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Trails

Library resources: Trails

Selected Books

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles, Pittsburgh
Ruff, Donna
60 Hikes Within 60 Miles, Pittsburgh: Including Allegheny And Surrounding Counties
Whether you live in the city or one of the many surrounding counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Pittsburgh provides you with the information you need to choose the perfect day hike in your area, including trail lengths, hiking times, and trail difficulty.
PENNA GV199.42.P42 P67 2006
 
Pennsylvania's Rail-Trails
Sexton, Tom
Pennsylvania's Rail-Trails
PENNA GV199.42.P4 S49 2004x
Provides all the details necessary to enjoy more than 1,300 miles of railroad bed turned to trails. Each trail listing contains a photograph, historical description, trailhead directions, trail map, trail details, a local trail contact and more. Latitude and longitude coordinates are also included for trailhead locations to make your GPS planning easier.
 

Pittsburgh Region - Directories & Articles

  • Allegheny Trail Alliance: Great Allegheny Passage
    Explore their overview map of the walking/biking trail from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland. Click on each section to zoom in.
    From the Allegheny Trail Alliance, a coalition of seven trail-building organizations in southwestern Pennsylvania and western Maryland working to connect their trails (Great Allegheny Passage / The Pittsburgh to Cumberland Trail) to the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath Trail in Cumberland MD. This would create a 400-mile motor-free trail system from Pittsburgh Pa to Washington DC. The Great Allegheny Passage is a segment of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.
  • City of Pittsburgh
    • Trail Development Program
      Former Mayor Tom Murphy's goal is to develop riverfront trails along every stretch of the 36 miles of riverfront in the City, as well as within the parks and neighborhoods.
    • Riverfront Development Plan
      A comprehensive plan for the three rivers, including the creation of riverside trails.
    • Bicycling Plan
      Includes map of proposed bike routes.
  • Keystone Trails Association Online Guide to Hiking Trails in Pennsylvania
    Includes information on several western Pennsylvania trails, including Allegheny National Forest Trails (500,000 acres of trails), the Baker Trail (runs from Freeport, PA to North Country Trail in Allegheny National Forest - 140.6 miles), and The Warrior Trail (a 67 mile hiking trail that has been used for 5,000 years in Southwestern PA).
  • Neon Web: Bicycle Trail Guide to Western Pennsylvania
    An award-winning personal website with information on bike trails in Western Pennsylvania by Debora B. Thompson. Included is a searchable gallery of photos of wildflowers along the trail!
  • Pittsburgh to Harrisburg Mainline Canal Greenway
    The Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Greenway Project is a Millennium trail and is managed by the Allegheny Ridge Corporation and its partners. Read about the project and the history of the canal.
  • Pittsburgh Magazine City Guide
    Their annual Pittsburgh City Guide (July) has an outdoor section with information on trails with descriptions, contact numbers for more information, and links if they exist.
  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Hitting the Trails
    Beginning May 30, 2004, "Hitting the Trails is a 15-week, hiking and biking series that spotlights trails in western Pennsylvania -- short hikes, some well-known and others obscure, that are an easy drive for most people. Post-Gazette staff writers Don Hopey, Bob Batz Jr. and Christopher Snowbeck, along with multimedia editor Curt Chandler, will be trekking by foot and bike to bring you a little nature, a little history and ideas on getting exercise, too. The series coincides with a campaign by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to promote exercise by hiking Pennsylvania."

 

Pittsburgh Region - Steps

These are hikes in themselves: 712 stairways; 44,645 treads; 24,090 feet of steps; found in 66 of the city's 90 neighborhoods; longest flight has 378 treads.

 

Pittsburgh Region - Trails

  • Armstrong Trail
    The Armstrong Trail stretches for 52.5 miles along the East bank of the Allegheny River, north of Pittsburgh. With Schenley (Armstrong Co.) as its southern terminus, the trail passes through Rosston, Ford City, McGrann, Manorville, Kittanning, Mosgrove, Templeton, Rimer and Phillipston to Upper Hillville (Clarion Co.). Their website includes trail maps and information on trail access points. Maintained by the Allegheny Valley Land Trust.
  • Butler-Freeport Community Trail
    A 20 mile abandoned railroad corridor, now owned by Buffalo, Winfield, and Jefferson Townships, located 40 miles north of Pittsburgh. Maintained by the Butler-Freeport Community Trail Council, Inc.
  • Eliza Furnace Trail
    This is a new trail that opened June 18, 1998 and parallels the Parkway East from downtown to Panther Hollow in Oakland. Dubbed the "Jail Trail" because it begins downtown at the new Allegheny County Jail. The City of Pittsburgh Trails Development Program website has a map of the trail.
  • Laurel Highlands Trail
    This is a 70 mile trail running from Ohiopyle State Park to north of Johnstown, within an hour's drive of Pittsburgh. It does not, unfortunately have a website devoted to it.

