Allegheny Crossroads Bikepacking Loop

The Allegheny Crossroads Bikepacking Loop loosely parallels the path of the historic national road as it traverses the Allegheny Mountains and explores the rugged foothills on each side of the Eastern Continental Divide. Meandering between Morgantown, WV in the west and Green Ridge State Forest in the east, the route uses numerous state forests and game lands as well as highlights from the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal to stitch together portions of the Hellbender's Wrath, Snallygaster, and Green Ridge Gravelcoaster routes into one cohesive bikepacking loop.

Designed for 50–60mm tires, the route is mostly unpaved with a wide variety of surfaces including smooth gravel, rough gravel, 4x4 road, doubletrack, and brief singletrack. Short steep pitches of 15–20% are common, and all but the strongest riders should be prepared for the occasional hike-a-bike. Some riders may appreciate front suspension, but the route is primarily designed for (and has been scouted on) rigid bikes. Paved connections use low-traffic rural roads.

The primary riding season without needing to worry about permits is late May through late September (Sunday after the last Saturday in May, through the Friday before the last Saturday in September). The route is typically good April through November, but familiarize yourself with PA State Game Lands regulations (pa.gov/agencies/pgc/huntingandtrapping/where-to-hunt/state-game-lands.html) if riding during spring turkey season or fall hunting season. You’ll need to buy a PA hunting permit (“engage in lawful hunting or trapping activity”) to legally ride the PA State Game Lands sections of the route during these seasons. Especially on weekdays, hunting traffic is light and the route remains enjoyable during hunting season (wear a blaze orange safety vest). The route may be passable in winter, but is only recommended for experienced winter riders on suitable bikes (e.g., fat bike) with tested winter survival skills.

As with any long route, conditions somewhere along the route could change at any time; be prepared to be self sufficient and detour if necessary.

Contributions are extremely welcome in the form of rider feedback, local expertise, route photography, or any other way you'd like to help.

The green start symbol (segment start POI) denotes some of the many possible shortcuts, and the red plus symbol (first aid POI) denotes sections where additional mileage (often scenic but quite challenging) could easily be added. In these areas the current route is fully scouted and provides good riding quality, but some riders may prefer shorter or longer alternatives.

The route contains many POIs for camping and resupply, and an endless variety of itineraries are possible. Feel free to contact the route creator for feedback or ideas to match an itinerary to your preference. One possible 7-8 day itinerary:

Day 0 — Start in Morgantown (or anywhere on loop and rotate these days accordingly)
Day 1 — Garrett State Forest (Snaggy Mountain Rd campsites, mile 66)
Day 2 — Frostburg (camping, hostel, or hotel options, mile 146)
Day 3 — C&O Canal (various camping/lodging options between mile 195 and 225)
Day 4 — Buchanan State Forest (various reservable sites between mile 265 and 285)
Day 5 — Meyersdale (camping or hotel options, mile 332)
Day 6 — Ohiopyle (camping or hotel options, mile 383) or Quebec Run (primitive campsites, mile 411)
Day 7 — Coopers Rock State Forest (campgrounds at mile 432 and 440) or finish back in Morgantown
Day 8 — Finish in Morgantown (mile 464)

Thank you to AJ DeLauder and Jacob Rex. About 25% of this route overlaps their Snallygaster and Hellbender's Wrath routes (with permission), and getting to their routes from my house without a car was part of the inspiration for the Allegheny Crossroads Bikepacking Loop.

Hellbender's Wrath (Jacob Rex): ridewithgps.com/routes/47155499
Snallygaster (AJ DeLauder): ridewithgps.com/routes/40782322
Green Ridge Gravelcoaster (another of my routes this route briefly overlaps): ridewithgps.com/routes/38013371

This is a C&O Canal Byways route: canalbyways.com

Direct link to full RWGPS collection: ridewithgps.com/collections/46377?privacy_code=M6YAeFu4vje3H0Ya