Way to go trail council! We’ve gone both ways from here. The trail is very well maintained crushed gravel. ", TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails conservancy, We're a non-profit all about helping you enjoy the outdoors, Coraopolis Rd./SR 51 (Coraopolis) and N. State St./SR 837 (Clairton). One caveat: the trail gets rough in a few places west of Imperial, so your tires and backside may suffer. To reach the western trailhead in Clairton from I-70, take Exit 27 toward Dunningsville. We look forward to donating to the Montour Trail to help them finish so ultimately we can stay off the road as much as possible. There was one more difficult incline on the way back to pedal up, but that was a good workout. For those who want to see all of the Montour Trail, you may need to pack your bags and plan for an extended journey, as this 40-mile trail connects to the roughly 300-mile Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Trails which connects Pittsburgh to Washington DC! A branch of the trail is near our house, which is a bonus. Look for parking on the right. The Montour-Panhandle connector trail is approximately 1.1 miles (1.8 km) long and connects the two trails. Numerous starting points and well marked when you must leave the trail. The Arrowhead Trail is a very enjoyable part of the Montour Trail. There are 2500 people who live there. Greer Tunnel on the Montour Trail | Photo by David Poe, courtesy The Tandem Connection ... Chartiers Creek High Bridge offer some of the prettiest vistas on the trail, but it also sits adjacent to the 235-foot-long Greer Tunnel, both built in the early 1900s. dont know why this is rated 5 stars, no where near that, 3 stars at best. There any many locations for parking along the trail. To reach the endpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport from downtown Pittsburgh, take I-376 W (follow signs to the airport). The weather was perfect! The section in Peters Township is also know as the Arrowhead Trail. The Montour Trail is a 40-mile long mostly unpaved pathway located to the west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Montour Trail continues on through wooded surroundings, and then curves back south and runs next to a large golf course and several farms to the small neighborhood of Southview. steevo. My only bad review about this section was the "sandy beach" spot between 11.5 and 12, and the really bad area between 15 and 16 (after the bridge at Quicksilver Golf Course). To take this spur, turn right onto Enlow Road. This is an awesome trail and I'm looking forward to riding the rest of it this year before the snow flies! When coal mines closed over the years, the railroad found itself in a difficult position and was finally forced to shut down during the mid-1980s. Did I mention trestles? That is also a nice trail that runs down into Renerdale. Upon reaching Peters Creek Road, turn left at the traffic light to cross SR 51, and head north onto Peters Creek Road for about 0.5 mile. The system is very wide allowing for biking and running strollers and wagons to travel along it. They don't make the slightest attempt to keep a safe distance. Turn right onto Hornhead Road, and go 0.2 mile. Library Junction/Venetia to Bethel Park Spur: 3.4 miles. I enjoy the walk across the bridge over Clifton Road where you can also hook up to start your trek. I had brought two water bottles with me but on the way back, I tend to need much more h2o! The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, running, and mountain biking and is accessible year-round. This trail was great for me when I was starting to get into riding. Join us, as we visit the Montour Trail. Montour Trail is a 4.4 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Clairton, Pennsylvania that offers the chance to see wildlife. Hoping to start at the other end next time and have a better experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Been riding it for about 10 years now but only rode short distances in the past. (5 miles) The McDonald Trestle over Noblestown Road is the centerpiece of the Montour Trail. When coal mines closed over the years, the railroad found itself in a difficult position and was finally forced to shut down during the mid-1980s. From Montour Road it travels South past the Forest Grove shooting ranges and the Santucci Conservation Area. I am a long time rider of the Montour Trail and I don't know if it gets any better. Very close to the airport so when we got to DC we rented a car and returned it to the airport. Dogs are also able to use this trail. A downside was that when a detour was needed to bypass parts of the trail that were under construction, it was at times difficult because the signage for the detours (if present) was not always clear. Portions within Allegheny County were purchased by the county while sections in Washington County were purchased directly by the MTC. This is a wonderful trail for biking, walking, and walking dogs. In September for my birthday my biking Pal Tom and I had the wonderful experience of riding both the GAP from West Newton down to the Pittsburgh Point then doing the Montour rail to trail. Montour Trail Council 412-831-2030. Hope to see you on the trail. Such an enjoyable walk. Share. Then take a slight right onto SR 136 E, and go 5.1 miles. We rode on the Montour Trail on an August Sunday afternoon from Imperial to McDonald and back. Some people going the opposite way walk side by side, oblivious to anything but their trite conversation. It also benefited from having interchanges with most of the region’s notable railroads. In fact the trail just got better and better from this point onwards. Results will be tabulated and announced at the virtual annual meeting on Sunday, November 1 at 7p.m. Starting from Clairton and finishing in Coroapolis it was, on the whole, a fantastic experience. It can be a very hot trail in the summer but the scenery down around the gun club is excellent. Veering right to stay on the main trail, you’ll