Hike #1451; Garrett PA to Cumberland MD

Hike #1451; 11/6-11/7/21 Garrett PA to Cumberland MD with Professor John DiFiore, Jennifer Tull, Kirk Rohn, and Amanda D.

This next trip was one I had wanted to get around to for a while, and at the same time it was kind of a jump ahead of where I wanted to be.
I had been working on the 911 National Memorial Trail as a series for some time, and we had gotten as far as Johnstown. I had connected everything from New York City to there earlier in the year.

The next step in that series was to continue from Johnstown south to the Flight 93 Memorial, and then to continue from there down to Berlin where the trail will pick up an old railroad grade and follow it to Garrett, where the trail joins the Great Allegheny Passage.

At this point, the Great Allegheny Passage follows the former Western Maryland Railroad, and it pretty much does so all the way from Connellsville to Cumberland, the majority of that route.

I had also already hiked the Great Allegheny Passage all the way from Pittsburgh to Ohiopyle, and I needed to do everything east of there. It was still two to three days walking from Ohiopyle to Garrett, and I kind of wanted to do all of this in order.

The dilemma I faced was that I wanted to walk through the tunnel through Big Savage Mountain, and it has doors on it that are closed through the Winter. I figured if I jumped ahead and did the two days from Garrett to Cumberland, the hike would still connect with other hikes I'd done because I'd already reached Cumberland before, and then I could jump back in short order and fill in between Ohiopyle and Garrett.

Unfortunately, I still have not filled in that missing gap as of this writing, but I still hope to get to it soon.

It seemed almost perfect that my son was born in July, and now I have this great long route I want to do, all of which can be done with a stroller. The entire Great Allegheny Passage remaining is stroller-able, and the entire Chesepeake and Ohio Canal is great for it.

The only problem I had was that I had to get his mother to buy in to it. She wanted me never to have the baby around anyone in the group, which is of course ridiculous because they're great people, but I could get away with it if she was with me. So, I had to make sure she would come out on the hike, or at least part of it.

I thought this trip from Garrett to Cumberland would be a good one. She could relax the first day and I would power through the twenty mile first day, and then she an little Everen could do the second day. I thought it went great when we did the trip between Ohiopyle and Connellsville.

Unfortunately, we made a grave error on this one, which I of course got all of the blame for: we forgot to put his jogger stroller into Jillane's care before we left. It was still in mine from the last hike I'd done on the previous Thursday on the Sussex Branch.

We didn't realize it until we were half way there, hours across Pennsylvania into Maryland.

We could have purchased a cheap stroller but Jillane wasn't into that, and so I did end up doing the hike both days without her and the baby, which I wasn't happy about, but fortunately they found other things to do.

I had come up with a plan to stay at the historic Hotel Gunter in Frostburg Maryland, the half way point between the two days, and shuttle vehicles between either end to be able to continue each day. The others stayed at a different hotel nearby because it looked like they were out of rooms, but it turned out the Gunter had plenty, and this was another stupid communication error between online registry and what actually was there.

I figured Jillane would like the place best because it was so unique and interesting, and because it was the really authentic old hotel. I really loved it and thought it was quite interesting, with a full museum type section on the lower floor.

The hotel opened with a New Years Day 1897 gala by owner William R. Percy.

Unfortunately, Percy died only 5 months later and it was taken over by a group headed by his son-in-law, W. E. Gladstone. As such, it became known as the Hotel Gladstone.

The hotel, frequented by politicians and dignitaries, contained a Cafe, barbershop, petting zoo with tame deer, and even a jail in the basement for prisoners being transported by federal marshals.

After 1900, the hotel was purchased by William R. Gunter, who over the next 20 years added pressed tin ceilings, 175 seat dining and, and mahogany bar. The basement bar, now Toasted Goat Winery tasting room and restaurant, served as a speakeasy during prohibition.

The building fell into horrible disrepair in the 20th century, and was again purchased and rehabilitated by Jake Failinger.

Today it is owned by Donny and Kristan Carter with 12 hotel rooms, local apartments on the top level, and bar and museum items in the oddly ramping hallways and stairs. It was definitely a very eccentric design.

This was definitely the place to stay for lovers of history, unique architecture and character, as well as friendly service and ambiance, but I don't think Jillane cared for it at all like I did.

In the morning, the group met me at the hotel in town. I ran around and got some then and now compilations of the old hotel, for which I'd already saved several old photos and historic postcards.

