a bit longer than the Low Bridge, but sits over 100 feet above the river. This bridge is a fantastic vantage point for watching the whitewater rafters on their way down to the lower Yough takeout near Sugar Run. And people do watch!
These two bridges are very popular and often very crowded with walkers, particularly on spring and summer weekends, so if you’re biking through, just be careful and give way to pedestrians.
No Lack of Interpretive Signs
Beyond the official GAP signage at the trailheads, there are several interpretive signs within the boundaries of Ohiopyle State Park. We’ve seen some of them in the last post on the Confluence to Ohiopyle segment.
There are several others also placed by the DCNR within the park boundaries.
Two of them are right next to the Low Bridge; offering a brief review of the town’s history, and the other of its railroading heritage.
Another is a triangle at the Ferncliff parking area, that describes the history of the Ferncliff Natural Area.
One is mounted on the High Bridge itself, and there’s a final one near the northwestern boundary of the park near a rock face that appears to be a part of a coal seam.
So, as you ride or hike along, you’ll see these interpretive signs that have been placed by the DCNR.
Side Trips… for Waterfalls!
The area of the Youghiogheny River within Ohiopyle State Park runs from falls and rapids, to more calm waters before it flows out of the park boundary. You can see some of these changes from the GAP trail itself during certain parts of the year.
But there are other spots along the trail where hiking trails have been blazed, and some with wooden steps, that allow you to access the riverside.
On the other side of the trail from the river, there’s the Ferncliff Trail access that I’ve already mentioned. And further down past the High Bridge, are two other trail access that lead to spectacular waterfalls tucked deeper in the forest that you can’t always see from the trailside.
The trail junctions for the Jonathan Run Trail and Mitchell Field Trail are very close together. I’ve seen cyclists parked at the bench next to the Jonathan Run Trail junction and walk up to catch a view of the lower falls area.
Rusty Glessner runs PABucketList.com and he did a fantastic write-up on the Jonathan Run and Sugar Run falls, including a number of fantastic pictures, a couple that I’ll highlight below.
I’m going to take Rusty’s advice and put these two sites along the GAP on my “bucket list!”
Oh, and if you’re a overnight hiker, there’s the Kentuck Campground that’s accessible from the GAP via the Camp Connector Trail that’s a short distance from the northwestern end of the High Bridge and is also accessible by road for those using trailers/camper vehicles. According to the official park map, the Camp Connector Trail is labeled “mountain bike only” but it’s also marked as “High Bridge Bike-To Sites”, so I’m assuming that if you’re a bike-packer using Ohiopyle as an overnight stop, you can probably easily walk your bikes up to the campground area.
Turn Around for a View
If you’re heading from Ohiopyle towards Connellsville there’s a bit of a bend in the trail where it runs over the Texas Eastern pipeline around GAP mile 78.5. At the end of this bend, is a clump of rocks that mark a perfect overlook for the Yough.
If you’re riding or hiking in early spring or in the fall, you’re bound to catch a great view of the river and the valley from this vantage point.
Camp Carmel
Around GAP Mile 81.2, sits Camp Carmel, a Baptist church camp that sees a good amount of activity during the summer. It’s technically private property, so it’s best not to trespass on the campground (“see, I told you that you should have gone to the bathroom before we started!”). However, if you’re hiking or riding during times that the camp is being used, be aware that motor vehicles will use about 1/10 of a mile or so of the actual trail’s treadway to cross between the campground and its access road that intersects the trail at about GAP mile 81.1.
This spot is also notable for two things. One, you may think of Camp Carmel as the effective “halfway” point on this segment, though the technical halfway point is at mile 80.5. It’s also effectively the lowest point on the segment. Riding from Ohiopyle to Connellsville, you’ll sense that after passing Camp Carmel, you’re going uphill; you’ll get that same sense if you’re going the other way from Connellsville to Ohiopyle from this point.
No “Dead Zone” Here… Almost
We can take it for granted that we’ll lose cellphone signal at certain rural sections along the Great Allegheny Passage.
But this segment is one that, for its length, doesn’t seem to give most people a problem.
Note that I said “most people.” There’s a small portion of the trail roughly between mile 79 and 84, where some people on some carriers may briefly lose signal.
But this area isn’t nearly as broad at the dropout area between Confluence and Ohiopyle that I mentioned in that segment’s post, where nearly everyone loses signal for a few miles in the middle of that trek.
More Falls… Sometimes
Shortly after GAP Mile 86, there’s another notable water feature on the left of the trail. It’s called Great Passage Falls. There’s only one problem: it doesn’t always have a decent water flow over it.
