Known for historically and currently
A sweeping horseshoe-shaped arc, Helmstetter’s Curve remains a popular favorite photo op along the Great Allegheny Passage. The arch was constructed by the Western Maryland Railway in 1912 to ease trains up a steeply-sloping grade between Cumberland and Frostburg. The curve splits farmland owned by the Helmstetter family for over a hundred years, and is so wide that it allowed passengers at each end of a single train to see one another. Each of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s trains pass through Helmstetter’s Curve. Today, cyclists and hikers on the GAP travel this delightful curve, which is marked with its own sign.
Visitor Information
Helmstetter’s Curve is between Cumberland and Frostburg and is easily accessible from the GAP trailhead parking lot along Cash Valley Road.