come to one of the trail’s highlights, the beautiful 900-foot McDonald trestle, which crosses over the Panhandle Trail. We look forward to future biking! The inter-trail connection there is pretty long. As the trail approaches the town of McDonald, it splits. The surface is primarily crushed limestone, with small sections of paved trail in Peters Township and Clairton, some on-road trail between South Park Township and Clairton, and a mostly on-road spur to Pittsburgh International Airport. View detailed trail descriptions, trail maps, reviews, photos, trail … Eventually, this trail segment will extend 47 miles from Coraopolis, Pennsylvania to Clairton, Pennsylvania. Can't wait until it connects with the rest of the Great Allegheny Passage. ", "While in the area on vacation from Florida my wife and I rode this trail. The Montour trail is a bicycle trail that loops around the Southern half of the Pittsburgh Area. There are two (2) road crossings that require you to walk down/up embankments but definitely well worth the effort. For the Montour Trail section of your ride, you can use our campsites. There are many users on this trail in the morning into the afternoon. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowable by law. This ride included the Bethel park branch also. If you turn right you are heading toward Midway. The Panhandle stretches 29 miles (47 km) between Carnegie, PA, and Weirton, WV. Many years of efforts by various entities, both on and behind the scenes made this segment possible! Got into to going further the last three years. With a length of 55 miles, there’s a lot to love on western Pennsylvania’s Montour Trail. I made the following changes: At Library Junction, you have the option of continuing east or taking a spur to Bethel Park that curves left and northward (on a triangular junction of the trail), skirting mostly residential neighborhoods on a relatively new and well-maintained section of trail. The trail is well marked with milestones, so even without GPS on phone, one would know there progress. Full Details. Just so many. You can do half-century and metric century rides entirely on this trail. Crossing signals allow trail users to navigate across the often-busy roadway into the airport’s extended parking lots, where sharrows (shared-lane markings) guide you to the end of this segment. With more than 22 Montour Falls trails covering 464 miles, you’re bound to find a perfect trail like the Pine Creek Rail Trail or Auburn-Fleming Trail. Gradual grade up and down throughout. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. that was near a section of the Montour Trail that I’d never been on before. I rode from Coraopolis to mile 15 and back, and enjoyed every minute of it. We spent the next five days exploring Pittsburgh and the surrounding bike trails. Your donation will help us to continue connecting more people to trails around the country. When construction is complete the trail will be twelve miles long and extending from the Village of Watkins Glen to Horseheads. Two short but neat tunnels and lots of bridges, large and small. The MacDonald Trestle has just been opened and afforded a nice view of the … There are two minuses to this trail, though: One is that the paved portion is a bit narrow, and on a crowded afternoon it's sometimes hard to get a good full range of motion on skating strokes. Hopefully the Trail people read this and fix these areas in a timely manner. At the southeastern terminus in Clairton, you can take the Clairton Connector route (urban, on road) about 5 miles to McKeesport, which links to the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage. In just less than 400 feet, turn right to return to off-road trail. Nearly 1000 feet in length and 70 feet high, it cost $470,000 to referbish with a smooth concrete deck. If you’re heading north on the Montour and want to head into McDonald, the route via only trails has a good deal of backtracking. Date of experience: November 2016. Hendersonville to Library Junction/Venetia: 6.7 miles. The problem (my problem) is that a few people don't get it - for most people it doesn't seem to be one. The main line extends between those two towns, and branch trails extend into Bethel Park and Westland. This trail provides a flat well maintained path to start a walking routine. There is a slight, but steady, uphill grade from about Mile 8-11, which I considered to be a nice challenge without being too taxing. The Panhandle stretches 29 miles (47 km) between Carnegie, PA, and Weirton, WV. This is definitely a "JEWEL" to be experienced first hand. Points of Interest. Despite looking at the maps ahead of time, we thought once we started out we would be able to ride on trail till we decided to turn around; unfortunately that wasn't the case. This trail has it all. Anyway, it's a real nice trail. Back to Bethel wad uphill quite a bit. It covers only the direct route; a future edition will include distances along the Montour Trail to Pittsburgh Airport. Bob calls it Montour Tunnel #1 as a reference, as it is the first tunnel heading east from Montour Junction. It will really be nice when it is finally completed . The Montour-Panhandle connector trail is approximately 1.1 miles (1.8 km) long and connects the two trails. Montour Trail: Walk Walk Walk - See 102 traveler reviews, 32 candid photos, and great deals for Bethel Park, PA, at Tripadvisor. The areas we traveled were not the most scenic, but the trail was well kept and the townships are working on restoration of the land alongside the trails which should improve the experience. We found the trail to be very well maintained and a pleasure to ride. At Pleasant Street in Library, an on-road section begins. The … Having said that about Library, the views when one gets back on the trail at this point are spectacular especially looking over towards the horse ranch – true Americana! Bike parking is available here. Forming a semicircle around Greater Pittsburgh, the corridor now helps host one