From there, we shuttled north to Garrett, where the 911 Trail joins the old rail bed.

The Garrett Station is now long gone, but some of the area scenery remains the same. For my first then and now compilation, I was able to pinpoint the station site by a home on a hill behind it that is still there today.

Garrett was served by both the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as well as the Western Maryland, but the B&O arrived here first in 1871. The Western Maryland Railroad built this as their "Connellsville Extension", starting in 1906. It opened in 1912, surprisingly late for such a railroad.

The two lines competed with each other, parallel for the entire distance we would be walking (although the B&O moved off at a distance somewhat), but hard times hit here as they did everywhere else. The Baltimore and Ohio acquired the entire Connellsville Extension in the early 1970s, making the entire line completely redundant. The old B&O alignment was favored and this was all abandoned in the 1980s.

It should come as no surprise that even the settlement is named for John Work Garrett, who was President of the Baltimore and Ohio from 1858 to 1884.
This section of the railroad followed along the Casselman River, which is believed to have been named for Hesse-Cassel, in Germany. The river is a tributary of the Youghiogheny we had followed on previous hikes, and it joins that river in Confluence, one of the towns I had yet to visit on the trail.

It was a cold morning and there was some frost on the ground, probably the first I'd seen of the year. Of course, we were way up in the Alleghenies, at higher elevation and nearing the highest elevation that this rail line and trail reach on the entire length from the west. It was definitely the coldest I'd felt at the start of a hike since the previous year.

The trail, like other sections, was still marked with expensive granite markers and chiseled mileages. There were nice views of the Casselman River to the left. 

We crossed a gravel road called Platter Street, passed through a nice rock cut, and then had splendid views to the east as we came out to wide open and exposed area above a farm. 

We crossed Petenbrink Road, and continued with good pastoral views for a bit, and then approached the awesome Salisbury Viaduct.

Just before reaching this giant bridge, one of the highlights of the trip, there was an old family cemetery to the left side with great views over fields that were full of curious cows staring at us.

The Salisbury Viaduct is a 1,908 foot long, 101 foot high steel trestle was the key engineering piece for the Connellsville Extension, and is now a big highlight of the entire trail.

The views in this area were absolutely outstanding. The trestle spans the Casselman River, Route 219, the former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Mason-Dixon Highway, and Johnny Popper Road. 

The dramatic cuts made for the modern roads and the shadows cast by them and the railroad were amazing in the farmland and riverfront setting.

The trestle was built extra wide, like others further up by Connellsville, in case they ever wanted to add a second track, but it never came to pass.

We took a break at the far side of the trestle, and there was a trail access point from Johnny Popper Road. We then continued through woods, crossed Johnny Popper Road again followed by a farm lane, and continued on to the town of Meyersdale.

This town was already established as a German settlement long before either railroad arrived, in the late 1700s when it was known as Meyer's Mill. It became known as Meyersdale in 1874. 

By the end of the 1800s, the town was the principal economic, cultural, and population center in Somerset County PA. It had five hotels and many more businesses that thrived because of the accessibility by rail. 

We passed beneath High Street, and then reached the Meyersdale Station just before the crossing of Main Street. I had several then and now compilations I wanted to get at this site.

1977 Don Biggs photo

Aside from Frostburg, this was the only actual community we would pass directly through. I didn't need to go down to any stores at this point, but it was kind of odd that a railroad pass through without actually hitting major communities. I blame this on the fact that it was constructed so late in the game.

The town is still pretty popular today, because it is the "Maple Town" where they have a maple syrup festival, and have every year pretty much since 1948.

The station in Meyersdale was in lovely shape, and was now serving as a museum. It of course wasn't open probably because of covid crap at this time, but there were some good historic panels outside, and they even had a caboose parked out front as well as other knick knacks.
We continued from here along the right of way, east of town, and then through woods on a shelf, where below us we could see the tracks of the former Baltimore and Ohio line in closer proximity.

We weaved around, and then crossed over Scotch Hill Road on the Bollman Bridge, which was originally built in 1871 to carry the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad over Wills Creek near Meyersdale. Of course, the single track bridge was not wide enough to accommodate the growing need for trains, so it was removed and replaced, and then repurposed to carry a farm road over the tracks to the west of Meyersdale. 

Because it is a rare example of a cast and wrought iron bridge, when it called for replacement, it was moved yet again to serve the trail purpose in 2006.

