Get Away: Tracks and Yaks Rail Bike Tours

Chat it up as you pedal alongside the Great Allegheny Passage on a tandem or quad rail bike from Tracks and Yaks. Opened in Frostburg, Maryland, in May 2021, Tracks and Yaks tours depart from the historic Frostburg Depot and run along Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s smooth steel tracks, offering gorgeous mountain views and a fun jaunt through the 914-foot Brush Tunnel. 

The rides, which are all guided, are leisurely paced and the bikes are easy to handle, making the tours accessible for people of all ages. A variety of tours are available, including the popular Helmstetter Hotshot, a 10-mile, two-hour pedal through the most scenic part of the railway, with a shuttle bus return (from $99 for a tandem bike).

Or try the Track and Yak Express, a three-hour tour that pairs a 10-mile rail bike ride with a 3-mile kayak or tube float on the North Branch of the Potomac River (from $139). 

Yet another option combines rail biking with a return trip aboard the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s Frostburg Flyer. 

A second Tracks and Yaks location in Berlin, Maryland, about a 30-minute drive from Bethany Beach, opened in July 2023 and offers a 6-mile, 1½-hour tour, or a 13-mile, 2½-hour tour on straight and level tracks. Both traverse farmland, wetland and coastal forests of pine.

The longer excursion includes a stop at the historic Queponco train depot, now a museum dedicated to the history of the railroad and its importance on the Eastern Shore. Be sure to pack water, sunscreen, snacks and closed-toe shoes. Open six days a week (closed on Tuesdays) throughout the summer. Visit the website for tour schedules and prices.

Tracks and Yaks, 19 Depot St., Frostburg, Maryland, 301-349-3699; 115 Broad St., Berlin, Maryland, 443-856-3309