Montour Trail
Encyclopedia
The Montour Trail is a multi-use recreational rail trail
near Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
.
It has a crushed limestone
surface, appropriate for bicycling, walking
, running
, and cross-country skiing
. Eventually, this trail segment will extend 47 miles (75.6 km) from Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
to Clairton, Pennsylvania
.
The trail is part of a 204 miles (328.3 km) rails to trails project between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Maryland
. When completed, it will be part of a 400 miles (643.7 km) trail system between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C, known as the Great Allegheny Passage
.
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
near Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
It has a crushed limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
surface, appropriate for bicycling, walking
Walking
Walking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step...
, running
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
, and cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
. Eventually, this trail segment will extend 47 miles (75.6 km) from Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
Coraopolis is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 5,677 at the 2010 census. In 1940 the population peaked at 11,086. It is a small community located to the west of Pittsburgh, along the Ohio River and to the east of the Pittsburgh International Airport...
to Clairton, Pennsylvania
Clairton, Pennsylvania
Clairton is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Monongahela River. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. The population was 6,796 at the 2010 census. Under Pennsylvania legal classifications for local governments, Clairton is considered a third-class city...
.
The trail is part of a 204 miles (328.3 km) rails to trails project between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...
. When completed, it will be part of a 400 miles (643.7 km) trail system between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C, known as the Great Allegheny Passage
Great Allegheny Passage
The Great Allegheny Passage is a rail trail in Maryland and Pennsylvania. It is the central part of a several-hundred-mile long network of long-distance hiker-biker trails through the Allegheny region of the Appalachian Mountains, connecting Washington, D.C...
.
Upcoming Connecting Trails
- Panhandle TrailPanhandle TrailThe Panhandle Trail is a rail trail in southern Pennsylvania and the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia.It occupies an abandoned Conrail railroad corridor that had been known as the Panhandle Railroad which has been converted to a bicycle and walking trail...
- the Montour Trail crosses over the Panhandle Trail on the McDonald Trestle. The Montour-Panhandle connector trail is approximately 1.1 miles (1.8 km) long and connects the two trails. The Panhandle stretches 29 miles (46.7 km) between Carnegie, PA, and Weirton, WV. The last unfinished section between Joffre and Burgettstown was finished in August 2008 and the trail is now complete.
- Great Allegheny PassageGreat Allegheny PassageThe Great Allegheny Passage is a rail trail in Maryland and Pennsylvania. It is the central part of a several-hundred-mile long network of long-distance hiker-biker trails through the Allegheny region of the Appalachian Mountains, connecting Washington, D.C...
- an ambitious project set to link Cumberland, Maryland, and Point State ParkPoint State ParkPoint State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River....
in Pittsburgh. Another branch will extend to the Pittsburgh International AirportPittsburgh International AirportPittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and commonly referred to as Pittsburgh International, is a joint civil–military international airport located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Findlay Township, approximately west of...
. The Great Allegheny Passage will, in turn, link to the historic Chesapeake and Ohio CanalChesapeake and Ohio CanalThe Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about . The elevation change of...
, which runs from Cumberland to Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
- Ohio River TrailOhio River TrailThe Ohio River Trail is a proposed route that would interconnect existing trails in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. The proposal is spearheaded by the Ohio River Trail Council , a volunteer-led, non-profit organization...
- A proposed trail that will connect the Montour Trail to the Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway in Ohio. When completed the trail will be an important link in a mega-trail system from the Great LakesGreat LakesThe Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
Region to Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Points of interest
- McDonald Viaduct (Trestle) - formerly used by the Montour RailroadMontour RailroadMontour Railroad is a former short line railroad company operating passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in southwestern Pennsylvania...
, the 960 feet (292.6 m) long trestle reopened in 2003. It spans over Noblestown Road, Robinson Run, the Panhandle TrailPanhandle TrailThe Panhandle Trail is a rail trail in southern Pennsylvania and the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia.It occupies an abandoned Conrail railroad corridor that had been known as the Panhandle Railroad which has been converted to a bicycle and walking trail...
and John's Avenue in Washington County, PA.
- Enlow Tunnel - this Findlay Township tunnel was also formerly used by the Montour Railroad, until its incorporation into the trail. In 2000, Duquesne Light and Findlay Township installed lights inside the tunnel.
- National Tunnel - at 40.317035°N 80.181838°W, this Cecil Township tunnel was formerly used by the Montour RailroadMontour RailroadMontour Railroad is a former short line railroad company operating passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in southwestern Pennsylvania...
and was abandoned with the railroad until it was acquired with the rail right-of-way in the 1980s by the Montour Trail Council (MTC). The tunnel is 623 feet (189.9 m) and is paved with asphalt pavement with reflectors for safe navigation.
- Library Trestle - this 506 feet (154.2 m) railroad trestle over Library Rd. (PA 88) in South Park was also formerly used by the Montour Railroad, until its incorporation into the trail. It is currently closed due to a lack of pavement and guardrails, with plans to renovate it for trail use in the near future.
- West Peters Trail Area - this approximately two mile section in Peters Township, PA of trail holds four amazing sites: the Greer Tunnel, two bridges directly adjacent to the tunnel, and the X-1 railroad service crane, a former working crane for the Montour Railroad. One of the bridges adjacent to the Greer Tunnel is the Chartiers Creek High Bridge, the highest bridge on the trail. A working railroad line also crosses directly under the trail in this area.