Freewheeling Easy

We’re pleased to announce that after a long hiatus, the guide to the motor-free bicycling trails in Western PA (FreeWheeling Easy in Western Pennsylvania) is back in print with fresh information on the enormous growth in the trail system over the past decade or two.

The book covers trails which are variously called rail-trails, bike paths, greenways, towpaths, and linear parks. Some are paved, some dirt or crushed stone; a few have short excursions onto roads with very little (and very slow) traffic. All are suitable for touring bikes with medium to wide tires and for hybrid or mountain bikes. They provide opportunities for short family outings and for multi-day touring. If you like to bicycle or walk on wide smooth gentle paths, you will enjoy these trails.

For each trail (there are 29 of them) the book has 3 to 10 pages of write-up that gives a general descriptions of the trail, local attractions, possible extensions for longer rides, driving directions to trailheads, and locations of amenities such as rest rooms and restaurants. 

This book (the first of several volumes) covers the trails north and west of Pittsburgh. i.e. the Allegheny and Kiskaminakas Rover basins. The trail system in the region has grown substantially, and the challenge of describing this progress is correspondingly more daunting. Because of the growth, to cover the entire region, the books will be issued in several volumes. This first volume, at 240 pages, is almost two and a half times the size of the original edition (1995) which covered the entire region.

This book will be a great gift for a bicycling friend. One size fits all and no need to worry about compatibility with the bike parts. Many people remember the first three editions in 1995-2001 which sold over 15,000 copies and are looking forward to the new edition.

Roy Weil and Mary Shaw