Explore the best rated trails in Butler, PA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Lincoln Avenue Rails to Trails Greenway and Five Star Trail. With more than 48 trails covering 4414 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The 17.8-mile Westmoreland Heritage Trail, a family-friendly multiuse rail-trail, offers opportunities for recreation and connections to nature along its two separated segments between Saltsburg and...
The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is an iconic rail-trail that runs 150 miles from Cumberland, Maryland, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was built in partnership between state agencies and many local...
Tracing a section of the abandoned Rural Valley Railroad corridor the Great Shamokin Path parallels the Cowanshannock Creek for 3.5 miles. The eastern part of the trail, which is surfaced primarily...
Three Rivers Heritage Trail features the best that the city of Pittsburgh has to offer, connecting major cultural venues, the downtown area, historical sites, and some of the city’s most well-known...
You’ll want to pack water, food, and flashlights to travel the Sandy Creek Trail, as it crosses 12 miles of remote, but scenic, countryside in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Named for separate Sandy...
The Blairsville Riverfront Trail is a scenic woodland trail located along the Conemaugh River. The property the trail was built on is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who maintain a...
Keep your eyes open for wildlife when you visit the Allegheny River Trail. This segment of the Allegheny River—once a canoe route for local tribes and French trappers—was designated a national wild...
If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, Mahoning Shadow Trail users expect six more weeks of winter before spring arrives. The 15-mile Central Pennsylvania trail passes through the...
The 61.5-mile Montour Trail follows most of the former Montour Railroad’s main line west and south of Pittsburgh. This little short line was incorporated during the late 19th century and, despite its...
The stars in the Big Dipper and Little Dipper help navigators locate the North Star. Following the five stars in the Five Star Trail—the municipalities of Hempfield Township, Youngwood, South...
A short, but sweet, unassuming trail which runs on former trolley right-of-way while flanked by Clearview Avenue above and Crafton Boulevard below. Provides a traffic-free alternative to busy Crafton...
Oil flows through the veins of the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail. Its northern departure point is Oil City, which was founded during the 1860s oil boom and became the headquarters for several...
The 11.7-mile John C. Oliver Multi-Purpose Loop Trail is a centerpiece of Maurice K. Goddard State Park, which spans 2,856 acres in northwestern Pennsylvania. The mostly shaded, paved, off-road trail...
Built in 1871 to transport the region’s high-quality limestone to support Pittsburgh’s growing steel industry, the Butler Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad was the first railroad in Butler County....
The Loop Trail provides an alternate route to the Great Allegheny Passage between Boston and McKeesport. The route separates from the Great Allegheny Passage at Boston, crosses the Boston Bridge over...
The Clarion Highlands Trail is one of the highest rail-trails in the Commonwealth. It traverses the Allegheny Plateau, passing over the divide between the Clarion and Allegheny Rivers, and follows the...
As it winds along Oil Creek, McClintock Trail connects Oil Creek State Park with Oil City. Note that much of the route is on-road. Just south of the park, a 1.8-mile section on Waitz Road, a dirt...
Rail 66 Country Trail is a rustic trail paralleling Route 66, that begins in the Village of Marianne near the Clarion Junction (SR 322/SR 66) and extends north to the Clarion/Forest County line. The...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
The Oil City Trail connects the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail and the McClintock Trail through the center of Oil City, Pennsylvania. The 2-mile walking and biking pathway runs along the Allegheny...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
Washington's Landing, a 42-acre island in the Allegheny River, is now home to a thriving mixed-use community after a successful brownfield reclamation. The Washington's Landing Trail forms almost a...
The Niles Greenway is a paved, multi-use path running northsouth between the county line on the south and the town of Niles. The pleasant trail passes through a mix of wooded areas, scattered light...
The Trout Island Trail is planned to be a 13-mile rail-trail along the former Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad. Currently, 2.4 miles are open and fully paved in Sharpsville, following the Shenango River...
The Harmony Trail in the North Hills is a work in progress, managed by volunteers with the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy. As of August 2011, about 1 mile of a proposed 4.3 miles of abandoned rail...
Clymer Trail offers a short, but pleasant route along a wooded hillside on Clymer Borough's west end. The rail-trail follows the former Sample Run Mine Branch of the Cherry Tree & Dixonville Railroad....
Built in 1871 to transport the region’s high-quality limestone to support Pittsburgh’s growing steel industry, the Butler Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad was the first railroad in Butler County....
Three Rivers Heritage Trail features the best that the city of Pittsburgh has to offer, connecting major cultural venues, the downtown area, historical sites, and some of the city’s most well-known...
To the residents of Lastrobe, the Lincoln Avenue Rails to Trails Greenway is more than a simple off-road path: it also a social asset, a place where community members of all ages and walks of life can...
Apollo's Kiski Riverfront Trail, built on the former M-Line Railroad bed, begins in downtown Apollo and follows the scenic Kiskiminetas River (called "Kiski" locally) to North Apollo. The nearly level...
The Armstrong Trail connects riverfront towns along the east bank of the Allegheny River as it winds through the lush Allegheny Plateau. The flat trail, currently 35.5 miles, follows the river...