  • The Montour Trail
    a 54 mile hiking and biking train in Allegheny and Washington counties
  • Nine Mile Run
    To find trails through Nine Mile Run (the slag dump reclamation project near Frick Park) click on "ecosystem maps" under "maps & images", then choose "pedestrian access".
  • North Country Trail Association
    The North Country Trail Association is the nationwide nonprofit organization that works in partnership with the National Park Service to build, maintain, and promote the North Country National Scenic Trail. Stretching from New York to North Dakota, this is the only Millennium trail that passes near Pittsburgh.
  • Panhandle Trail
    The Panhandle trail, formerly the Panhandle Railroad line, runs 29 miles in Allegheny and Washington Counties from Walkers Mill in Collier Township traversing through the northern sector of Washington County to the city of Weirton, West Virginia. It will connect to the Montour Trail.
  • Pennsylvania Rails-to-Trails
    from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
  • Pittsburgh Parks
    The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has maps of the city's four major parks (Frick, Highland, Riverview, and Schenley). The trails are marked on the maps.
  • Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy
    The Rachel Carson Trail is a 35-mile day-hiking trail just outside Pittsburgh, PA, extending from North Park to Harrison Hills Park in Allegheny County. The Baker Trail is a 141-mile hiking and backpacking trail north of Pittsburgh, PA. The Harmony Trail is a planned hiking, biking, and walking trail in Pittsburgh's North Hills, following the Harmony interurban trolley line that ran between Pittsburgh, Evans City, Butler and New Castle from 1908 to 1931.
  • Scott Conservancy Trails
    The Scott Conservancy offers trails for hiking in Scott Township, south of Pittsburgh.

  • The Steel Valley Trail
    Formerly the Steel Heritage Trail, the Steel Valley Trail will run along the Monongahela River from Sandcastle Park, through Homestead and the former site of the US Steel Homestead Works, past Kennywood Amusement Park, through the former site of the US Steel Duquesne Works, across the Monongahela through McKeesport and the former site of the National Tube Works, and south through Glassport to Clairton.
  • Three Rivers Heritage Trail
    from Friends of the Riverfront. A planned trail and greenway system around Pittsburgh, it will provide a complete route for pedestrians, cyclists, and commuters along the banks of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, linking with other trails in Allegheny County and Southwestern Pennsylvania
  • West Penn Trail
    The West Penn Trail is a 12-mile rail-trail between Saltsburg and the Westinghouse trailhead near Blairsville. It is an important link in the Pennsylvania Millennium Legacy Trail system that generally follows the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal and Portage Railroad that operated from 1830 to 1864 between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. It is maintained by the Conemaugh Valley Conservancy.
  • The Youghiogheny River Trail
    A rails-to-trails project creating a 43-mile limestone-surfaced trail along the "railbanked" right-of-way of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad along the west side of the Youghiogheny River between McKeesport and Connellsville.
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Pennsylvania - Directories

Pennsylvania - Trails

  • Allegheny Valley Trails Association
    Maintains trails in northwest Pennsylvania along the Allegheny River, including the Sandy Creek Trail
  • Ghost Town Trail (Indiana County Parks)
  • Ghost Town Trail (Bike Washington)
    A Rail-Trail in Cambria & Indiana Counties, Pennsylvania, extending for 19.5 miles in the Blacklick Creek Valley of Pennsylvania from Nanty Glo and White Mill (near Belsano) in Cambria County to Dilltown in Indiana County.
  • Hoodlebug Trail
    The Hoodlebug Trail is a six-mile recreation and commuter trail located in the central portion of Indiana County.
  • Mid-State Trail
    Check out Pennsylvania's wildest and longest (504 km) trail that runs north-south through the middle of the state.
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Nearby States

