The GAP Through Ohiopyle Is Open Again, Thanks to a Lot of Hands
The Great Allegheny Passage through Ohiopyle has reopened after the flood, thanks to state park crews, SCRTA, and trail volunteers like Doug Tarter.
Good news for trail users. The 27 miles of the Great Allegheny Passage through Ohiopyle State Park are open again, less than a week after the storms tore them up.
Ohiopyle State Park says the trail is back, though crews are still working to get it into tip-top shape. Riders and walkers should stay especially alert toward the Confluence end, where the worst of the damage hit. Hiking trails around the park took a beating too, so expect downed trees and rough spots for a while yet.
Getting the trail open this fast took a small army, and they deserve to be named. Ohiopyle State Park led the charge, with work crews pitching in from neighboring state parks: Keystone, Linn Run, Laurel Hill and Laurel Caverns. Closer to home, the Somerset County Recreation and Trails Association was in the mix, doing the kind of work it always does to keep our stretch of trail in shape.
And a special word for Doug Tarter, one of this area’s true trail heroes. Doug is the sort who shows up, tools in hand, when the trail needs him, and he showed up again. Thank you, Doug.
The GAP took a hard hit, and it is already back on its feet. That does not happen without people who love this trail and are willing to work for it. To every one of them, thank you. Now go for a ride, and watch your wheel toward Confluence.