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Anonymous from lansdale pa on 4/23/2026 2:36:07 PM:
What is the steepest part of the trail, and how much of an incline?
 
Bill in Columbia - was in Houston on 4/23/2026 7:14:39 PM:
Prolly about 2% at the steepest, and you'll find uphill segments all along the trail.
 
Rivnuts from Homestead,PA on 4/23/2026 8:23:13 PM:
That is, perhaps, a two-fold question. While it isn’t the literal answer to your question, most riders refer to the ride north from Cumberland up to the Eastern Continental Divide as the biggest “hill” but as the information below notes, it is only a 1.5% average grade with a few sections approaching 2%. This isn’t steep but it is long.

The elevation difference between Cumberland, MD (approx. 600–660 ft) and the Eastern Continental Divide (~2,392 ft) on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail is approximately 1,700 to 1,767 feet. This ascent occurs over 23.7 to 24 miles, resulting in a steady, manageable 1.5% average grade.

I believe the actual steepest “climb”, albeit short, is in Liberty Borough just as you leave River Ridge Road about 20 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. At its steepest it approaches 10%. But the climb is maybe only 100 yards long so it is easily walkable if needed. As I ride with tourers headed for DC, I tell them that that section is the last hill to DC.
 
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