The GAP spans two states in its 150-mile course along scenic rivers and across mountain passes. card classic compact. The speed limit is 25 mph, and this is one place where most people do the limit because there are stop signs on nearly every cross street. The Cliff Mine Road stretch featuring the Enlow tunnel discussed in this post begins just off of I-376 before the Pittsburgh airport. The Montour trail will, when completed, connect McKeesport to the Pittsburgh International Airport and Coraopolis. Those wanting to take a guided group tour of both the Montour Trail and the GAP can register online for the trip, which will take place this June 21-26. I continued on the Montour Trail until it joined the Steel Valley Trail that connects to the GAP. For now, you can bike the Montour-Trail Airport Connector as a combination of public and airport roads for 6.5 miles to join the Montour Trail (mile 8) at Enlow. Montour access to airport will permit riders ont he Montour Trail to directly access the passenger terminal at PIT. Information. Click here to login. The towpath is overall much less improved than the GAP, as it was built for mules and not railroads. I keep looking for loop routes around PGH that do not involve suicidal highway sections and it occurred to me that the GAP and Montour trails almost meet at two places: Mckeesport and West End Bridge. to abide the rules of the road. A contractor has completed construction of abutments for the first of two bridges that are needed to span the gap and expects to place the 100-foot bridge structure on Wednesday or Thursday. This will take you down into the marina, near where the two rivers meet and you can then go off in whichever trail direction you desire. The trail has it all, says Ned Williams, president of the nonprofit Montour Trail Council: more than a dozen bridges – highlighted by the nearly 1,000-foot-long McDonald Viaduct near mile 18, three railroad tunnels, woodlands, gently rolling hills, urban sections and connections to the Great Allegheny Passage, Panhandle Trail and Pittsburgh International Airport. The Montour Trail follows a portion of the old Montour Railroad, which was built between 1877 and 1914 to link the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad with the region's many coal mines. Visitors to the trail: Once you leave the trail and enter into the towns, please respect and regard local traffic. By far the most widely used section of the trail, featuring the Enlow Tunnel and the new airport connector branch. Montour Trail Council Steel Valley Trail Council Mon-Yough Trail Council Westmoreland Yough Trail Council Somerset County Rails-to-Trails Association Allegheny Highlands Trail of MD Friends of the Riverfront Conservation Volunteers Parks and Forest Conservancy Whitsett-Fayette Yough Trail Council Yough River Trail Council Mason Dixon Line JOINA TRAIL GROUP HELPCOMPLETE THECONNECTION … This 185 mile trail will lead you into Washington D.C. It exists already. Posted by 15 days ago. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. I rode it a lot of times during weekends, Wednesdays after work, and during my lunch. I connected with my buddy Andy four days later on the GAP trail in West Newton. It’s doable but its not trail riding or anything close. Montour Trail is a 36 mile moderately popular paved path trail located near Rennerdale Pennsylvania. We envision a Pittsburgh where people can thrive without needing to own a car. The GAP is a multiple purpose, non-motorized trail from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD where it will join the C & O Canal Towpath to Wash-ington, DC. Come into town on W-Main (Nobelstown Rd) Switch over to E-Main and after you go under the parkway bear left -Bell Ave. this intersects with Idlewood then jog over to onto Chartiers where there is a bit of bike path. The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) rail-trail offers 150 miles of hiking and biking between Cumberland, Maryland, and Pittsburgh. The Montour trail started with a beautiful railroad trestle high above a meandering creek below. Pittsburgh to DC on the Famous GAP & C&O Canal Rail Trails Conde Naste magazine included this unique trail system in its “most beautiful rail-trail list” and you’ll quickly see why. The trail is nearly level with the average grade of less than 1% The Montour Trail runs just over 60-miles from Moon Township to Clairton and features a mix of paved and limestone paths that covers a varied path that includes a mix of bridges, former rail tunnels, and more. The Potomac Trail … https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/pennsylvania/montour-trail View Trail Rules. In addition, sections of the trail system are open to