The bridge is named for Wendel Bollman, a pioneer American bridge builder. He marched in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's inaugural parade in 1828 at the age of 14, and became a carpenter for the railroad. He learned to build railroad bridges, and patented his own unique truss style in 1852. He formed his own company in 1858 and continued to design bridges for the B&O, but few examples if any like this one remain today.
We headed to the south, and soon passed through some dramatic rock cuts. In not too long, we reached the Keystone Viaduct, another long impressive structure. Not as big as Salisbury, but still cool.

It is a 910 foot amalgamation of a through truss and deck girder bridge completed in 1911, just before the line opened up. It spans the former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Glade City Road, and the Flaugherty Creek.

From Meyersdale on, the railroad is no longer along the Casselman River. The Flaugherty Creek is a small tributary to it, and it would follow that most of the remainder of the way to the Eastern Continental Divide.

Like the Salisbury, the Keystone Viaduct was built wiht the idea that a second track would one day be added. 

We continued off of the bridge and eastbound for a while on a shelf, and then eventually crossed over the Flaugherty Creek. I looked at it thinking if only it were warmer, it would have been a good spot to take a dip. 

Just a bit after the crossing was another station stop I didn't know existed, known as Sand Patch. I inadvertently set up a then and now compilation at this location using a photo from the Jim Coshun Collection.

Clayton Walker collection

This was the point where the Western Maryland and Baltimore and Ohio went almost side by side, and there was a junction between the two.

We moved through this section pretty quickly, and then the two railroads moved away from one another again.
Ahead, we crossed the Flaugherty Creek yet again, followed by Miller Run Road. The tributary of the same name was to the right of us beyond there, and the Flaugherty Creek to the left.

We passed through a cut and crossed the Flaugherty Creek again, and had some nice pastoral views. We then came closer to Deal Road and crossed the creek again. The road moved away and came back and we crossed the creek yet another time, then both immediately before and after crossing Warrens Mills Road. That last crossing had a secondary bridge at a lower level as well as the one we crossed.

The landscape got different in a way that only I think I picked up on in this section.
The landscape all got to looking far flatter. This was because we were near the highest elevation of the Alleghenies reached by the railroad. There were fewer higher peaks. Some of the very few had windmills on them.

I powered ahead of the rest of the group very fast, while they all stopped to take photos or something I guess it was. Then I think they took another break while I didn't.
Moving ahead, I spotted a bench dedicated to a park guy named Dick Stiffey, and I wonder if it is really the real name, and if so, how they ever dealt with having such a name.
Then again, a kiosk I passed had a sign reading "Huffy moutain bike for sale", and to make such a prominent misspelling is pretty bad.

The next point of interest was the parking area and trail head in the settlement of Deal. There was once a station here, at the crossing of Old Deal Road.

While waiting for the others to show up, I checked out the land contours to see if I could match up the old station photo, and read some of the literature in the boards.

After the others caught up, we continued to the east and crossed over the Flaugherty Creek two more times. We then approached the underpass of McKenzie Hollow Road. This was the location of the Eastern Continental Divide. This was the point that we left the Gulf of Mexico Watershed and entered the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The point is at 2,392 feet above sea level. The culvert that carried the trail was built specifically for the trail and replaced a road bridge that was removed when the railroad was abandoned.

Inside the culvert, there was an elevation profile for miles to show the grade the trail takes, and it was staggering to see the grade coming up. We had been gradually going uphill until this point. We could really feel after going through how steeply downhill it was.

It wasn't too far from this point before we got to Big Savage Tunnel, one of the biggest points in deciding to do this trip on this date.
We crossed the Laurel Run, and the mouth of the tunnel was just ahead of us, with the doors open to it. I tried to get a couple of then and now compilations, and we moved ahead into the mouth of the tunnel.

The 3,294 foot long tunnel was completed in 1911 for the railroad, which opened for service the following year.

The mountain is named John Savage, an early surveyor who nearly died on an expedition here in 1736.

Big Savage Tunnel is closed from November to April to combat freezing, and has doors that are closed off during those times. The tunnel is also equipped with lighting for trail users, although they were not working when we went through.

The darkness going through definitely made it a bit more of in interesting experience than it would have been with it.
This tunnel was I believe the longest of nine tunnels built by the railroad to alleviate some of the grades.

Big Savage also had a problematic section of loose, muddy material in it that caused constant issues with collapses and such. 

The tunnel had deteriorated badly after the 1975 closure of the line, and by the 1990s, it was not looking good for the tunnel.

