Find the top rated trails in Butler, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
In western Pennsylvania, the Armstrong Trail offers 30 miles of improved trail with several short on-road sections between Rosston and East Brady in Armstrong and Clarion Counties. North of East...
The John C. Oliver Multi-Purpose Loop Trail is a centerpiece of Maurice K. Goddard State Park, which spans more than 2,000 acres in northwestern Pennsylvania. The paved, off-road trail traces 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...
The well-designed MetroParks Bikeway between Canfield Township and Austintown is an 11-mile paved corridor that passes through both suburbs and countryside in northeastern Ohio. Traveling north from...
Rail 66 Country Trail is a rustic trail paralleling Route 66, that begins in Paint Township near the Clarion Junction (SR 322/SR 66) and extends north to the Clarion/Forest County line. The trail is...
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 Three Rivers Heritage Trail evolved from five separate trails and today comprises several unique sections. Most of these segments are riverfront trails along both banks of the three rivers that...
Despite its eerie name, there's nothing scary about the Ghost Town Trail. It is actually named for the numerous towns that were served by the Ebensburg & Blacklick Railroad, as well as the Cambria &...
Trail users on this inviting corridor follow the path of an old Southern Pennsylvania Railroad line, in some places traveling alongside unused tracks (not to be confused with the newer Southwest...
Built in 1871 to transport the region's high-quality limestone to support Pittsburgh's growing steel industry, the Butler-Freeport line was the first railroad in Butler County. After a two-day...
Constructed in 1983 with the help of donations from the Stavich Family and local individuals, the Stavich Trail is unusual in several ways. First, unlike most rail-trails, it was built on an...
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...
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...
The Oil City Trail connects the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail and the McClintock Trail through the center of Oil City, Pennsylvania. The 3-mile walking and biking pathway runs along the Allegheny...
The Titusville and Petroleum Center Railroad had one major purpose when it was built in 1863: to transport oil. Oil was discovered in Oil Creek Valley in 1859 by Colonel Edward Drake and William...
The out-and-back Roaring Run is the third incarnation of this pathway. First to occupy the waterfront site was the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal towpath, which operated between 1825 and 1850. The...
The Niles Greenway is a paved, multi-use path running north–south 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 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 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 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...
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...
Now the longest rail-trail east of the Mississippi River, the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) spans two states in its course along great rivers and across mountain passes. Running from...
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...
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....
The Mahoning Shadow Trail has a flat surface that is easy for biking, running and walking. There is little signage on the trail, but each trailhead and access point is well marked. Begin at 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...
Constructed in 1983 with the help of donations from the Stavich Family and local individuals, the Stavich Trail is unusual in several ways. First, unlike most rail-trails, it was built on an...
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 West Penn Trail, a National Recreation Trail, runs largely along the corridor of the Portage Railroad line that operated from 1830 to 1864 between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. The trail is steadily...
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...
The Panhandle Trail is another jewel in the Pittsburgh metro area trail system. A Conrail line, known as the Panhandle Railroad, once connected Pittsburgh to Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis on this...
Trail users on this inviting corridor follow the path of an old Southern Pennsylvania Railroad line, in some places traveling alongside unused tracks (not to be confused with the newer Southwest...
Rail 66 Country Trail is a rustic trail paralleling Route 66, that begins in Paint Township near the Clarion Junction (SR 322/SR 66) and extends north to the Clarion/Forest County line. The trail is...
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...
One of Pennsylvania's rail-with-trails, where trains and trail users share a corridor, the Arboretum Trail is a lovely landscaped trail through downtown Oakmont. The rail corridor has a dramatic...
The well-designed MetroParks Bikeway between Canfield Township and Austintown is an 11-mile paved corridor that passes through both suburbs and countryside in northeastern Ohio. Traveling north from...
The short but scenic Cowanshannock Trail is a great pathway for hikers, walkers, and bikers to use to link to the larger Armstrong Trail. The Cowanshannock is 1.27 miles long, and plans are to extend...
The Oil City Trail connects the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail and the McClintock Trail through the center of Oil City, Pennsylvania. The 3-mile walking and biking pathway runs along the Allegheny...
Built in 1871 to transport the region's high-quality limestone to support Pittsburgh's growing steel industry, the Butler-Freeport line was the first railroad in Butler County. After a two-day...
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 1.5-mile Rock Furnace Trail is a scenic path in Roaring Run Recreation Area. The trail follows Roaring Run Creek from its confluence at the Kiski River to a small parking area off Brownstown Road....
The short but scenic Cowanshannock Trail is a great pathway for hikers, walkers, and bikers to use to link to the larger Armstrong Trail. The Cowanshannock is 1.27 miles long, and plans are to extend...
The out-and-back Roaring Run is the third incarnation of this pathway. First to occupy the waterfront site was the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal towpath, which operated between 1825 and 1850. The...
Redbank Valley Rail Trail follows the old Allegheny Valley Railroad, which dates back to 1873. Mile 0 for the trail is at its west end, where the trail meets the Allegheny River and the Armstrong...
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...
Now the longest rail-trail east of the Mississippi River, the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) spans two states in its course along great rivers and across mountain passes. Running from...
The Westmoreland Heritage Trail is an excellent example of a family-friendly multi-use rail-trail. This crushed-limestone trail features reclaimed railroad bridges over the Conemaugh River and...
One of Pennsylvania's rail-with-trails, where trains and trail users share a corridor, the Arboretum Trail is a lovely landscaped trail through downtown Oakmont. The rail corridor has a dramatic...
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....
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...
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...
Built in 1871 to transport the region's high-quality limestone to support Pittsburgh's growing steel industry, the Butler-Freeport line was the first railroad in Butler County. After a two-day...
