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Youghiogheny River Trail
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The Youghiogheny River Trail extends from Boston, Pennsylvania (near McKeesport, in Allegheny County) to Confluence, in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. As you can imagine, there are many access points to this expansive trail. See the Allegheny Trail Alliance website for maps and directions.

The Youghiogheny River Trail is part of the zealous undertaking of th Great Allegheny Passage, which plans to link Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, by trail. The C&O Canal Towpath connects Cumberland to Washington, DC, so it will be possible to bike by trail from Pittsburgh to the nation's capital.

As this quiet trail follows along the river, the Boston-to-Connellsville section takes a path about as close to flat as you can ever expect to find. The vistas and good stopping points are really too numerous to mention. (Though I've listed a few below.) Large sandstone blocks and sandy shoals provide many scenic spots to stop for lunch.

As you move upstream, the character of the river changes from a slow, quiet flow near Boston, to Class 2 whitewater at Ohiopyle, to a dammed reservoir at Confluence. The trail passes areas rich in the history of the coal and coke region, and it's hard to imagine that these quite villages were once busy mine towns, or that fuming coke ovens once rimmed the valley. Abandoned beehive coke ovens south of Dawson are barely visible from the trail in the summer.

Parts of the trail are fairly remote, and you can get a good many miles from repair services or drinking water. Be prepared to be self-sufficient.

  • Completed Length: 71 miles
  • Connecting Trails: Allegheny Highlands Trail on the south, for a total completed trail length of over 100 miles
  • Surface: Packed Stone
  • Topography: 850 ft MSL at Boston; 860 ft at Connellsville; 1220 ft at Ohiopyle; 1333 ft at Confluence. Average rise: 0.3 ft/mile Boston to Connellsville; 21 ft/mile Connellsville to Ohiopyle; 10 ft/mile Ohiopyle to Confluence.
  • Cedar Creek Park, 4 miles south of West Newton. The Cedar Creek Trail here, though not actually a bike trail, makes for a scenic break. The trail is bikeable for at least ½ mile, but you have to walk bikes up steps on 3 bridges
  • Historic coke ovens near Dawson
  • Great views of the rapids near Ohiopyle, especially from the high bridge near the park
  • Ohiopyle State Park
  • Historic Dravo Cemetary between Boston and Suttersville, which dates back to 1801.
  • Popular swimming and fishing "beach" at the Smithton trailhead

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