Before you ride
Trail rules & safety
A few shared rules keep more than 85 miles of trail safe, open, and free for everyone. As a partner on the Great Allegheny Passage, RTC follows the GAP's rules and safety guidance, including its e-bike policy.
The basics
Sharing the trail
These apply on every trail RTC and its chapters maintain, whether you are on the Great Allegheny Passage or on the Five Star, Coal & Coke, or Westmoreland Heritage trails.
Keep right, pass on the left
Call out or sound a bell before you pass, and give walkers room. Most trail collisions are a fast pass that nobody heard coming.
The trails are non-motorized
No cars, ATVs, or dirt bikes. E-bikes and mobility devices are the exception, under the policy below.
Dogs on a leash
Leashed, well-behaved dogs are welcome on every RTC trail. Please pack out any waste.
Open dawn to dusk, free of charge
The trails are open year-round and free to use. There is no lighting, so plan to be off the corridor by dark.
Horses only where posted
Horses are permitted on the grassy areas between Boston and Connellsville, not on the trail surface itself.
Carry out what you carry in
Trailhead bins are emptied by volunteers. The less that goes in them, the more time those volunteers spend on the trail itself.
GAP e-bike policy
E-bikes & mobility devices
This is the Great Allegheny Passage e-bike policy as written, and it is the policy in force on RTC's GAP sections. The 15 mph speed limit it refers to applies to everyone, not only to e-bikes.
To accommodate mobility disabled persons, wheelchairs and similar devices built specifically for mobility disabilities are permitted. E-bikes that meet the following criteria are also permitted:
- Are propelled by fully-operating pedals or by pedal-assist power.
- Have motors that are 750 watts or less.
- Weigh less than 100 pounds.
- Are no more than 36 inches wide.
- Have two or three wheels.
The following are not permitted:
- Devices powered by throttle only, by accelerator pedals, or by internal combustion engines.
- Using the electric motor to move any device without pedaling.
- Riding at a speed in excess of the 15 mph speed limit.
- Motorized skateboards, scooters, or similar devices with any number of wheels.
Full rules and safety guidance for the Great Allegheny Passage: gaptrail.org rules & safety.
Questions about a specific trail?
Each chapter knows its own miles best, from surface conditions to what is open after a storm.