Arboretum Trail:
Pennsylvania
Trail Map
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Description:
A shining example of what dedicated volunteers can accomplish, the Arboretum Trail is also one of Pennsylvania's 12 rails-with-trails, where trains and trail users share a corridor. Conceived by the Garden Club of Oakmont in 1989 as a centennial gift to the community, the nearly 1-mile-long pedestrian-only Arboretum Trail is part of Oakmont's Boulevard Project, an ambitious plan for renovating the downtown business corridor. An oasis of green and growing beauty, and a tangible asset to its community, the Arboretum Trail is a delightful year-round stroll down the lovely landscaped trail through downtown Oakmont.
The rail corridor has a dramatic history of use and disuse. Between 1853 and 1856, the Allegheny Valley Railroad built a line that ran from Pittsburgh to Kittanning and passed through the heart of Oakmont Borough. In 1903 the Pennsylvania Railroad opened its Brilliant Cutoff, linking the Allegheny River line with other sections of the city and greatly improving rail service in the area. But declining rail traffic in the 1960s led then-owner Conrail to close one of the two tracks in the borough; during the 1970s the inactive track was removed. Then in 1995, the corridor was sold back to the Allegheny Valley Railroad, which reopened the line and sold the adjacent corridor for trail development. The Garden Club raised $3 million for trail construction, landscaping, corridor renovation and long-term maintenance of the plantings.
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Parking & Trail Access:
From the Pennsylvania Turnpike, take Exit 48 for Allegheny Valley and bear right past the toll booth. Follow the signs to Oakmont and, about 1 mile from the exit, cross the Hulton Bridge. To find a parking space, turn right just before or after the railroad crossing on Hulton Road onto either Allegheny Avenue or Allegheny River Boulevard. The trail runs between the two streets.
From downtown Pittsburgh, take Route 28 north to the Blawnox Exit. Continue along Freeport Road, then turn right onto the Hulton Bridge. Park anywhere along Allegheny Avenue just west of the corridor.
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Seasonal Restrictions:
Out trail is "closed" after dark.
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