of the longest suburban rail-trails in the United States, featuring a selection of bridges, trestles, viaducts, and tunnels framed by colorful Western Pennsylvania landscapes and vegetation. I rode Montour Trail from mile 0.0 to 11.4 as my first Rail Trail experience. I had a discovery experience just like that recently. In later years, the Montour became a subsidiary of other larger systems. This is a very good use of the land in the area. One trail that stands out was the Montour trail. Traditional pizza (handmade dough, homemade sauce), specialty pizzas (try the pierogie pizza yunz Pittsburgers! At 10.6 miles, you’ll reach Midway. Start Parking lot 1. Just farther south past the Enlow trailhead on Main Street, the trail branches north for about 6.3 miles to Pittsburgh International Airport, mostly along quiet roadways restricted for airport service vehicles. We had trouble finding the trailhead - we drove out to the airport and then tried to find it, but we got lost a few times. You’ll pass another campground as you travel north along Peters Creek and through the outskirts of Clairton, where the trail turns into Oak Road. The Trail currently has an area near the Panhandle connector that is not rideable due to the I-576 construction. I think you could benefit from discussions with other community group leaders (the Montour Trail Council would be a great place to meet some of them and to get contacts to others.) Regular water stops and trail maps every five miles and pocket maps available at the trail and online. I feel compelled to give a review. McDonald is a fun, small town. For the first ride of the season, my wife and I decided to park at the Enlow parking and ride north to the trailhead and then back to the Enlow parking lot. The trail was busy today especially up to and around the classic steel (iron) arch bridge. It was well maintained thanks to the fine work of volunteers such as Bud Halpin and his wife who we just happened to met at our first camp. I have been on this trail several times and enjoy the diversity of the surroundings. We started at milepost 6 at the Cliff Mine parking area and went out and back to milestone 25 (national tunnel) on a warm day (88 Deg F). We didn't realize that we would have to ride intermitiently on the road for a couple of miles....that just wasn't going to happen with an eight year old who just became comfortable on a bike. And I agree with Steevo about the Panhandle itself. Turn right onto Pleasant Street, and then turn left onto Brownsville and Library Road. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until October. Take a slight right onto Church Road, and go 1.0 mile. That is what I mean when I say you have the best of both worlds. This group is for pictures of all sorts along the Montour and Panhandle Trails. It's well-maintained and has markings to alert you to how far you have traveled along the trail. This trail can get very busy, especially around noon. Get out and have some fun. Continue onto Exit 54 (signs for SR 51/Pittsburgh/Elizabeth), and go 0.8 mile. (Near mile 29) 4 Enlow Tunnel. As a matter of fact, it is one of the starting sections on the route. Take the exit for extended parking, just past the employee parking area. Cutting acroos the Montour Trail is the Panhandle Trail from Rennerdale to Primrose and, when complete, to Weirton. Panhandle Trail- the Montour Trail crosses over the Panhandle Trail on the McDonald Trestle. View detailed trail descriptions, trail maps, reviews, photos, trail … I can’t believe this trail goes right through my town! SR 136 E turns slightly left and becomes SR 917 S. Follow it 0.4 mile, continue onto SR 136 E, and go 0.2 mile. At the intersection, turn left onto route 980. We were looking for something a little different and found it in the Montour. Panhandle/Montour Trailhead - 8603 Noblestown Rd, McDonald, PA. GPS: 40.363660,-80.249016. Montour Trail in Clairton Print Share Directions. Many employees of corporate offices located near the trail use it during their lunch break. Dogs are also able to use this trail. From Enlow, the trail heads southwest through Imperial and then south under US 22 toward McDonald. Great place to walk, bike, run, etc. Portions within Allegheny County were purchased by the county while sections in Washington County were purchased directly by the MTC. It has the best deck (concrete) and workmanship I've ever seen on a large trail bridge. Just after this trestle you can head left down a small spur to cross Highfield Road to George Washington Elementary School and a small café. In addition, there is the best ice cream shoppe I have ever been to with sky-high soft ice cream cones for only $1.85! I walked the distance there and back and then some of the Bethel Branch. The scenic Montour Trail is a multi-use non-motorized recreational rail-trail near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and will ultimately traverse 46 miles from Moon Township near Coraopolis to Clairton. You may have seen a story in the latest Montour Trail newsletter about trail crews recently working in Peacock Cut cleaning dirt, debris and rocks out of the drainage ditches. Been using TrailLink for a couple yeasr, and always had good experiences. The Panhandle stretches 29 miles (47 km) between Carnegie, PA , and Weirton, WV . Occasionally rocks will still fall off the sides of the cut and end up on the trail surface. If you’re heading west on the Panhandle and onto the Montour, you can avoid over a mile of it with this on-road route on a bit of Noblestown Road.. I always do and walk in the grass if there's space; I'm all geeked-out about all this. Can't believe we could bike all that way without being on a road. Runners, bicyclists, folks walking the dog, and everyone was nice. I rode from mile marker 0 to McDonald a couple months ago and that was a nice ride. great trail. Participant. The trail passes among a wooded corridor in suburbia, linking neighborhoods with parks. 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