The Depot District Day List
Things to Do in Frostburg, Maryland
A small mountain town with a working steam railroad, railbikes on real track, and a 150-mile trail through it — here's how to spend the days, from a base at the depot.
- Railbike rides from
- $89
- Steam train arrives at the depot
- 12:45 PM
- Hotel to the GAP trail
- 300 yds
- Rocky Gap State Park
- ~20 mi
Here's the honest picture of Frostburg: a small mountain town in far-western Maryland, minutes from the West Virginia line, with a university, a steam railroad, and a historic downtown climbing the hill above the old depot district. It's not a place with forty attractions — it's a place with a handful of genuinely good ones, most of them within a block of each other.
That block is the depot district at the bottom of Main Street. Tracks & Yaks launches pedal-powered railbikes from 19 Depot Street, the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad's Frostburg Flyer turns around at the depot, the railroad turntable and the Thrasher Carriage Museum sit steps away, and the Great Allegheny Passage rail-trail passes 300 yards off.
The natural base camp is The Tunnel Hotel at 20 Depot Street — an 1888 railroad inn in the middle of all of it, with rooms from $79.79 a night and the Trail Inn Cafe downstairs. Everything on this list starts at its front door or a short drive from it.
The Tunnel Hotel · 20 Depot St, Frostburg, MD — 300 yards from the GAP trail. Open full map
Ride a Railbike on Real Railroad Track
The signature Frostburg activity is pedaling the rails themselves. Tracks & Yaks (19 Depot St, 301-349-3699) runs guided railbike trips through the Alleghenies: the 90-minute, 7-mile Woodcock Hollow Express along the ridge line at $89 per tandem railbike; the 2-hour Helmstetter Hotshot out to the famous horseshoe curve at $99; and the 3-hour, 15-mile Mountain Ridge Rider through the Brush Tunnel and the Narrows at $119.
Two combos stretch the day further: the Queen City Combo pairs a railbike leg with a ride on the steam train for $169 per tandem, and the 5-hour Track and Yak adds a kayak paddle — kayak included — at the same price. Pricing is per railbike: tandems seat up to two, quads up to four.
Watch the Steam Train Turn Around
Frostburg is the turnaround for the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. The Frostburg Flyer leaves Cumberland at 11:30 AM, arrives at the depot below the hotel at 12:45 PM, lays over 90 minutes while the crew works the locomotive and the turntable, and departs at 2:15 PM. No ticket required to watch — the whole show happens in public view, with steam locomotive No. 1309 leading weekend runs and diesel on weekdays, Thursday through Sunday, May through October. Confirm current dates with WMSR; timetables shift.
The Thrasher Carriage Museum sits next door to the hotel, and the depot and turntable are steps away — together they make the depot district a stretch of working Americana you can wander before breakfast.
Ride the Great Allegheny Passage
The GAP — the 150-mile rail-trail from Pittsburgh to Cumberland — passes 300 yards from the depot district at milepost 15.9, and Frostburg is one of the best day-ride bases on it. Head west and the trail climbs gently to the Mason-Dixon Line at milepost 20.5, Big Savage Tunnel around milepost 22 (closed in winter, roughly late November through early April), and the Eastern Continental Divide at 2,392 feet. Head east and it's 16 miles of continuous downgrade to Cumberland.
No bike? Geared rentals run $25 for two hours or $40 for a full day. For a one-way ride, the Bike Train hauls you and a bike from Cumberland up to Frostburg for $45 to $49, and The Great Deal Passenger Shuttle covers 25 miles for $39 to $49.
Up the Hill: Downtown and the University
Downtown Frostburg — the shops, restaurants, and breweries along the hilltop — is a walk up from the depot district. It's a genuine college-town main street, kept lively year-round by Frostburg State University.
That university calendar matters if you're booking a stay: move-in, family weekend, and graduation dates fill the town fast. Book early around those weekends.
Twenty Miles Out: Rocky Gap
Rocky Gap State Park sits about 20 miles from the hotel — a lake, wooded trails, and mountain scenery, with a resort that houses Rocky Gap Casino if a table or a show is part of your plans. It slots naturally into a departure day or a rainy one.
The Base Camp for All of It
The Tunnel Hotel puts you in the middle of the list instead of driving to it. Queen rooms start at $79.79 a night, the four-person Tunnel Deluxe runs $91.19, the Railrider Retreat Suite $125.39, and the six-sleeper Big Savage Bunk Room $169.86 — with 20-plus primitive tent sites at $17.10 a person for campers. The Trail Inn Cafe downstairs pours coffee, cooks hot breakfast, and stocks local beer, all chargeable to your room.
Check-in is contactless 24 hours a day — your door code arrives by SMS — and checkout is 11:00 AM. Book direct at /book with no online booking fees; questions go to 240-943-2048.
Tracks & Yaks, right next door
All experiences
Woodcock Hollow Express
A 7-mile guided railbike run along the ridge line — the quick, scenic introduction to pedaling the rails.
from $89
Details →
Queen City Combo — AM (Frostburg)
Railbike down the mountain in the morning, then ride the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad's Frostburg Flyer back up. Rails both ways.
from $169
Details →
Track and Yak
The signature combo: guided railbike plus a kayak paddle. Kayak (single or double) is included — track and yak in one afternoon.
from $169
Details →Planning answers, no fluff
What is there to do in Frostburg, MD?
The headliners: pedal-powered railbike rides on real track with Tracks & Yaks (from $89 per tandem), the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad's steam-train turnaround at the depot, the Thrasher Carriage Museum, riding the Great Allegheny Passage rail-trail, and downtown Frostburg's shops and breweries up the hill. Rocky Gap State Park is about 20 miles away.
How much are the railbike rides in Frostburg?
From $89 per tandem railbike for the 90-minute Woodcock Hollow Express to $169 for the combo trips — the Queen City Combo with the steam train, or the Track and Yak with a kayak paddle included. Pricing is per bike: tandems seat up to two riders, quads up to four.
When can you see the steam train in Frostburg?
The Frostburg Flyer arrives at the depot at 12:45 PM and departs at 2:15 PM, Thursday through Sunday from May through October per WMSR's published schedule, with steam locomotive No. 1309 on weekends and diesel on weekdays. Watching the turnaround is free — it happens beside The Tunnel Hotel.
Is Frostburg on the GAP trail?
Yes — Frostburg sits at milepost 15.9 of the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage, and the trail passes 300 yards from The Tunnel Hotel. It's 16 trail miles above Cumberland, where the GAP meets the C&O Canal Towpath, and 7.6 miles below the Eastern Continental Divide.
Where should I stay in Frostburg, MD?
The Tunnel Hotel, an 1888 railroad inn at 20 Depot Street in the depot district, puts every item on this page at the front door: rooms from $79.79 a night, camping at $17.10 a person, the Trail Inn Cafe downstairs, and 24-hour contactless check-in by SMS door code.
Plan your ride