Tracks and Yaks — Attraction in Frostburg

We had a great time rail biking and there were no issues until we finished our journey. There were a number of miscommunications between what the staff told us at the end of the rail bike excursion versus the information we received via email and that was listed on the website when booking the experience. The first issue was the address listed on the email was not the address of the building that we were supposed to meet at. When you enter the address given by this company into Google Maps it will take you down the street far past the train station they expect you to meet them at. The second issue was that we finished the rail biking an hour before scheduled, around 11:00 a.m. This wasn't really a issue until we were told mixed information by employees about when we would be catching a shuttle back to Frostburg. When we ended the trip at the rail station in Cumberland one of the employees told us that we would need to catch a shuttle back with them at 11:30 a.m. When I brought up to this employee that the email said the shuttle would be leaving at 1:00 p.m to give us time to get lunch in Cumberland, he said he made a mistake and that the shuttle would take us back at 1:00 p.m. We then proceeded to walk around Cumberland and get lunch when all of a sudden at 11:40 a.m. I got a frantic call from a different employee asking where we were and if we were planning to catch the shuttle bus back with them. I told them that we had been told by an employee that we were supposed to catch a shuttle back at 1:00 p.m. and they said that was a mistake. This was absolutely ridiculous and it made it seem like the employees were not communicating with each other or were informed at all about the schedule of the experience we booked. It was really frustrating to have to cancel our orders at the restaurant and rush to meet them back for the shuttle. I was also really disappointed by the employees lack of an apology for the inconvenience caused and the mistakes and miscommunications made to us. I'm attaching a screenshot of the email I received with the information about the timing of the trip listed. My advice, if you're going to charge people this much you should at least stick to the schedule you send out and have respect for...

We enjoyed the Helmstetter Hotshot yesterday late afternoon with Tracks & Yaks in Frostburg!

A few notes - sunscreen, water and closed toe shoes are key. Guests, sign your waivers BEFORE arrival via email because our group was held up by 30 minutes because of numerous people who didn't complete this simple task ahead of time and as a result, this pushed our tour start back. It's rude and affects others in group. The Tracks & Yaks team emails the waiver as soon as you sign up; simply review and sign electronically. This will keep everything on time for all involved.

The bikes are very simple to use and operate, and the team provides instruction prior to send off. The staff remain with you throughout the ride on bikes or the short bus. The bikes will rattle throughout the ride, this is normal! Nothing to be alarmed by.

The views are spectacular. I would love to do this again in the Fall, the scenery would be lovely. Overall, peddling was a breeze with just two of us, and even just one at a time. Braking is done via hand-brake, which is also simple.

Another, important, note - guests, please keep the pace with the entire group. Yes, you can chat with your friends but it shouldn't cause you to stop peddling and thus create a 1,500 ft gap between the group in front. This also happened yesterday and we were unfortunately behind a group of four women who thought this behavior was appropriate. We could tell the staff were frustrated, although they remained very polite and professional, however they kept with the group trying to encourage them to actually peddle the bikes. Again, it's a group tour and we should be at a similar pace. It's not rocket science folks ;)

Now, the team yesterday were all exceptional! We were provided insight and history of the Town of Mt. Savage, the railroad, the carts and the area. Each team member we interacted with thanked us for joining and welcomed us for a future ride. The hiccups along the wait (late start, slow pace) were caused by the other guests, not the Tracks & Yaks team whatsoever; we thoroughly enjoyed our experience and look forward...

My wife and I recently did this experience with a friend of ours, and our two young children (one strapped to a seat and another strapped to my chest). On the plus side, the scenery is beautiful, the five-point child's harness they gave for the older of the children worked great, such that he slept for a good bit of the trip, but in a largely safe way (we, at one point, had to stop the car when his hand was getting a bit too close to the wheels), and the people were very nice. On the minus side, our seats would not stay in place, with mine winding up in a fully reclined position for most of the ride, and my wife's friends seat suddenly turning at about a 30° angle, and not moving back. This didn't happen until after we were past the guides who might have been able to fix it. Lastly, and I don't know if this might be just how it is, but the last mile or so of the trip was an extreme slog. It's on level ground, across rail tracks that hadn't been very well cleared, and it took all of our muscle power just to keep the car moving a little bit.

We had a few incidents during the trip, with people ahead of us apparently losing some bits of their cars, and at least one person falling out of the car mid ride. I don't know the details of it, but it did add to some delays that led to us nearly missing the train ride back. As far as I know, no one was injured.

Overall, we had a fun time. I just wish that there were some way to make the end part, where after about 14 miles of bicycling, you're faced with the hardest part of the trip, easier. Also, they may have a few maintenance issues to address to ensure that the cars remain fully in service...