Bike, Hike and Strike it Rich in Cumberland

Rocky Gap State Park and the city of Cumberland, MD pair perfectly for an active fall or winter quick-trip from the DC/Baltimore metro region. Just two and a half hours west of hustle and bustle, mountainous natural beauty surrounds Maryland’s Queen City. Escape the cold big-city blues and explore.

Here you can live like a woodsman, cold-camping in a rustic cabin or camp with the comfort of an all-electric Ash campground loop site. Camping includes fire pits and a well-maintained heated bathhouse with hot showers and flush toilets. If camping’s not your thing, lodge lovers can nestle into a totally different experience with deluxe accommodations at the Rocky Gap Casino and Resort. Indulge in spa services, golf on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course and the jingle jangle of shows, slots and table games.

It’s the fresh air that’s the star of this quicktrip adventure. With 15 miles of see your breath hiking trails, the sounds of crispy brown leaves crunching underfoot give mind and body the freedom of space and time to wander. It can be a clear your head or get inside it moment. It all depends on how you choose to channel your thoughts. Either way, you’ll want a warm thinking cap for the journey.

The most strenuous trek is an 8 degree, thousand foot thigh-buster climb to the 1766 homesite of a hermit with a broken heart. The Evitt’s Mountain Homesite Trail introduces Old Man Evart, the first white settler to Allegheny County who chose isolation over civilization on a wide, flat, tree suffocated ridgeline that connects Maryland to Pennsylvania at the Mason Dixon Line. Hike an extra mile past an abandoned fire tower to the state dividing line is marked with a medallion and small monument. It is the perfect place to rehydrate in quiet reflection of the brave travelers on the Underground Railroad who crossed this important line of demarcation in their journey to freedom.

More moderate hikes include a 5 mile loop winding along the shoreline of Lake Habeeb. Shorter jaunts on Settler’s Path and Rocky Run lead to a quick quarter mile walk to Canyon Overlook for a speculator Western Maryland sunset.

Many hikers are bikers and Cumberland is just eight bike-able miles away. Layer up for the cold as downhill bike speed will exceed 30 mph if you lay off the brakes for a Walter Mitty moment. Shed them for the uphill return. Experience a workout for jersey-clad roadriders and a push for high-tech electric bikers like ourselves. In either direction, the old National Route 144 to Cumberland offers a friendly bike lane on a broad shoulder connecting to local roads into town. An occasional car or truck may pass, but the serious traffic travels parallel on the I-68 interstate.

In its heyday, Cumberland was referred to as Maryland’s Queen City for its status as the second largest city in Maryland and hub for providing coal and raw materials to major cities on the east coast via the C&O Canal. Mules no longer pull barges along the canal, but the 184.5 mile DC to Cumberland tow path has become one of the premier bicycle trails in the country and a National Historical Park.

The end of the C&O marks the beginning of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP), a 150 mile rail-trail from Cumberland to Pittsburgh. Together the GAP and C&O combine to provide the “bike ride of a lifetime” with Queen City positioned in the middle.

From Canal park, visitors can follow the historic walking map to experience the architectural grandeur of Cumberland in the downtown district around Baltimore and Washington Streets. Live like a local and pick up a pepperoni roll at the fourth generation Caporale’s bakery on Mechanic Street. Or, order a Coney Island hot dog at Curtis’ Famous Weiners on Liberty. Find the meticulously curated exhibits showcasing the local heritage at the Allegheny Museum on Pershing Street, just a few blocks from the Visitor Center and Western Maryland Railway Station in the Canal District. Everywhere you go, the local folks are friendly and ready to share their favorite parts of the city.

For a birdseye view of Cumberland Valley, make a steep and challenging climb on the north side of town at Wills Mountain State Park. Locally known as Lover’s Leap, the hike begins at a gated entrance marked by Google Maps on Wills Mountain Road. No Trespassing signs are posted for the abandoned plastics factory. By-pass the left turn into the factory and continue along the fire road until the path takes you out to the rocky cliffs at the top of the ridge.

The picturesque location provides epic views of Cumberland in awesome America-in-miniature fashion. Freight trains cut through the valley along the Potomac River. Neighborhoods are nestled into the mountains and peregrine falcons soar off the updraft created by the cold winds striking the steep rock face. It’s a special place to pause and reflect.

After a day on the trails or in the city, modify the return route to Rocky Gap with a backroads boogie to the 1812 Brewery. This farm grows its own hops and serves up a rotating menu of ales, IPAs and stouts in a stone and timber barn built in 1812. Check their website for special events. Pick the right night and you may find a local food truck and a bluegrass band playing in the Loafing Barn in front of a Game of Thrones size fire.

If you are willing to push your comfort boundaries to tackle hills and cold temperatures, Rocky Gap/Cumberland is a western Maryland world of fun, custom made for bike and hike exploration.

To read more about our 5 days in Cumberland, visit https://www.shericadventures.com/cities/cumberland-maryland/