The Great Allegheny Passage has been a boon for business

Since near-completion of the GAP trail from Pittsburgh to DC, businesses along the trail have seen business steadily grow.

"My first year I did three tours, this year I probably had 50," said Gail Shofer Hall. Hall owns Mountainside Bike Tours, Mountain Getaway Tours and the Inn on Decatur. Hall started the tours about eight years ago and has had the inn for five years.

"In the six months we had counts for this year, we are already over the 12-month total for last year"

"It's endless," she said of the trail's possibilities. Ninety percent of her guests, she said, are trail-related.

And the trail isn't quite finished. It's scheduled to be completed next year on 11/11/11

Trail planners took a big step forward with the recent purchase of the final section of land needed to complete the trail in Pennsylvania near Sandcastle Water Park, Atkinson said

Comments

[TurbineBlade]

This is nice to see - contrasted with the usual unfounded griping and complaining about how bike trails facilitate criminal activity and excessive noise.

I think this is probably the REAL scenario behind most of these projects.

[Ian]

I'm sure it's great if you ignore all the crime that has accompanied the arrival of the trail.

Surely there has been a massive surge in bike-away crime, right? Right?!?

[microzen]

It is good to see the businesses grow along the route. I rode from Arlington to Pittsburgh in April of 1997, when they said it was only months away from completion. Once past Harpers' Ferry along the C&O, most businesses were closed for the weekend. Granted it wasn't summer yet, but I would have thought the Canal would be getting lots of tourism on the weekend, necessitating open restaurants and bike repair shops.