equestrians. Pittsburgh to DC on the Famous GAP & C&O Canal Rail Trails Conde Naste magazine included this unique trail system in its “most beautiful rail-trail list” and you’ll quickly see why. The Potomac Trail … It was formerly the Montour Railroad. Erie to Pittsburgh 3 Rivers Heritage Panhandle Trail Montour Trail Sheepskin Trail Mon River Trails C&O Towpath 911 Memorial Trail Great American RT. The trail system is universally accessible between dawn & dusk. The actual trail follows a number of back streets in town, but it is confusing, some parts have very rough pavement, and there are some mean dogs and rough-looking people back there. Within the next few years, 100 miles of trails are in the pipeline to be completed, representing nearly 6% of the gap miles on the trail. You’re right. This 185 mile trail will lead you into Washington D.C. From here's the trail dips and dives, never at more than a 1% grade, through the South Hills. Go Right on Crafton where you hit Highway 60 Which runs into E. Stuben St and then to W End Bridge. Rising. N, 79° 54.675? At the other end you can cheat: I take the bus to Coraopolis. It has a packed crushed limestone surface for a smooth ride. This will take you on a 46 mile ride to Clairton Pa. That is where you can meet the GAP trail. Of note, regarding the connector, there was a very positive meeting with Glassport Borough officials last fall, regarding establishing Monongahela Avenue as the official route of the connector. There are chemical toilets at the campgrounds and GAP access areas, but limited potable water. I normally go up the ramp, past the bridge, and you will come to a 7-11 / Marathon Gas station. Not sure how you would be getting to Clairton, but if it would be from the Montour Trail, you will also have to deal with the lack of trail and a very dangerous crossing of route 51, from the Large Hotel area. (4 miles) Typical rail-trail conversion with an even and level surface of crushed limestone. It connects to the Montour Trail system in Clairton, a town southeast of Pittsburgh. The map at their website is a bit aspirational: The Carrie Furnace hot metal connection does not as yet exist; the continuation of Duck Hollow exists, but it’s (public) status is still a bit vague. THREE RIVERS HERITAGE TRAIL MONTOUR TRAIL STEEL VALLEY TRAIL YOUGHIOGHENY RIVER TRAIL NORTH YOUGHIOGHENY RIVER TRAIL SOUT ALLEGHENY HIGHLANDS TRAIL (PA) ALLEGHENY HIGHLANDS TRAIL of MD Volume 4, Number 3 Fall 2003 TRAIL NEWS made by Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources. The GAP crosses the eastern continental divide and ends in Cumberland, Maryland at the C&O Tow Path, which finished in D.C. My trip along the Montour Trail was a rewarding experience. Hot New Top. Our itinerary suggests riding the Montour Trail one way, beginning in Coraopolis to its end in Clairton, and the hopping on the Clairton Connector to McKeesport (5 miles), then picking up the GAP trail from McKeesport back to Pittsburgh (15 miles). Montour Trail By Jesse Mestrovic Trail User. Connecting People and Places in the Potomac Heritage Trail Corridor Potomac … And hats off to the Montour Trail Council, the volunteer group that made the trail possible; read their unique story in March’s Trail of the Month. They take you through Glassport and across the river. Go Right on Crafton where you hit Highway 60 Which runs into E. Stuben St and then to W End Bridge. jlfunder wrote:Come into town on W-Main (Nobelstown Rd) Switch over to E-Main and after you go under the parkway bear left -Bell Ave. this intersects with Idlewood then jog over to onto Chartiers where there is a bit of bike path. McDonald Viaduct on the Montour Trail | Photo courtesy RTC 1 McDonald Viaduct. Advertise Your Business to Trail Travelers! The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is presently the longest rail-trail east of the Mississippi River and the crown jewel of the Mid-Atlantic Rail Trails. Those sections are marked as “future trail (not accessible)” on the SVTC map […]. Another way is to follow the GAP to McKeesport, then follow the signs to the Montour trail. To do this, first you would get on the Montour Trail. As existing trails are extended and new trails built to fill in the gaps, a branding and naming process could occur to create more marketable names and unique brands for each corridor. The map at their website is a bit aspirational: The Carrie Furnace hot metal connection does not as yet exist; the continuation of Duck Hollow exists, but it’s (public) status is still a bit vague. W. In this section the MTC does not own trail right-of-way, requiring this 3.4 mile on-road section. . 