You’ll want to pack water, food, and flashlights to travel the Sandy Creek Trail, as it crosses 12 miles of remote, but scenic, countryside in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Named for separate Sandy...
The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is an iconic rail-trail that runs 150 miles from Cumberland, Maryland, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was built in partnership between state agencies and many local...
The Airport Connector is a spur off the impressive Montour Trail that circles the western outskirts of Pittsburgh. The paved pathway begins just off the extended-term parking lot on the western end of...
Keep your eyes open for wildlife when you visit the Allegheny River Trail. This segment of the Allegheny River—once a canoe route for local tribes and French trappers—was designated a national wild...
Oil flows through the veins of the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail. Its northern departure point is Oil City, which was founded during the 1860s oil boom and became the headquarters for several...
The nearly 11-mile MetroParks Bikeway provides a scenic and well-designed link to communities and natural sites in this northeast region of Ohio. The rail-trail follows a corridor between Canfield and...
The Vestal Trail is 0.5-mile connection through town of McCandless that joins the Oakridge neighborhood to the playing fields at its eastern end. The trail is maintained by volunteers of the Rachel...
The stars in the Big Dipper and Little Dipper help navigators locate the North Star. Following the five stars in the Five Star Trail—the municipalities of Hempfield Township, Youngwood, South...
Fifty years after the last trolley cars ran on the Penn-Ohio Electric System between Youngstown, Ohio, and New Castle, Pennsylvania, in 1932, travelers on foot, bikes, and skates began using the...
The Loop Trail provides an alternate route to the Great Allegheny Passage between Boston and McKeesport. The route separates from the Great Allegheny Passage at Boston, crosses the Boston Bridge over...
The Tredway Trail's full name is the Wynn and Clara Tredway River Trail, a 2.5-mile run on the eastern side of the Allegheny River just north of New Kensington. The trail is included in an initiative...
Washington's Landing, a 42-acre island in the Allegheny River, is now home to a thriving mixed-use community after a successful brownfield reclamation. The Washington's Landing Trail forms almost a...
To the residents of Lastrobe, the Lincoln Avenue Rails to Trails Greenway is more than a simple off-road path: it also a social asset, a place where community members of all ages and walks of life can...
The West Penn Trail is named for a branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad that paralleled the Western Division Canal of the cross-state Main Line of Public Works from Lockport to Freeport and then to...
The stars in the Big Dipper and Little Dipper help navigators locate the North Star. Following the five stars in the Five Star Trail—the municipalities of Hempfield Township, Youngwood, South...
The Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail runs parallel to the Middle Fork of the Little Beaver Creek and has many beautiful and interesting features, including glacial outwashes, upland fields, mature...
The 61.5-mile Montour Trail follows most of the former Montour Railroad’s main line west and south of Pittsburgh. This little short line was incorporated during the late 19th century and, despite its...
The Niles Greenway is a paved, multi-use path running northsouth between the county line on the south and the town of Niles. The pleasant trail passes through a mix of wooded areas, scattered light...
The Clarion Highlands Trail is one of the highest rail-trails in the Commonwealth. It traverses the Allegheny Plateau, passing over the divide between the Clarion and Allegheny Rivers, and follows the...
If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, Mahoning Shadow Trail users expect six more weeks of winter before spring arrives. The 15-mile Central Pennsylvania trail passes through the...
Tracing a section of the abandoned Rural Valley Railroad corridor the Great Shamokin Path parallels the Cowanshannock Creek for 3.5 miles. The eastern part of the trail, which is surfaced primarily...
The nearly 11-mile MetroParks Bikeway provides a scenic and well-designed link to communities and natural sites in this northeast region of Ohio. The rail-trail follows a corridor between Canfield and...
If you have a tendency to tootle along when you walk or bicycle, then consider taking the Hoodlebug Trail. You’ll find many diversions in and around the college campus in the borough of Indiana and...
The Airport Connector is a spur off the impressive Montour Trail that circles the western outskirts of Pittsburgh. The paved pathway begins just off the extended-term parking lot on the western end of...
Situated in downtown Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, the asphalt trail runs through a park setting on the former Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad close to the Beaver River and ending near the rugby...
Evidence of the Roaring Run Trail’s past lives are readily visible all along the 4.8-mile corridor in western Pennsylvania. Stone remains in the Kiskiminetas River (Kiski for short) mark the site of a...
The Shenango River Trail once served as a towpath along the Erie Canal Extension. During the mid-1800s, mules pulled boats along the canal, linking goods from the Great Lakes to Pittsburgh and beyond....
Three Rivers Heritage Trail features the best that the city of Pittsburgh has to offer, connecting major cultural venues, the downtown area, historical sites, and some of the city’s most well-known...
The Oil City Trail connects the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail and the McClintock Trail through the center of Oil City, Pennsylvania. The 2-mile walking and biking pathway runs along the Allegheny...
We split it into two days. Pretty easy ride. A bit uphill until the ECD but not too bad being that it’s very gradual. Big time downhill into Cumberland after The Divide. Take time to stop in Ohiopyle, it’s worth the time and the Yough river is awesome there. They have a couple decent outfitters there and a good place to grab a bite to refuel. Continued on to DC after, four days total. Trail can be pretty “rooty” in places after meeting up with the Towpath.
