alan s 

Rob_E

I'm curious to hear your findings. Having done the GAP and the Katy, I think I prefer the GAP for having a variety of scenery and plentiful campgrounds, but I did enjoy the Katy as well. And most of the variety of scenery took place on the first and last 30 miles, with Pittsburgh at one end, and tunnels and viaducts at the other. The miles in between were very nice, but I didn't notice any drastic changes in scenery apart from which side the river was on. My summer plans will hopefully include a 3rd trip down the GAP and finally continuing on down the C & O.

robow

Will you start your Tunnel Hill saga at Harrisburg and end at Karnak, then turn around and head back? That will be a heckuva day if that is what you are planning. Don't waste your time between Eldorado and Harrisburg, much more scenic to the south. May I suggest once you get down to Karnak that you take the 2 mile trail spur over to the Barkhausen Cache River Wetlands Center, kind of a neat place to nose around for a while if you're a nature enthusiast.

alan s 

robow

Good, you're going to concentrate on the southern end then. Vienna is about the only place you can be guaranteed to stock up on any supplies needed unless you can make it up to Harrisburg. Karnak can be hit or miss. From the campground to the trail head in Karnak is a fair piece of work with some significant climbs and rollers but beautiful scenery of the Ohio. You quite likely won't see anyone on the trial until you reach Vienna as the southern end is far more desolate and doesn't see much bike traffic. From Vienna up to the Tunnel Hill is where you will see the greatest amount of riders otherwise you'll probably have the trail to yourself.
Btw, it's VI (long I sound)enna and not VE (long E sound)enna or they'll know you're not local, Ha.

alan s 

robow

You've got the Vienna Diner, used to be Dolly's just east of where the trail crosses highway 45. Decent local home cooked food with home made pies. The more commercial places, McDonalds, Subway are further east on 45.
Then you've got everything in Harrisburg but that's considerably further up the trail.
Between the Wetlands center and Karnak, well kind of, is Las Marias, a pretty decent Mexican restaurant. You have to realize, there's not a lot down that way. There might be a little place in Karnak but it comes and goes so often, I never count on it being open. Hope this helps.

Tourist in MSN

Have a great time.

alan s 

Cyclist_987

Good luck! The ride from Pittsburgh to Cumberland is very fun. Connellsville, PA has a good campsite and their is a good site in Rockwood too.

rumrunn6

indyfabz

Huh?

Or are you waiting for me to mention the used condom I encountered in one of the Connellsville shelters and/or post the link to my video the loud, late night train horn in Rockwood. If so, it's not going to happen.

Seriously (although the above is also serious)....The GAP is a fine ride, and enjoyed my stays in both those places. If I ever map out a more acceptable route than the one I followed from Cumberland home to Philly I will likely ride it again as part of another cross-PA bike tour.

alan s 

indyfabz

You win Touring today!

rumrunn6

I do that when I want to subscribe to a thread & listen in

Tourist in MSN

Or, the train going past the camping area at the Y in Cumberland.

indyfabz

But was there a horn? Wait until 0:09:

alan s 

b_young

Turner Shelter

This is a great place on the KATY for 5$/ night. Bed, showers and food. Its in Tebbetts, so it depends on how many miles/day you are traveling.

alan s 

Appreciate the suggestion, but that would make for a 96 mile first day, which is more than planned. However, with a good tailwind, who knows? Looks like a great place to stay.

alan s 

Finished the trip today. Aside from the occasional rain on each trail, it turned out great, and the temperature was very comfortable most of the time. Must say that rail trails are great to ride on, but can also be a bit predictable. Some variation makes for a more enjoyable ride. Experiencing three rail trails in succession provides for a good comparison. And the winner is . . . the Katy Trail. Close behind is the GAP, followed by the Tunnel Hill Trail. I base this on which trail I would choose first to ride again. Granted, this was my second GAP trip, but I think the Katy Trail has somewhat more to offer. The Tunnel Hill Trail was nice, but is considerably shorter and there is far less to see along the way. I’ll follow up with photos and a description of each.

spinnaker

So what is ti that the Katy has that is more to offer? More towns? Better views? Better camping?

Parts of the GAP can be very bring but other parts are just spectacular. Exiting the Big Savage going toward Cumberland always gives me chills. At the top of my list of my favorite scenic areas.

You should have added the Greenbrier trail to your tour.

robow

Spin, I thought the same thing. Add the Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills of South Dakota as well. I checked that one off last September and it was excellent ! So many trails, so little time.

alan s 

So, the Katy Trail first. Saw lots of wildlife including two wild turkeys, a coyote, an owl, a flying squirrel, numerous buzzards, several catfish, a woodpecker and a wide variety of other birds. The first night was camping in Sedalia at the fairgrounds, which had some kind of horse competition going on and a large factory across the street. So it was not all that quiet and the temperature dipped into the 30s. The new tent I purchased for this trip (which will be the subject of another thread) is a significant upgrade from the REI tent I’ve used for the past 7 years.




The next day was nice riding from Sedalia to Boonville, which was far fewer miles than planned. The trail is mostly up and down at railroad grades in that section. After a nice lunch at the Main Street Diner, the forecast was calling for rain, so I got a room at Hotel Frederick, which is an amazing property overlooking the Missouri River. Lots of historical information there, and a surprising number of touring cyclists.

alan s 

The next day on the Katy Trail was nice riding along the bluffs of the Missouri River. The forecast again called for a night of rain and torrential rains the entire following day, so I rode to Jefferson City, got another hotel room, and bought a return Amtrak ticket to St. Louis. Had a nice lunch in Rocheport, and a peaceful ride to Jefferson City.






There were a few detours along the way, which actually provided a nice change of scenery from the trail, and finally over the bridge to the other side of the Missouri.