Pedal while sightseeing in Frostburg
downtown Frostburg and the surrounding area.
Tracks and Yaks sits comfortably around the corner from Frostburg’s Main Street. Nearby is The Toasted Goat, a craft winery and restaurant in glamorous, historic Hotel Gunter. A chic, modern bar greets customers as they enter. This restaurant is far from typical when it comes to décor, featuring the front half of a piano, bicycles and doors to nowhere in its exposed-brick walls. The Toasted Goat makes the distressed look work, allowing visitors to take in its quirky atmosphere without feeling like they’re in a rush. It’s a great place to unwind after railbiking.
Also on Main Street is Mountain City Traditional Arts, a store connected with Frostburg State University that sells local and Appalachian-based artwork. On a side street is Lorenzo’s Frostburg Bakery, which makes and sells Italian cookies, pastries, cakes and more.
Not far away, at the edge of Frostburg State’s campus, Bunch: is The Beach Club of Frostburg. As its name suggests, The Beach Club looks like a vacation getaway, complete with beach-themed food and drinks and an outdoor seating area with sand and picnic tables.
For those craving more scenery, look no further than Dan’s Rock Overlook. A 20-minute drive from downtown Frostburg, Dan’s Rock has a breathtaking view of Maryland’s Allegany County from the highest elevation in the area. In addition to the amazing view, the overlook is known for the colorful graffiti that adorns its rocks, railings and platforms.
Forshee and his wife, Julie, got the idea to start their railbiking business from his parents, who saw the unique vehicles on vacation. Then the couple tried it in New York’s Catskill Mountains.
“We just wanted to do something fun where people don’t complain, where people have a good time,” he said.
Once Allegany County officials approved the Forshees’ unique business plan, construction began to make the dream a reality. Forshee said the company works
with local machine shops to build the custom-made bikes. Two years later, in May 2021, Tracks and Yaks opened for business.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the business has chugged along with other outdoor activities. Use of the Great Allegheny Passage that runs by the railroad tracks increased 50% in 2020 to a high of 1.4 million participants, Forshee noted.
“Everyone likes to get out and do things,” he said. “We’re fortunate it’s a unique, fun thing [to do].”
He estimated that 50% of his customers are from Western Pennsylvania, 30% come from the Baltimore and District of Columbia areas and 20% are local people.
Forshee said there are about 20 railbiking companies in the United States and that most have opened within the past five years. Bowling, one of our tour guides, said weekend tours in the fall are already filling up, mostly from word of mouth. He and Forshee suggested reserving tours well in advance on the company’s website, tracksandyaks.com.
Tracks and Yaks is the closest railbiking company for Pittsburghers, about two hours to the southeast.
While Frostburg and Cash Valley can easily be explored in one day, you may find yourself wanting to stay even longer to enjoy the scenery and small-town ambiance. And you just might want to try railbiking again.
“Everyone that does it loves it,” Forshee said.