In Colonial times, the Allegheny Mts was where the wilderness began. The mountains we now call the Laurel Highlands – Negro Mountain plus Laurel and Chestnut Ridges – were an enormous impediment to early travel beyond Cumberland, MD, to the Forks of Ohio, now Pittsburgh. Today, we bike those 140+ miles easily. The GAP, as…
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The Big Savage Tunnel opens Thursday, March 28th, for the 2024 season. Crews from Somerset County and the Somerset County Recreation & Trails Association will open the west and east portals in the morning, and riders will have full access by noon. This marks the 18th season the tunnel has been officially open. The 3,294-foot-long…
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The Big Savage Tunnel, Mile 22, on the Great Allegheny Passage in Somerset County is closed. The tunnel built in the early 1900s for the Western Maryland Railway and rehabilitated for the Great Allegheny Passage trail, closes during the winter to protect the interior from ice damage. There is no suitable detour around the tunnel…
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** UPDATE NOW OPEN! The Great Allegheny Passage, a renowned recreational trail connecting Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Cumberland, Maryland, has experienced temporary closures in two sections due to severe weather damage caused by an F2 tornado that struck the region on the morning of August 26th. The affected areas include the segment between Connellsville and Ohiopyle,…
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