Fortunately, the Allegheny Trail Alliance was able to get enough support to have the tunnel modernly updated with newer technology to alleviate the problems railroaders of the past had. The sand and dirt still flows, but the modern drainage system keeps the problems in check. Still, freeze and thaw could potentially damage this system, and this is why the tunnel must be closed off with doors during the Winter months.

It really did seem like this tunnel went on forever. There were other people inside while we passed through, carrying flashlights. This particular site is one of the more popular ones on the entire trail.

We got all the way through, and then I tried to set up some more then and now compilations on the other side.

I almost didn't want this tunnel to be done with and felt we went through it too fast for how cool it was. For it to just pass by with so little incident seemed off. Still, we pushed on ahead, and just a tiny bit beyond the east portal of the tunnel, we were treated to an amazing view from Big Savage Mountain to the south.

It was shown on maps as Big Savage Vista, and it was quite impressive. 
There was once a shanty station at this location near the mouth of the tunnel, but I don't know who the site served or how. I would suspect that perhaps it was just an excursion run simply for the view.

We took in the views to the south for a bit, and the rail bed shifted to traveling at a southwestern direction. We continued gradually downhill, and before we knew it, we reached the Mason-Dixon Line.

The line was marked with a very large pedestal on which Mason & Dixon are etched, and the line itself crosses the trail at an angle where it was line with masonry on either side going across the trail. On the other side, "Mason Dixon" is spelled out on blocks along he line just beyond the crossing as it parallels that for some time.

The fall foliage down below the Marland line was getting much nicer. In fact, it was a lot different as soon as we got through Big Savage Tunnel, and it was noticeably warmer. The climate, shade, and trajectory certainly played into the kind of temperatures we were experiencing.

The right of way passed through some more dramatic cuts, and along the way we passed beneath the abutments that carried a railroad spur that must have broken off part of the Baltimore and Ohio near Mt Savage, a small community near Frostburg, and climbed the Alleghenies for what I presume was for coal mining purposes. Old maps show it terminating at a place to the west of us known as Sampson Rock. It might have been part of the New York based Borden Mining Company, which was a prominent miner of the popular "Cumberland Coal".

After not too long, we came to the Borden Tunnel, the first tunnel on the line in Maryland, 957 feet long and built at a double track width, unlike the previous Big Savage Tunnel.

The grade is so steeply down at this point, and it's closer to the middle of that grade, that I would assume this tunnel might actually have carried double tracks rather than having been built for double track width and never had it developed, like the previous bridges. They would likely have needed a passing track at points, and in the middle of this slow going slope would have been a good spot.
Also, the right of way on either side of it turned to double track width, and the inside of the tunnel had those little cubby things on the sides where people could stand if a train was going by. It doesn't seem like something that would have been constructed if not for the existence of double track.

I set up a couple more than and now compilations of the Brush Tunnel, one from each side, and we continued on down the grade to the south.

We continued through some cuts and there were a couple more nice views as we came closer to the town of Frostburg.
We passed beneath Mt Savage Road, then went over New Hope Road on a bridge to a trail access site and kiosk, the former site of the Western Maryland's Frostburg Station, which is now long gone.

At this lot there was a switchback trail, all paved, going uphill to the south. This would take us into the town proper, and was our route. I skipped some of the switchbacks on this and just took the much faster route up the hills.
The first railroad to access this site was the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad, and the tracks of that are still in place at the top of this hill. I understand that one of the trail switchbacks is also part of that former line, as it seems to have originally made its way into town by way of switchbacks.

This spur trail turned to the right along the active tracks and then reached the old railroad station of the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad, built in 1891.

This railroad, now mostly abandoned, reached Frostburg by way of a lower grade and then switchbacked up the slope to reach this point.

This segment of it is still actively used by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. The excursion line utilizes mostly the former Western Maryland Railway from Cumberland to just east of Frostburg, and then switches onto the right of way of the Cumberland and Pennsylvania. A turntable was installed just past the station, and the trail led right to it.
Just behind the turntable was quite an interesting site: the abandoned Frostburg Tunnel.
This tunnel was fenced and goes beneath a portion of the town, but has been abandoned for years.

Coal mine mockup at Gunter

We didn't chance trying to go on into it because it was too visible, and at this point we had already hit over twenty miles for the day, so we were all pretty much ready to be done.

We headed to the left, and the trail went up a set of stairs that led out to Depot Terrace, a short distance away from the National Pike through the middle of Frostburg. We turned left on the National Pike and headed back to reach the Hotel Gunter and to finish the day.

