The Indian Creek Valley Trail (ICVT) is a rail trail in progress in the Laurel Highlands region in Southwestern PA, with 14 of 19 miles completed currently and goals to connect to the Great Allegheny Passage.
In September 2024, I was in the mood for a family bike ride and wanted to see if the leaves were changing while exploring a new trail so we aimed for a short ride on the ICVT because my 6-year-old son was going to ride independently. So we ended up riding from Melcroft to Indian Head and back.
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Parking and Restrooms
For no particular reason, we decided to park in Melcroft and ride to Indian Head, but we could have easily reversed this ride.
We spotted an ICVT trailhead in Melcroft just off the main route 381. But, we decided to park around the corner at a small playground on Melcroft Road. We spotted a porta potty across the street at a baseball field.
Gear
At the time we did this ride, my kids were 6 years, 4 years, and 1 year old.
For my two youngest, we used our Topeak Bike Seats and my son rode his bike. He rode independently on the way there, but he started dragging a bit on the way back. That’s when our TowWhee came in handy. It’s an easy-to-pack cord that connects two bikes, providing a tow when needed.
We brought a hiking backpack which has become our diaper bag and we packed lunches, diapers, and water.
The Ride
From the parking area in Melcroft, we crossed Route 381 and hopped on the trail heading toward Indian Head.
We rode a little under 3 miles (about 2.75 miles) one way.
The trail was a flat rail trail paralleled by beautiful Indian Creek.
We followed the trail to a cute park in Indian Head where we took a break from the bikes, ate packed lunches, and enjoyed playground time.
We also enjoyed skipping rocks in the creek.
Then, we hopped back on the bikes to return to Melcroft. At the end of the ride, we stopped at G&D Market where we picked up some popsicles to reward the kids for completing the ride.
Here is a breakdown of our ride exploring a section of the Indian Creek Valley Trail.
I hope you found this helpful if you are thinking of exploring the ICVT. If you do, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@adventureswkelly).
Other Bike Rides
- Mon River Trail – Family Brewery Bike Ride – Morgantown, WV
- Sheepskin Trail South Union Township Uniontown, PA
- Browns Run Trail – German Township, PA
- Waterfall Bike Ride – Great Allegheny Passage – Ohiopyle State Park, PA
- Pittsburgh Family Bike Ride South Side to Point on GAP
