Ride Guide
Starting in the university town of Frostburg, the largest trail town along the Great Allegheny Passage, this route skirts the Eastern Continental Divide and parallels the headwaters of the Potomac River. Shortly after passing the source of the Potomac, you’ll reach Thomas, the northernmost Mon Forest Town.
From Frostburg, you’ll make the long steady paved climb to the Eastern Divide before turning south for a long stretch of ridgeline riding on quiet mixed surface roads before the 2,000ft descent into Westernport, MD for a view down the Westernport Wall before resupplying in town.
As you start the climb out of Westernport, you’ll have great views of the railroad as it winds through the canyon created by the North Branch of the Potomac River. This middle third of the route contains numerous campgrounds along or near the river as it climbs and descends across the river (and the MD/WV) line twice.
The final 20 miles of the route rolls gently uphill as you follow the Potomac River, now little more than a roadside creek, upstream to its source at Lake Fairfax State Park before the brief paved descent into Thomas.
Overall, this route is a very hilly one but offers primarily non-technical surfaces with many of the climbs and descents using paved backroads popular with local road riders and events like the Garrett County Grand Fondo.
Contributed by Geoff Patterson