The town is named for the first resident, Meshach Frost, who made his home on the present location of the Catholic church just down the street from here in 1812. It grew with time, and the National Pike was the first congressionally funded highway in America. 

It was built between 1811 and 1837, and thus predated even the railroads through this area. It was the pioneer highway for the surfacing known as macadam, named for John Loudan McAdam who first developed the process in the 1830s. The 620 mile highway became a major thoroughfare. It and the arrival of the railroads promised continued growth of the town.

We all turned in for the night, and in the morning reconvened at the Hotel Gunter to start back off again.

We headed back the way we came, to Depot Terrace, and then back down the steps where I set up another then and now compilation showing the area where the turntable is today.

We then headed past the old 1891 C&P Station, and turned to the right on the switchback trail back down to where the Western Maryland station used to be.

We got back on the right of way heading to the east, and after not too long we passed beneath a bridge that carried over it the former Cumberland and Pennsylvania line. Then we passed under it again just ahead. Then we passed over an abandoned line directly below us.

The right of way looked clear, but I don't believe any of that one is official trail.
We continued ahead just a little bit more, and pretty soon the active tracks came in from the right. From this point forward, the entire remainder of the Great Allegheny Passage would be rail WITH trail, and an excellent example of how such things could be repeated elsewhere for mutual benefit.

I was hoping to see a train while we walked this line, because they apparently used a handsome old steam locomotive, but we did not see a single one this time.
We continued to the east and passed beneath Parkersburg Road. We went through cuts, but were also on shelves with north facing views that were quite nice. We were still pretty high up from Frostburg.

The tracks cut to the north, and we crossed Trimble Road, and then continued to the east a bit more and crossed Patty Baker Road.

In this area, there were outstanding views to the north, both through trees and somewhat unobscured, of the little town of Mt Savage. I managed to get one close then and now compilation of that town from the rail line as well. 

That area was known for being the area where the first pressed iron railroad rail was created.

The area was first settled in the 1700s, and the town established in the 1800s. The town became a major industrial center starting about 1837, with mining and processing of both iron and coal taking place.

We continued ahead and there were many outstanding views to the north. The fall foliage continued to get better. It was even more incredible the difference from the west side of Big Savage Tunnel to where we were at this point. It was so much colder just on the other side.

After a couple of dramagit bends, we went around a really tight bend and crossed Woodcock Hollow Road. There was a shelter and bench there, so we took a little break before heading onward.
We headed back to the north and then east again, still with some more nice views, and then we came across a little mockup of a castle or something, and a shelter adorned with the name Mountain View, with a set of steps for people to get on and off of the train as it went by. 
We continued along on beautiful shelves with amazing mountain views to the left, started heading south a bit, and then came to the Brush Tunnel, completed in 1911 for the Connellsville Extension.

There were signs at the approach of this tunnel stating that visitors should exit the tunnel whenever a train is coming, but there is actually plenty of room to walk or ride through simultaneously with a train, but I'm sure they have to put that in.
Both the Borden Tunnel and Brush Tunnel were equipped with lighting, unlike the Big Savage that was not working when we went by.
The area we were in was known as the Cash Valley, and we continued south across Proenty Road.
Just a little south of this point is the majestic Helmstetter's Curve.
The majestic curve remains to this day one of the best places for train spotting in America.

The curve is named for a local generational farming family. We took a little break at the edge of the curve just before the crossing of Cash Valley Road. There were great views in every direction.

We continued across here and to the north, and we could see how trains passing around the corner could get to where both passengers and engineer could see one another around the curve, which was one of the popular things with tourists and still is today.

Through the next section were incredible views to the west and north as we made our way around the next dramatic curve. At the north end of the curve, we entered a deep cut.
When the railroad was under construction in 1912, the creation of the cut exposed a small cave. The cave has come to being known as the Cumberland Bone Cave. It contained bones of many species now extinct. 

Paleontologists were called in from the Smithsonian Institution. Excavation began that year, and continued through 1916. Species including saber tooth cat and cave bear, as well as mastodon, coyotes, puma, and more. What was found dated back over two hundred thousand years.

The cave was on the right side of the trail in the deep cut, but fenced. Multiple openings were visible.

I was hoping it would be something that would be open, or would at least be something we could step inside, but oh well.

We continued around the next sharp corner, and moved on closer to Cumberland. We could see the start of the dramatic Cumberland Narrows dead ahead.

