C&O Mile 105 - 130: Fort Fredrick & Hancock
C&O Mile 105 - 130: Fort Fredrick & Hancock
C&O Mile 105 - 130: Fort Fredrick & Hancock
C&O Mile 120 - 138: Boston & McKeesport
Tags on this page: GAP, Live Music, Boston, McKeesport, Monongahela River
The Boston and McKeesport areas of the trail are like no other, and really show how closely a trail can be to the neighborhoods that it is a part of. They show the balance between rural neighborhoods and the suburbs of a larger city, as you start to see more and more hints of Pittsburgh.
There is plenty of parking and a beautiful park in Beuna Vista. Expect more suburbs and rural roads until the rest area in Boston outside of a very large ball field park. If you are doing a larger group, Boston is a great drop off or meeting spot, because of the spacious parking and Visitors Center has bathrooms and water.
McKeesport is the first true signs of yinzers (read: Pittsburghers), through the Port Authority Buses into the city, and the general manufacturing feel of the town, though they do have a feel of their own. The Marina is the hub of downtown and emphasizes their use of the river as much as the trail for sports and recreation. Look out for organizated events on the trail during the weekends, and shows or live music in The Palisades during the evenings.
Leaving the city will take you along some abandoned factory buildings and then across the Monongahela River on the most beautiful bridge on the entire trail. Stop and take some pictures, or find a ferry riding the river and race it in the 15 miles towards town.
Detours between Boston & McKeesport
Not necessarily detours, but there are easy places to mess up the trail. First is to note that the trail will turn into a road after a fairly intense climb up a hill on River Ridge Rd. After this section, the trail will cross the Monongahela River on the 15th St Bridge. Make sure to stay on the shoulder of this bridge and not bike in the road. Coming from McKeesport it is easy to take the wrong turn onto the McKeesport-Versailles Loop Trail before the 15th St Bridge -- stay to the left and follow the trail onto the bridge to stay onto the GAP. When entering McKeesport, make sure to turn left onto 11th St/Mary St. When leaving McKeesport, turn left onto Locust St and cross the tracks to stay on the trail towards Pittsburgh.
How to use the table: The table below contains points of interest for this section of the trail! Click on the heading of each section in order to get a sorted list of items (i.e. see all items by Mile on the trail, or all places with Food.) The upper right contains a search bar -- use this to find all items with a specific word (i.e. all 'locks' or all 'attraction'). All items below also exist on the map above, grouped and labeled by type for clarity and convenience.
