Yough River Trail

While I’m in Pennsylvania for the next two months, I thought I’d try as many walking trails as I could as I wind through the Keystone state. Trail number ten is a section of the Great Allegheny Passage known as The Yough River Trail - Layton to Dawson.

Tracing old footpaths and old railroad corridors, The Great Allegheny Passage is a 150 miles long route running from Pittsburg to Washington DC (when paired with the C&O Canal Towpath). The trail is extremely popular with cyclists and I met many along my short six mile walk.

Trailhead

While the Yough River Trail is a fourteen mile out and back jaunt, I opted for a more enjoyable six mile sample covering miles 102 - 99 of the Passage.

The trail follows the Youghiogheny River much of the way

The trail is crushed granite and is in great shape, especially for as heavily used as it is. I would love to travel this route on a mountain bike because the passage travels through many historic areas. It crosses the Mason Dixon Line, the Eastern Continental Divide and numerous state parks.

Evidence of the old rail line cut through the mountain