Maps & trip planning
Plan your ride or walk
Maps for every chapter, plus the practical facts — surfaces, grades, parking, water, and camping — that make for a smooth day on the trail.
Know before you go
Trip-planning essentials
The questions trail users ask most, answered for the southwestern Pennsylvania rail-trails.
How flat are the trails?
These are rail-trails, so grades almost never exceed 2%. The Great Allegheny Passage is famously gentle, climbing steadily but never steeply between Pittsburgh and the Eastern Continental Divide.
What's the surface like?
Most sections are firm, fine crushed limestone — well suited to hybrid, gravel, and touring bikes, as well as joggers and most strollers. The Steel Valley and McKeesport sections mix in paved stretches.
Where do I park?
Every chapter has marked trailheads with parking — from McKees Point in McKeesport to Lynch Field in Greensburg to the Connellsville trailhead. Each trail page lists its trailheads and addresses.
Where are restrooms and water?
Year-round water and restrooms are at the Connellsville trailhead; seasonal facilities and a visitor center are at the Boston trailhead; and West Newton, Smithton, and others offer restrooms in season.
Can I camp along the way?
Yes. The Yough River chapter runs a campground with shelters in Connellsville, and Cedar Creek County Park on the Westmoreland Yough Trail offers Adirondack overnight shelters.
How do the trails connect?
The Steel Valley Trail links the GAP to Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Heritage Trail and on to Point State Park, and to the Montour Trail toward the airport. At Cumberland, Maryland the GAP meets the C&O Canal Towpath for a continuous route to Washington, D.C.
Trail maps
Maps by chapter
Tap any map for that chapter's full details — trailheads, facilities, highlights, and contacts.
Yough River Bike Trail
23 miles · Fayette County
Westmoreland Yough Trail
10.5 miles · Westmoreland County
Whitsett-Fayette Yough Trail
About 5 miles (mileposts 41–46) · Fayette County
Steel Valley Trail
Allegheny County
Mon / Yough Trail Council
Allegheny County
Five Star Trail
About 8 miles · Westmoreland County
Coal and Coke Trail
About 5 miles · Westmoreland County
Westmoreland Heritage Trail
8.5 miles (Saltsburg–Delmont) + 9.3 miles (Export–Trafford) · Westmoreland County
McKeesport Trail Commission
Allegheny County
Going the distance?
For end-to-end Great Allegheny Passage planning — mile-by-mile maps, lodging, and shuttle services across the full 150-mile route to Cumberland — these partner resources are the best place to start.
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