A Google Maps contributor posted some pictures and a few videos of the falls during a peak flow time and I’d encourage you to check that out (just look for “Great Passage Falls” and skim through the photos).
However, I’ve ridden this segment a number of times at various times of the year – and all I’ve ever seen here was either a little trickle, or (as seen in the accompanying YouTube video) nothing at all.
But it still is a peaceful place to stop and rest on your way up the hill to Connellsville (which is definitely an upslope at this point).
Another Trail and More Bridges!
At GAP Mile 87, the trail reaches the hilltop for a while. Here is where the Sheepskin Trail intersects with the GAP. The Sheepskin Trail is a “trail-in-progress” as only about 6 miles of it in highly disconnected segments are currently built. The portion that connects here, runs about 2 miles up to the town of Dunbar.
According to TrailLink, plans were in place to eventually connect these disparate segments together. Alas, that seems like a long-distance project, but hopefully one day it will see reality.
At this point we also encounter the Bowest Bridge. It’s a 732-foot long plate-girder and through-truss bridge that was originally constructed in 1912 for the Western Maryland Railway. Today, it offers trail users a nice view of the river and some glimpses of the southern and eastern portions of Connellsville.
A short distance from the Bowest Bridge is the Dunbar Creek Viaduct (sometimes referred to as the “Greenwood Bridge”). It’s a 731-foot long deck plate girder bridge that was built with a slight (third degree) rightward curve.
Both of these bridges have wood-planking surfaces with a number of steel plate crossbars along their lengths.
Particularly on the Viaduct bridge, be cautious when entering and exiting: there are large steel plates to connect the bridge surface to the trail surface, but these ones are raised up about an inch or more; go over them slowly.
A Bumpy Ride, A Narrow Outlook, and a Parklet
It seems that no matter how well one wants to maintain a trail, nature always seems to have other plans.
Such is the case with the paved portion of this trail segment shortly after GAP mile 88.
Once you crest the slight hill on the paved portion, you’ll pass by the local hub for First Energy, the local power supplier. From this point down to the First Street intersection, the treadway surface has a number of, shall we say, “reverse potholes.” They’re uplifted pieces of the pavement possibly due to tree roots or water. Some of them are fairly nasty. I’d hope that at some point, I can come back to this post and update it with how they’ve all been smoothed out.
There’s also a small portion of the trail, perhaps a 1/10 of a mile or so from the trail barrier to the parklet that’s beside South First Street, where the treadway narrows from about 6 feet to as low as 4 feet. The really narrow portion is very short, however, be cautious of others and be courteous.
Biking Through Town
The trail crosses South First Street at the parklet that I mentioned. Honestly, I’m not sure if that’s a public or private parklet, so if any locals know, I’d appreciate the information!
The trail then follows South Third Street (that turns into North Third Street at Crawford Avenue) all of the way up to Front Street where we find the GAP Mile 89 marker, and the first of two large trailhead parking areas for the Connellsville Trailhead.
This portion of the trail will intersect with a couple of unnamed alleyways, and other streets including West Crawford Avenue and Meeson Street.
The nice thing about this portion of the trail is that it’s segmented from South Third Street by means of landscaped and curbed islands stretching the entire length of the approximately 3/10 mile from the South First Street intersection up to Front Street. This is where you’ll find a Comfort Inn, which has been known to cater to GAP trail users.
Crossing West Crawford Avenue, near the Bikes Unlimited shop, is the only traffic light that you’ll encounter in town on the trail itself. Crawford Avenue is a major thoroughfare through town, and as we’ll expand on next time, there are a number of trail user-friendly businesses along Crawford Avenue.
However, even though there’s only one set of lights for Third Street traffic (there isn’t a separate set just for the trail), the city government has earned a huge “thumbs up” from trail users – especially cyclists – for their incorporation of inductive-loop sensors not just on the road for the vehicles, but also on the trail for cyclists! I can attest from personal experience that these inductive-loop sensors actually work!
My only recommendation is that you actually allow them to work, and only cross Crawford Avenue with you get the green light.
Trail Impression
This 17.2 mile segment of the Great Allegheny Passage is one of the longest point-to-point segments on the GAP, but its length is definitely not outdone by its peaceful forest vistas and breathtaking views of the Youghiogheny River in both its more relaxed mode and its rapids closer to Ohiopyle. This segment is also popular for cyclists who like to do longer-distance uphill climbs.
It’s definitely worth taking the time to experience this piece of the GAP!