14. Great place to ride bikes, 2% grade. share. The road changes names to West 5th Street as you start uphill toward the Mansfield Bridge. On the western side of the trail in McDonald, the Montour train links up with the Panhandle Trail. My experience on the Montour Trail was a brief stint of my 420-mile journey from Wheeling, West Virginia to Washington D.C., but it was a rewarding one. Assuming you survive that crossing, the trail to Clairton is nice and you must get to the waste water treatment plant. The trail offers access to Panhandle Trail, which brushes by Settlers Cabin State Park, and the trails at South Park (South Park Connection to Montour Trail). Click on the trail name to download a printable map of the GAP Trail or the C&O Canal Towpath. The Great Allegheny Passage trail is open daily, dawn to dusk. It's well-maintained and has markings to alert you to how far you have traveled along the trail. The Trail is complete from Mile 0.0 near Coraopolis to Pleasant Street in Library (MP 35.7). Take the first right you can and then the next right also, which I believe is Water Street. It covers only the direct route; a future edition will include distances along the Montour Trail to Pittsburgh Airport. For more detail, please refer to the full policy. This is a ramp that will lead you down to Pacific Street. You are now a "vehicle" and should proceed single file, with traffic. It’s called the Clairton Connector. There was even a plan for sharrows on the main street. The chart shows distances along the trail. card classic compact. JF, It exists already. I commute from Downtown to Moon Twp a few days a week and I take the route Mikhail notes as a #1. Friends of the Riverfront is working with partners to determine the best and safest route down the Ohio valley to connect with our neighboring trail, the Montour Trail. 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. In Cumberland, the GAP connects to the 184.5 mile C&O Canal Towpath, and together, they provides a non-motorized, nearly level path between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. Hot. You then have to pass through the borough of Glassport before reaching McKeesport. I keep looking for loop routes around PGH that do not involve suicidal highway sections and it occurred to me that the GAP and Montour trails almost meet at two places: Mckeesport and West End Bridge. Connecting to GAP. To do this, first you would get on the Montour Trail. 1. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4424428 The GAP crosses the eastern continental divide and ends in Cumberland, Maryland at the C&O Tow Path, which finished in D.C. My trip along the Montour Trail was a rewarding experience. Linking them could open a 70 mile loop mostly on trail. From Cumberland to Washington, DC, you drop 625 feet to sea level on the C&O Canal towpath. Bicycling and hiking are the two most popular activities. Now complete to Pittsburgh, the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage connects with the 184.5-mile C&0 Canal Towpath at Cumberland, MD to create a 334.5-mile route between Pittsburgh and Washington, DC, free from traffic and motorized vehicles. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowable by law. Still subject to devastating floods, the towpath sees capital improvements by the National Park Service every year. A trail junction after the bridge marks the Clairton Connector, which links to the Montour Trail via 5 miles of roadway. Now complete to Pittsburgh, the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage connects with the 184.5-mile C&0 Canal Towpath at Cumberland, MD to create a 334.5-mile route between Pittsburgh and Washington, DC, free from traffic and motorized vehicles. Along the way (about 1.5 miles from the airport) the Connector travels a short distance on Clinton Rd, so people who just want to start a road tour don't need to go all the way over to the Montour Trail. Does anyone have any experience with the the links- are they crazy, benign, or just typical PGH roads; (i.e, vertical and shoulder less). The Montour Trail Council is an all-volunteer organization founded in 1989 to convert the abandoned Montour Railroad right of way and the abandoned Peters Creek Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad into a 55 mile recreational trail for non-motorized activity regardless of physical ability or financial wherewithal. Be prepared for ruts, tree roots, mud and mosquitos. Hot New Top. Blue Mountain Ski Area via Appalachian Trail is a 4.8 mile moderately trafficked point-to-point trail located near Palmerton, Pennsylvania that features a great forest setting and is rated as moderate. . The C&O Canal towpath is a bit rougher dirt and gravel surface with muddy sections after rainfall. 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