  • Allegheny Highlands Trail in Maryland (AHTM)
    The Allegheny Highlands Trail in Maryland (AHTM), when completed, will link the C&O Canal Trail from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, MD, through western Maryland and Frostburg to a series of hiking/biking trails in Pennsylvania, resulting in a continuous trail of almost 400 miles from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh.
  • Bike West Virginia: Find a Trail
    Trail information by region
  • Buckeye Trail - Ohio
    Although not in Pennsylvania, this trail is within driving distance, linking the four corners of Ohio in a 1435 mile circuit running from Headland Dunes State Park on Lake Erie, south to Cincinnati and back around the state to the west. A very well developed site with trail information for all stages of the circuit.
  • Finger Lakes Trail (NY)
    The main Finger Lakes Trail is 552 miles long and connects the Catskill Mountains with the Allegheny Mountains by passing through remote areas of the Southern Tier of New York State. The main trail connects with the North Country National Scenic Trail in Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. The Conservation Trail, a major branch trail, connects with the Bruce Trail in Canada. Altogether, the main trail and its branch and loop trails total over 800 miles.
  • Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway, New York
    The mission of the Friends is to establish and maintain a public, multi-use trail and natural greenway corridor along the abandoned Genesee Valley Canal and its successor, the Pennsylvania Railroad, Rochester Division, from the Erie Canal Heritage Trail in Rochester, NY to Hinsdale, Cattaraugus County, NY.
  • Great Eastern Trail
    Great Eastern Trail is a long distance trail made up of a collection of footpaths and an alliance of volunteers in nine states, including Pennsylvania. Eventually it will run from New York, along the Appalachians, to Alabama.
  • Hatfield-McCoy Trail System
    Old railbeds and abandoned logging roads from America's coal fields in West Virginia and surrounding states, transformed into recreational routes for off-road/all-terrain vehicles, as well as other users.
  • Miami Valley, Ohio RailTrails
    For Greene and Montgomery Counties of Ohio, covering the RailTrails and other trails centered on Dayton and Xenia Ohio. They also have a collection of information on lots of Ohio trails.
  • Mon River Trails Conservancy
    The Mon River Trails Conservancy (MRTC) is a non-profit 501c3 organization founded in 1991 to develop and manage a 51-mile rail-trail in North Central West Virginia. MRTC oversees the development and management of the Mon River and Deckers Creek Rail-Trails outside the city limits of Morgantown and Star City.
  • Ohio Department of Natural Resources: Trails Plan
    The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is updating its Trails Plan to help guide the development and expansion of a statewide system of recreational trails throughout Ohio. Includes information on national/statewide trails, regional trails, and county/metropolitan trails in Ohio.
  • Ohio to Erie Trail
    A 350-mile multi-purpose recreation trail linking Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland on former rail and canal lands.
  • West Virginia Rails to Trails Council
    The West Virginia Rails-to-Trails Council is a collection of individuals, civic groups and organizations who have joined together to promote the development and enjoyment of Rail-Trails in West Virginia. They offer information about the Rail-Trails in this state, distances, maps and news, as well as available services along the way.
  • West Virginia Trails Coalition
    The West Virginia Trails Coalition is a nonprofit organization. dedicated to developing local, regional and statewide trails in West Virginia and is comprised of businesses, agencies, foundations, educational institutions, trail groups and individuals.
  • West Virginia Trails Online
    A comprehensive database of West Virginia trails from the West Virginia Trails Coalition and CityNet.
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United States - Directories & Organizations

  • American Trails
    A national trails advocacy organization working for the common interests of all trail users with a list of America's Trails State by State.
  • LocalHikes
    The Localhikes web site provides information on local hiking opportunities near both large and small metropolitan areas in the United States. You can find the perfect trail by selecting your metro area to browse the available hikes, or by using the search feature to find the trails closest to your home or office. The hikes on this site were contributed by volunteer LocalHikes reporters from around the country.
  • National Park Service: National Trails System
    National Scenic and Historic Trails
    This list is from the National Center for Recreation and Conservation, part of the National Park Service, that administers the Rivers, Trails & Conservations Assistance Program, commonly known as Rivers & Trails. Rivers & Trails staff work on the grassroots level with local citizens groups and state and local governments to revitalize nearby rivers, preserve valuable open space, and develop trail and greenway networks.
  • Rails to Trails Conservancy
    A nonprofit organization created in 1986 and dedicated to enriching America's communities and countryside by creating a nationwide network of public trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors. Offers a nice list of affiliated groups.
    • TrailLink.com
      Search for a Trail, a Rails-to-Trails Conservancy initiative dedicated to providing detailed, up to date information on trail access, services and activities.
  • Trails.com
    Search for a trail and download trails & topo maps for a fee.

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Long Distance Trails

  • Appalachian Trail
    The 2,175-mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail runs along the Appalachian Mountains from Maine to Georgia and is probably the most famous long distance trail in America.
  • The Mississippi River Trail
    The Mississippi River Trail is a 10-state cycling route in process of development. It travels over 2000 continuous miles between the headwaters of the Mississippi at Lake Itasca, Minnesota and the Gulf of Mexico, winding its way through the states of Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Wisconsin. One of the Millennium Trails selected by the US Government