The ride starts and ends near Windber, which is situated in the narrow valley of the Big Paint Creek about 10 miles southeast of Johnstown on the northern edge of Somerset County. As you travel the 148.7 mile loop, you will come across a diverse landscape not only of the making of Mother Nature but of Man.
The roads are well maintained and provide you with many panoramas as your reach the many crest and ridges of the Allegheny Mountains along the route. Rolling along the valleys you will have a good time enjoying the scenic beauty of the many farms and forests that populate the rich bottom land. The scenery is full of natural beauty and historic sites. Part of the route follows the Lincoln Highway (the first highway planned for motorized travel that spanned the continent, from coast to coast) and goes close to Route 40 (known in this part as the “Wilderness Road” – originally a path used by native Americans and settlers).
Dan Bard
While enjoying the freedom of the open road, take a somber detour to visit Shanksville – a short side-trip well worth the drive. Near here is the Flight 93 crash site. At the site you will appreciate what the passengers and flight crew did to help save our country from ever more disaster in or around our Nation’s Capital on September 11, 2001.
At Confluence - note: this is where the Youghiogheny River, Casselman River and Laurel Hill Creek meet. If you enjoy fishing or the great outdoors, then from here to Ohiopyle to Normalville you will find plenty of diversions to hike, picnic, enjoy a swim or a whitewater rafting experience. If architecture is an interest, be sure to check out “Falling Water” a house designed by Frank Lloyd Write – or a full-scale, on-site reconstruction of a 1758-1766 fort at Ligonier.
Dan Bard
All along the route you will have the chance to stop at various antique stores, flea markets (in season) and odd establishments. This part of Pennsylvania has been settled for many years, and the first wave of auto enthusiasts ensured plenty of roadside businesses that either went bust or are crumbling, or they have found new life as tourist stops, eating establishments or other eye-ball popping sights. Be sure to slow down and check out the well maintained barn on Route 30 just outside of Schellsburg. The owner has gone to great lengths to paint a mural on the structure that recalls the heyday of Route 30.
If you have the desire to experience what it was like to sleep along the Lincoln Highway in the 1940’s or 50’s, you can probably find a place that was there then and still has the original décor and structures intact. If you yearn for modern luxury, then those places too can be found.
The route has segments that will satisfy most everyone’s taste: Great vistas, climbing grades, sharp curves, good road food locations and historic attractions. The route sounds short at just under 150 miles, but if you immerse yourself into the culture of the route, and experience the adventures along the way, you will do more than travel miles, you will travel decades and more.
As they say when you enter Pennsylvania “America Starts Here” and in many ways, they’re right.
This month’s featured ride is provided by Moto-Maps® from their Pennsylvania (western) booklet and was created and reported by Dan Bard – a Moto-Maps’ colleague and co-author of Great Roads, Great Rides.
Click on the map, legend and directions below to enlarge.
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