We eventually reached and crossed Dakota Avenue at grade, at the start of the more developed areas approaching Cumberland. We then crossed over Old Mt Savage Road on a high bridge atop a fill.

We pushed ahead, and after not very long we approached the steel truss Western Maryland Railroad Bridge. The bridge was completed in 1910 as part of the Connellsville Extension, with two spans of 150 feet each.
The bridge spanned the Braddock Run, the historic National Pike we had crossed before, and the now long gone Georges Creek and Cumberland Railroad which used to be beside National Pike.

We continued across the bridge, and then further into the beautiful Cumberland Narrows.
This scenery was absolutely stunning, and the lack of vegetation along the still active excursion railroad next to us afforded constant views.

Of particular interest were the beautiful rock outcrops and vertical cliffs on the opposite side of the Wills Creek. The land is part of Wills Mountain State Park.
A promontor of these rocks is known as the "Lover's Leap".
Every area has their fanciful stories of how these places got their names, and this one dates back to a young native American princess who fell in love with an English trapper named Jack. They wanted to be married, but her father, Chief Will, forbade it. 
Jack the trapper found a map to a silver mine somewhere in the Cumberland Narrows, and he offered it to Chief Will in exchange for the hand of the princess. The Chief agreed, but once in his possession, he refused to allow the marriage anyway.

Bill Price photo

A physical fight ensued after this, during which Trapper Jack accidentally killed Chief Will.
The princess could never marry the man who killed her father, nor could she live without her love.

Arm in arm, the couple walked up to the precipice, and leapt to their deaths from the highest point.

I set up a couple of then and now compilations featuring the Lovers Leap rock; one of them using a Bill Price photo of a locomotive going over what was then double tracked right of way compared to now with the trail on one rail bed, and another using a historic postcard image of the Lovers Leap rock from the collection of Albert and Angela Feldstein.

The deep ravine continued with outstanding scenery further toward town. The 1000 foot elevation points, Wills Mountain beyond Wills Creek, and Haystack Mountain on the side we were on. 

The National Pike was just below us as we continued. This was actually not the original route. It had once followed mountain passes to the south, but was rerouted through the Cumberland Narrows in 1832 as a superior route.

The Wills Creek became a concrete lined sluice heading into town, and the trail switched from being along the cliff side to the river side.
The National Pike crossed a bridge over the creek, and we continued on the same side. The tracks split into double, and then the trail started to turn off to the right a bit, still parallel but further off.

I've determined that this secondary portion of the trail was probably a passing track or part of a rail yard at this time based on how it was graded. The trail switched from crushed stone surface to paved as we got closer to town.
We soon passed mile marker 1 as we got further into town, and it started getting realistic that we'd finish this huge portion.
We entered town and crossed Lee Street a bit south of the railroad, at this point clearly not on the former railroad line.
We continued ahead, and then around a wide corner, past a parking lot, and closer to the tracks again. I noted telltales still in place near a bridge underpass, which were used to alert workers of coming low clearance obstructions. It's not all that common to see these any more.
We soon passed beneath a concrete arch bridge, on a shelf above the tracks. A branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad travels over the bridge. It breaks off of the main line just to the north.

We continued parallel with the tracks again, and then came to the double tracked bridge where they cross over Wills Creek. Here, the trail is affixed to the south side of the bridge.
There is a grade crossing of the trail just barely beyond the bridge, and the trail heads to and across Baltimore Street still next to the tracks, and along Canal Street.
There were lots of murals painted on the walls through here, and the beautiful Western Maryland Railway station was on the right. There is so much I've seen there, and so much more I wouldn't mind seeing again and sharing with everyone else, but we were almost done.

Just ahead, we were looking for one of those granite or whatever posts with "0" on it, but we couldn't find one. We then realized it was just embedded in the walkway. The point where the Great Allegheny Passage ended was the point where the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal had its western terminus.

The canal is gone through there; it was filled in years ago. Outside of town, it is still pretty well intact, but this part was just destroyed, filled in.

I was really happy to have finished this section. Great sections are ahead on the C&O Canal and I hoped to get to them soon, but I wanted to finish the Great Allegheny Passage first.
As of this writing in July 2022, I have not yet finished that, and so I haven't started the C&O Canal series. I really hope to soon, but it will mean getting my son's mom to agree to let me take him overnight on it. Hopefully that will happen.

Either way, we had a really good hike, and it far exceeted my expectations.