BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Laurelville is a religious retreat center http://www.laurelville.org/ in the Laurel Highlands. It's in Mt. Pleasant.

A church group I was once associated has a retreat there. Their route (from Pittsburgh) follows the GAP to Connelsville and then the road from there. If you want I can look up the email address of the ride organizer for more info.

BTW the Steubenville crossing of the Ohio on 22 is really scary but it's hard to avoid. Last time I checked, the alternative bridge was closed.

Looks like the alternative bridge reopened a few months ago.

Laurelville is at the bottom of a CLASSIC

climb over the ridge.

I would go cove rd out of stuebenville to

105 -> pennsylvania ave -> old stuebenville

pike all the way to the point where it goes

under 22. This is where they can get on the

trail. Junction of 22/old stub/potato garden

/980. Trail is to the left here off of 980.

Montour trail to GAP as discussed in other

threads.

connesville to pleasant valley rd.

Laurelville is a nice place.

If the preferred routing is via the Montour Trail/GAP, why not just routing them along the Panhandle Trail to Montour Trail? There's a short section aroudn Burgettstown that the map identifies as under development, but there appears to be an easy work around for that.

Any thoughts?

That's basically what I did when I headed west a couple of years ago, and ended up crossing the Ohio River on 22. I'd look carefully at how to make the connection between the Market St. bridge and the end of the trail. The Google Maps route looks pretty hilly, through East Steubenville and on Morton Road.

The Panhandle Trail through Burgettstown is now complete. From what I've read, the whole trail now has a great surface.

I'd look carefully at how to make the connection between the Market St. bridge and the end of the trail.

The direct way up WV-2 to Cove Road seems to have wide shoulders throughout (based on Street View), and though the road merges briefly with US 22, you're only on it for a few hundred feet and never have to leave the shoulder (in either direction). Much flatter than Google's suggestion, and it doesn't look too scary, but I'm never ridden it. (Maybe later this summer.)

Can anyone actually confirm that the section from Burgettstown (Dinsmore Ave) to the WV border has been improved. Supposedly the funding was procured to finish this roughly 7 mile section, but I can't verify that is has actually been completed.

There were several recent posts on the Panhandle Yahoo group confirming this. Sample:

I have a 10 year old and though the trail is complete from PA to WV I've seen reports that it's "rough" for 8 miles in the Burgettstown area.

Replies:

I've ridden this section several times this year to Weirton. It is a brand new crushed limestone surface the entire way to the state line. It was just done this year and it's beautiful. Just remember since it is so new the material is still a little soft, but on a scale of 1 to 10, this surface is a 10.

I just rode the entire trail last week on my road bike and had absolutely no problems. It's now a decent hardpack trail.

I rode from Burgetsttown to Weirton/ Trails end// Trail is improved all the

way from just outside of Burgetstown to state line. It's not bad in WV either.