'Yough n' Roll' trail ride, community day planned along Great Allegheny Passage
The all-volunteer Mon/Yough Trail Council plans to celebrate its 30th anniversary with events Saturday along the Great Allegheny Passage.
Volunteer event coordinator Ken Medved said a family-friendly bicycle ride “Yough n’ Roll” and Community Appreciation Day will kick off at the Boston access of the trail. The ride, a fundraiser for the council, will extend into Westmoreland County’s section of the trail.
The appreciation event will be free with food, music, speakers and childrens activities.
The group formed in 1991 when volunteers were mobilizing along what is now the Great Allegheny Passage in an effort to transform sections of the old railroad line into walking and biking trails. The various sections eventually were completed and linked, and officially named the Great Allegheny Passage in 2001.
Mon/Yough Trail Council volunteers are responsible for a 15-mile section between McKeesport and the border of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, Medved said. They perform maintenance activities such as mowing the grass, clearing trees and brush and repairing landslides.
“It’s an economic booster, a shot in the arm for these small communities,” he said.
The trail is a 150-mile link from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Md., that runs through Allegheny, Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties. In 2020, the Great Allegheny Passage was visited by about 1.4 million people, up about 50% compared to 2019. An estimated 117,000 users were considered “thru-riders,” or those who traveled multiple days on the passage.
Riders in Saturday’s “Yough n’ Roll” can set their own pace and distance starting from the Boston trailhead. There are 40- and 20-mile options that turn around at Cedar Creek Park in Rostraver or Sutersville, respectively. Rest stops along the way will be stocked with refreshments and snacks. The cost is $15 per rider.
Registration will be between 7-8 a.m. for the 40-mile ride and 8-9 a.m. for the 20-mile ride.
The free Community Appreciation Day will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Boston trailhead. More details are available at thebostontrail.com.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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