Absolutely beautiful ride anytime of the year! Make sure to stop in Saltsburg, cutest little town on the tail. Grab a sandwich and something to drink at GG’s bakery for the rest of your ride. You won’t be sorry.
We hiked from New Hamburg to Big Bend, approx 4 miles on Sunday, November 17, 2019. Group hike was organized by Shenango River Watchers, who maintains the trail. They've done some clean up a few weeks prior. Trail was passable but muddy.
Parking in New Hamburg for about 10 cars. Parking in Big Bend for about 20 cars.
The swinging bridge was open and operational and all slats were intact.
I have only hiked this trail in the Spring and Fall but heard it's very thick over the summer months.
Nice local trail.
rode this route as a RR passenger when I was a kid..[from Burgettstown to Pittsburgh]..memories around every bend!....
October 2019
30 miles plus another walk up the hill to Frostburg. The trail to Frostburg is all uphill! Be aware. Great views. Had lunch in Frostburg at the Creamery - very good.
I commenced my bike ride from the Pine Creek Rd Trailhead which is located at the intersection of Belcrest Road and Pine Creek Road in Wexford,PA 15090. From the trailhead, one will travel eastward across a wooden bridge that traverses over Pine Creek. At the eastern end of the bridge, one will encounter a junction. If one continues going straight at the junction (traveling eastward), this section of the trail terminates at the Vestal ball fields in about 75 feet. The main section of the trail makes a very abrupt U-turn into the woods at the junction. One will travel over a mix of cider like material, grass and crushed limestone as the trail weaves its way through the woods along Pine Creek, passing over a couple of make shift bridges before it eventually dumps out onto Oakridge Drive. The trail is probably used mostly by residents that live on Oakridge Drive as a means to get to the ball fields. As one visiting the area, I found the trail a nice respite hidden in the midst of a thriving community.
End of October Fall ride. Nice sunny warm day and always a great ride on this trail. Pretty foliage.
We rode the ART south from Franklin as the last segment of a ride from Titusville via the Oil Creek and Justus Trails. The paved surface made it easy-going (until the detour at MP13), and the scenery was beautiful. As has been said in previous reviews, there's a definite dearth of facilities away from the towns. Even a bench here and there to take a break at would be an improvement. It is possible to ride the unimproved section of the trail south of Emlenton, but be warned that trail conditions rapidly deteriorate from gravel to rock, to dirt, and then inches-thick mud before you're greeted by a chain across the path and "No Trespassing" signs about two miles in. At this point, you're only about a mile from Foxburg, so hopefully the ART folks can work it out with whoever controls the property or properties to be able to close that gap.
Camped 5 nice weather days in Ohiopyle State Park last week of Sept 2019. I rode alone, 1st day Steve (Wilderness Voyageurs) gave me very historically
informative shuttle to Meyersdale RT visitor center. Beautiful 41 mile 6hr slight downhill woodland bike back to Ohiopyle. 2nd day, drove my car and bike to West Newton RT visitor center, leaving car there overnight. Very slight uphill 42 mile wonderful bike trip back, leaving bike overnight at Wilderness Voyageurs, then 3/4 mile hike up steep trail to park campsite.
3rd day hiked trail down to get Wilderness Voyageurs shuttle to Point State Park in Pittsburg and 35 mile interesting bike back to my car in West Newton and drive back to campsite. 4th day I drove to Cumberland for Get Out&Play Outfitters' Tom's informative shuttle to Meyersdale. Then 32 downhill miles
of historic sites and tunnels. Was best RT bike trip of many I've done. Most
of the trail is beautiful woodland with constant river views and lots of historic signage. The small villages with RT visitor centers make for enjoyable rest stops; people are very pleasant and helpful. Would do the downhill Meyersdale to Cumberland (best part) on last day. You could do
the slight downhill from Meyersdale to Pittsburg first or just start in Pittsburg. The trail through McKeesport needs work. Had to ask in Pittsburg
where in Point State Park the GAP starts, not signed well. Also had to ask
which of the many Pittsburg bridges was the "Hot Metal Bridge" GAP crossing. You can't ride a bike from Ohiopyle State Park campground to
the trail, the car road is too narrow, busy and way too steep. The hike trail
is also too steep but you could push and pull your bike up and down it if you're young and very strong. There are a few campsites along the trail.
There are many nice B&Bs in the towns along the trail.
My overall feeling about the Great Allegheny Passage is, if you like rail trails,
you must do this one !
Took advantage of a warm and beautiful Fall day for a 4.6 mile jog along the trail...from end to end, and back. Trail is asphalt paved and flat.
Biked from Marianne to Leeper, and back for a 25 mile round trip. Where the trail ends in Leeper, they are in the process of extending it. Section has been grated and crushed limestone has been applied. Progress is progress!
Fall foliage all along the trail. Just North of Lucinda, on the right side of the trail is a Friendship garden with beautiful hand painted rocks, it was a nice treat to see and find them.
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