FEATURED NATIONAL RECREATION TRAIL
Allegheny Passage
Great Riverton Bridge on the Steel Valley segment of the Great Allegheny Passage; photo by Mary Shaw T
he Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is a 150-mile multiple use rail-trail system between Cumberland, MD
and Pittsburgh, PA. Completed in 2013, the GAP links to the 185-mile C&O Canal Towpath in Cumberland to provide a non- motorized, nearly level trail between Washington, DC and Pittsburgh. The trail has a compacted crushed limestone surface. Following aban- doned railroad beds, the average grade westbound from Cumberland to Deal the trail crosses the Eastern Continental Divide.
The trail is maintained by the
Allegheny Trail Alliance, a coalition of seven trail organizations in southwest- ern Pennsylvania and western Maryland. The group is also charged with promoting and enhancing the trail
36 FALL 2017
AmericanTrails.org
and providing maps and tourist infor- mation.
The GAP received over a million
the prior year. A key feature of the GAP is the Trail Town Program® which focuses on cooperation and economic development around trail tourism and outdoor recreation. The goal is to ensure that trail communi- ties and businesses maximize the eco- nomic potential of the region’s trails, while working to improve the connec- tions between trail and town. A 2008 study of the trail found that, on average, business owners indicated that one-quarter of their gross revenue was directly attributed to trail users. A 2014 follow-up survey found
overnight stay and spent an average
Big Savage Tunnel; photo by Don Andberg
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