Montour Trail – A multi-use rail-trail in Allegheny and Washington Counties, Pennsylvania

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Montour Trail Council’s Year in Review

The 2021 MTC annual meeting brought together about 70 Montour Trail Council members who were hungry for conversation, information, raffle prizes, volunteer awards, and dinner! Staged in the heart of the Airport Friends’ section, the program included charts, displays and speeches related to the fruits of our work, from additional Trail mileage to inroads in community relations.

President Deb Thompson gave the State of the Trail update. A new award category, the Lumberjack, honored those who felled damaged trees following the violent storms that hit the region. The award was a round from a fallen ash tree, polished and personalized.

Keynote speaker Fred Zelt told tales about Five Million Pedal Pushes, his personal journey as a cyclist, rails-to-trails advocate, geologist, mentor, charity-ride sponsor and optimist. If you missed it, you can view his presentation here.

Topic of the Week: Dress to Be Seen

It’s hunting season, so you want to be visible — in orange! Review these recommendations to keep yourself safe on the Trail.

The Montour Trail stretches 60+ miles around Pittsburgh — the longest suburban rail-trail in the U.S. The railbed’s bridges and tunnels played an important role in the region’s coal-mining history.

Walk. Run. Bike. Camp.

If you live near Pittsburgh, one of the the nation’s outstanding rail-trails is right in your back yard!

The Montour Trail is a multi-use, non-motorized recreational pathway around Pittsburgh, the country’s longest suburban rail-trail. The main line extends ~47 miles; branch routes increase length to 60+ miles. The relatively flat half-loop stretches from Coraopolis (along the Ohio River) to Clairton (on the Monongahela River). A northwest branch connects directly to Pittsburgh International Airport.

The Montour Trail Council refurbished original railroad bridges when possible; in other cases, engineers designed replacement structures. Image: Johnny Airesman

Scenic beauty

The Westland Branch runs parallel to an active railroad line. Montour Railroad trains rolled over 80+ bridges in its heyday. Image: Troy Bogdan

Restored bridges

The National Tunnel near Cecil is the Montour Trail’s longest at more than 600 feet. Like the other two lengthy tunnels on the Trail, It was originally built by the railroad to avoid steep grades.

Historic tunnels

The Montour Trail is a four-season recreational resource, which cross-country skiers take advantage of whenever there is enough snow on the Trail. Each season brings new reasons to be on the Trail. Image: Dave Oyler

4-season access

The Trail is easy to get to by car, as there are access areas and trailheads every few miles along the route. Pittsburgh’s rapid transit system runs near some of these, and it is bike friendly. The Trail is ADA accessible as well.

Montour Named to PA Top-Ten Trails List
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, January 2021

How GAP Transformed a Region
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, May 2020

Montour Greenway Expansion
Tribune-Review, November 2019

Montour Trail Named Best in the ‘Burgh
Pittsburgh Magazine, July 2020

Great American Rail-Trail Coming
Post-Gazette, May 2019

30 Years Championing Outdoors
Tribune-Review, March 2019

The Montour connects to other rails-to-trails in western Pennsylvania and beyond: the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and the C&O Canal Towpath, a completed trail system that stretches 300+ miles from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC.; the Panhandle Trail — a converted railroad line that stretches from Weirton, West Virginia, to Carnegie. And this local resource is part of U.S. Bicycle Route 50, which runs east-west and, when completed, will span the country.

Currently, 46 miles of the Montour Trail are continuous with several short gaps in the southeast section.

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