
The McDonald viaduct is the Montour Trail’s longest bridge, offering expansive views of the landscape.
The Montour Trail: the Nation’s Longest Suburban Rail-Trail!
The scenic Montour Trail’s main line travels from Coraopolis to Clairton. Branch trails extend into Bethel Park, Westland, and the Pittsburgh International Airport. The Trail is continuous from Mile 0.0 near Coraopolis to Library, around MM 36.
Read more... From almost anywhere in Pittsburgh, it’s a short drive to the Montour Trail. Public transportation connects with some trailheads, most notably Coraopolis and the airport (via bus) in the north, and Library (via light rail, called “T”) in the south. By bus from downtown, take the 21 Coraopolis or the 28X, depending on your destination. By T, take the blue line to the last station. Both accommodate bicycles. We are working to close several short gaps in the the south. The all-volunteer Montour Trail Council (MTC) adds new sections each year as it works to complete the route. The rail-trail is paved with a relatively smooth surface of crushed limestone, which makes it ideal for all forms of non-motorized use: bicycling, walking, running, cross-country skiing, dog-walking and nature appreciation. In certain sections, horseback riding is permitted, but not on the improved Trail surface. The converted railway bed is steeped in history: It began life as the coal-carrying Montour Railroad (MTR) in the late 1800s. In its heyday, MTR trains served 27 mines and carried 7 million tons of coal per year. Coal fired the steel mills of the Pittsburgh area, the product that built our nation and saw us through two world wars. Dotted with refurbished railroad truss bridges, replacement spans that are engineering marvels, and lengthy tunnels that eliminate steep grades, the Trail offers views of beautiful rural landscapes, wooded corridors, flora and fauna. The suburban towns along the route provide many opportunities for refreshment and diversion. You can access the Trail via 25+ trailheads, conveniently located every few miles. These gateways offer parking (including handicapped), water fountains (in season), benches, picnic shelters and portable toilets (mostly in season). In addition, the Trail hosts a number of campsites for through-travelers bicycling to the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and C&O Canal routes to Washington, DC. The Westland branch runs parallel to an active railroad line. Several branches provide access beyond the main line. The Westland Branch extends from Venice to Westland, a 4.1-mile stretch that offers rural beauty and solitude. It runs parallel to an active railroad line. The Bethel Park Branch runs 2.8 miles through forested and residential neighborhoods. The Airport Connector is a combination trail/on-road link that runs about 6 relatively flat miles from ~MP 8 to the airport parking lot, making Pittsburgh more accessible to bicycle tourists. A portion of the Trail within Peters Township is called the Arrowhead Trail, owned and maintained by that township. When it was built in 1985, the township planted 500 trees along the 4-mile route, providing a suburban wooded corridor that links Peters neighborhoods with parks. Read more... At the Montour’s southeastern terminus in Clairton, you can take the Clairton Connector route (urban, on-road) about 5 miles to McKeesport, which links to the the Great Allegheny Passage: Turn north at this junction and you can travel about 15 miles to downtown Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River; turn south to follow the Youghiougheny River to the Allegheny Mountains and beyond. The Montour Trail connects Pittsburgh International Airport to the GAP and the C&O Canal Towpath, a trail system that stretches 300+ miles from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC. Inside the airport, baggage claim hosts an area where bicyclists can disassemble/reassemble their bikes pre-/post-flight. More than 400,000 people use the Montour Trail each year. Every few years, MTC conducts a survey to learn what they think of this great resource. We leverage the results to make Trail improvements that help draw in new people from all over. Read more... Survey results do make a difference: Based on user comments in 2016, we added more year-round portable toilets, directional/distance signage along the Trail, and water fountains. That survey also listed questions about etiquette, and responses reinforced the idea that we can all make improvements in this area, from bicyclists’ passing and speed to pet-leash enforcement to walking/running two-to-three abreast. As a result, we developed safety and etiquette guidelines that encourage respectful behavior. The 2021 survey revealed that top user concerns include clear trailhead signage, year-round toilet facilities and adequate parking access — topics that will be prioritized as MTC updates it strategic plan. You can review the latest survey results here. Read about MTC’s founding fathers. Read more... The Montour Trail was honored as Pennsylvania’s 2017 Trail of the Year. Then-MTC president Ned Williams reflected, “We always circle back to where we started — which is you, the hard workers and strong supporters who are MTC’s heart and soul. Our prestigious award is really for ‘Trail Volunteers of the Year.'”
Connecting Trails
A network of trails — suburban/rural, sunny/shaded, quiet/bustling, but never steep — crisscrosses hilly Pittsburgh, with the Montour Trail as its anchor.
Survey Says … What Our Users Think
Awards & Accomplishments
See more about the MTC’s efforts to build the rail-trail
Read about the MTC’s founding fathers.