Great Allegheny Passage

The benchmark for a long, easy ride: 150 miles from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, on compacted crushed limestone with an average grade under 1 percent. Trail towns such as Connellsville, Ohiopyle, Confluence and Meyersdale break it into manageable day rides with lunch at each end, and luggage shuttles let multiday riders travel light. The 3,294-foot Big Savage Tunnel and the Eastern Continental Divide sit near the Maryland line. The one stretch to plan around is the steady 1.75 percent climb westbound from Cumberland to Deal, so the gentler choice for a family is to ride it the other way, coasting down into Cumberland. Big Savage Tunnel closes for the winter, and at Cumberland the C&O Canal Towpath continues to Washington, DC.