Allegheny Passage: Ohiopyle to Confluence

My husband and I recently took a staycation. (For those of you with more bountiful vacation funds, a staycation is a vacation from work where you don't really go anywhere). To decide what we would do on our staycation, I had the idea to jot ideas onto scraps of paper and draw them out of a hat. Biking from Ohiopyle to Confluence was Matt's idea, and it was definitely a good one. Here's why.

The trail is part of the Allegheny Passage, part of a trail system that that connects Pittsburgh to DC, or so Wikipedia says. (I doubt I'll ever validate this fact by riding the whole distance, so we'll trust the online encyclopedia for now.)

At Ohiopyle, we began at the train station, which, if you're familiar with the area, is in the little town of Ohiopyle proper near the bike rental shops and restaurants. It's a good place to begin because there are restrooms and you can grab a drink or a snack at one of the restaurants before you embark. There are maps in the train station building, and a gentleman there directed us in the direction of Confluence--NOT across the bridge, which looked like a fun ride--and explained that it was 10 miles to another bridge, one leading into the town.

It was a steady uphill climb, which made sense considering the trail ran parallel to the Youghiogheny River and the river flows from Confluence to Ohiopyle, not the other way around. It was work, and it was a hot day. We were shaded for nearly all of the ride, so the weather was tolerable.

At the 10-mile mark, the trail indeed led us over a footbridge, then through a residential area. A BBQ place beckoned to my husband, but I wasn't ready. I wanted to explore some more!

We took another bridge over yet another waterway, eventually finding a sign and a map for the area. We walked the town square, but not much was open on a Monday. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a tourist community--at its best it's a very small town. But it's charming, the kind of small town that can be either painfully or peacefully quiet, depending on your mood.

After parking our bikes at a bike rack we stepped into the bike shop/antique store that welcomes trail riders in need of an emergency part or an allen wrench. They even sell bikes.

Another boon to cyclists on the Allegheny Passage there are plenty of homes people have opened up to the public as bed and breakfasts or guest houses. It was at one of these bed and breakfasts where we wanted to have lunch on the river, but alas it's closed on Mondays. (Remember, think small town, not honeymoon destination, when considering these guest houses.)

If you're looking for a new place to ride, or want to get away from your usual local parks, try this ride. I would advise against going on a weekend, because I'd estimate we passed 30 people in 10 miles, which seemed to be a lot for a weekday. The distance is comfortable for novice cyclists and it fits comfortably within one day's activities. Check out the photos below to get a peek at the trail.

- - - - -

TRAIL RATINGS
Distance: A little over 20 miles round trip

Direction: SE

Grade: No data

Traffic Density: No data

Trail Composition: 100% limestone

Scenery: 5
Bathrooms: Plenty at both ends of the trail
Bathroom Quality: 3

Bike Rental Available: Yes

- - - - -

Frick Park

This was supposed to be the season's first Rides, then Writes ride. It proved to be an unsuccessful ride for me, only a novice cyclist, but I hope it proves to be a worthwhile blog post!

I'd heard my pastor, Jay, a BMX biker, speak of Frick Park and its bike trails. His BMX reputation, and the fact that only days before I'd seen him stoke a fire with his boot, should have been enough to make me realize that there are differences between my cycling skills and his.

It was the warmest day this spring, in the 80s, when my husband and I decided to try out Frick Park. Though I'm a native Pittsburgher, I know very little about the city neighborhoods, so I had never been there and enjoyed finding our way through Squirrel Hill to the park.

We entered at the Frick Park Nature Center on Beechview Boulevard. We pedaled to the first trail we could find, a steep, windy one made of small pebbles, leaves, and other nature trail debris. The trail wrapped around the hillside before rising up on the other side to overlook a highway.

And just like that, the trail had ended. Back to where we began. If not for our struggle up the hill we'd have been done in 10 minutes!

Craving more adventure, my husband found a park map. It was a network of trails that branched out in all directions. We'd seen them diverge as we rode, so we sought the one Jay recommended, which meant retracing our steps down the hill we had just climbed. I must have been riding too fast, because my back tire slipped on the dead leaves and I had to catch myself before losing traction and slipping off the path.

When we reached a fork, we saw that the the trail we needed to take was a donkey path through the Grand Canyon. Admitting this course was more for mountain bikers, we sought an alternative--Braddock Trail, which looked to be more flat. We found it and rode a ways before encountering steps, further proof we were in unfamiliar, unpredictable territory! We headed back to the car with plans to ride at North Park next time.

Frick Park, clearly, is a beautiful place to spend the day. I love to hike, and certainly would have enjoyed walking the trails. We'll definitely be back for a picnic or a walk in the woods--I'd love to see what's down that steep, breakneck trail we avoided!

Thanks for the tip, Jay, but we just aren't that experienced yet! : )

- - - - -
TRAIL RATINGS
Distance: Variable
Direction: Variable
Grade: Variable
Traffic Density: No data
Trail Composition: 40% dirt and leaves, 40% pebbles and rock, 20% asphalt pavement
Scenery: 4 for the woodsy views and picturesque neighborhoods
Bathrooms: Encountered only 1, but I'm sure there were more.
Bathroom Quality: N/A
Bike Rental Available: No data
- - - - -

Points to note: This park is NOT family biking-friendly--portions of the trail are only accessible by sidewalks that flank major roadways; parts of the trail are too steep and paths too precarious for child cyclists.