The C&O Canal Towpath and Great Allegheny Passage are both one of 20 recreational trails in the country competing to be named one of the top 10 best trails in North America.
As we all know, counties are on the frontlines of the pandemic – our parks and recreation departments, especially, have provided welcomed outdoor activity and safe social distancing options for Maryland residents.
The 10Best USA Today website, the entity coordinating the best trails competition, noted: “This period of social distancing has many people looking for ways to get active in the great outdoors. Thanks to an ever-growing network of recreational trails across the country, staying active is easier than ever.”
Allegany County, Maryland, has two trails that have been nominated in the top 20 trails, competing to be top 10 in North America.
The C&O Canal Towpath runs 184.5 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland, MD, along the historic C&O Canal, once used by canal mules to tow boats along the waterway. The Great Allegheny Passage is a 150-mile rail-trail system from Cumberland, MD, to Pittsburg, PA. It was the first trail to earn a spot in the National Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. Allegany County is home to approximately 70 miles of the trail systems, which merge in Cumberland to create a 330-mile continuous trail from Pittsburgh, PA, to Washington, DC.
“One thing that makes Allegany County stand out is its access to nature and outdoor recreation,” said Ashli Workman, director of tourism for Allegany County. “Urban planners looked at the whole country and determined what trail systems were considered the best. How incredible that two are right here in our community.”
Allegany County, MD
You can vote for the trails at www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-recreational-trail/ once per day, per device, until polls close Monday, Feb. 15. The top 10 trails will be announced Feb. 26.