Despite its eerie name, there's nothing scary about the Ghost Town Trail. It is actually named for the numerous towns that were served by the Ebensburg & Blacklick Railroad, as well as the Cambria &...
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...
The John C. Oliver Multi-Purpose Loop Trail is a centerpiece of Maurice K. Goddard State Park, which spans more than 2,000 acres in northwestern Pennsylvania. The paved, off-road trail traces the...
The Titusville and Petroleum Center Railroad had one major purpose when it was built in 1863: to transport oil. Oil was discovered in Oil Creek Valley in 1859 by Colonel Edward Drake and William...
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...
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...
Connecting Oil City and Franklin, the Samuel Justus Trail is a 6-mile segment of a 30-mile trail that follows the former Allegheny Valley Railroad. The A.V. was completed to Oil City in 1868 and...
The Marienville Bike Trail is part of a system of roads and trails in the Allegheny National Forest. The trails are open to mountain bikes, trail bikes, and ATVs and are rated as difficult because of...
We parked in Cloe, and headed into Punxsy, then turned around went back to Cloe and headed to the Winslow trail head. You have to briefly ride on the road to reconnect to the trail, just past the Cloe Lumber yard. The ride to Winslow is mostly up hill and was a great work out. Crews had obviously been out to do trail maintainence with the heavy rain the area has received this summer. Saw only a few others when we were on the trail. The trail is very secluded, with only a few benches. Seeing hunting tree stands right next to the trail is a bit unnerving, but I just won't ride this trail come Fall.
Recently the crunched limestone was covered with asphalt from the east side of McDonald for at least 10 miles to the west. This is now an unpleasant ride. The area is surrounded by hard surface paved road. Why add more? It rides harder, hotter, doesn't drain as well and over time as it buckles and potholes what will maintenance be like? and what will it cost?
Trail has gone from one to enjoy to one to avoid.
I rode the Hoodlebug Trail on July 2 starting in Saylor Park near the town of Black Lick. The trail winds through a managed forest area for a mile or so before joining with an interstate highway. I blitzed the two mile section running parallel to the noisy highway before arriving in the town of Homer City. There is a circuitous route through town and a rest area with the local history placards and a bench or two. The trail continues on through a wooded section and then some farmland. There are several bridges and streams along the route where people stop to look and take pictures. You will see a lot of the IUP crowd running and biking along the route as you approach Indiana. I like this trail because it is well maintained and there are several historical sights along the way detailing industry from the 1900's. They tell you what a "hoodlebug" is, too.
This trail is one of my favorites. We have ridden from the Carnegie trail head to just across the WV state line and back several times. There is a small section of the trail that is loose gravel, but otherwise it is largely paved and a well-maintained trail. Depending on how far you're going, it does get a bit remote, so bring plenty of water and some snacks. Also, you will spend some time out of tree cover, so sunscreen is also a good idea.
We started on the little section of trail in Parker, thinking it would be easy to hop over from Foxburg to Emlenton on the roads - I would not recommend doing this. The short little Parker trail was idyllic, but the few miles from that trail's end to the next trail head in Emlenton was harrowing (riding on a main road - 268 I believe?- with heavy truck traffic was one of very few options). However, the rest of the ride to Oil City was quite enjoyable even though it rained through most of Day 1. As others have noted, there is a section of trail blocked by a landowner, and the detour around it is tricky (kids and inexperienced riders might have some trouble on the rockier sections, especially if it is wet as it was during our ride). The tunnels were fun, and we were glad to have our headlights along for them as they are quite dark. We stayed over night in an eclectic AirBNB in Oil City (look for "Deep River Guest House" on AirBNB) that met all of our bicycling needs (easy access from the trail, porch to lock up the bikes on, a quick walk or ride to restaurants, etc.), then journeyed back to Parker the next day. On the way back, we tried a different route from Emlenton to Foxburg, which was a different kind of challenge (a "roller coaster" township road with lots of loose, chunky gravel), which I would also not recommend doing. However, we rewarded ourselves with some samples at the Foxburg winery and made it the rest of the way. Looking forward to doing the Emelenton-->Oil City (or perhaps farther) trip again!
We started at the Clairton end of the trail, and I don't care to do it again. We biked about 7 miles out and turned around - only a small portion was on an actual trail, the rest was on back roads as well as a brief section on a fairly high-traffic road. Hoping to start at the other end next time and have a better experience.
Also known as Mill Creek trail. We parked at the Kirk Rd trailhead and rode north to Niles (the trailmap needs to be updated since trail goes all the way to Niles now), turned around and rode to the other end at Western Reserve Rd. - 30mi roundtrip. Trail is paved, in good shape, and mostly shady. Gradual uphill as you go south. Not much in the way of scenery, but an enjoyable ride nontheless.
This was our first long bike adventure ever. I've been retired several years and my wife retired last summer '16 from teaching. She had been a complete academic and never was interested in sports except when our kids were involved. Now, she loves exercising and gym workouts. We've done single day bike excursions, but nothing like this. We started in Homewood (Pittsburgh area) and rode far (52 miles) for rookies on the first day, to Connellsville. Unbelievably beautiful natural environment surrounded us every stroke of the pedal. First night we stayed at the Connellsville B&B and were very impressed with immaculate cleanliness, delicious breakfast, and pleasant owner, Lucille. After our 52-mile day, I was worried about my wife's physical well being, but by the next morning she felt much better and we were glad we had planned a much shorter ride (28 miles) Day 2 to Confluence. There, we stayed overnight at Parker House, also a pleasant stay, though no breakfast is included. We purchased simple breakfast food items at the local grocery store. The third day was our longest ride (62 miles), planned knowing the last 24 miles into Cumberland are downhill. Our daughter, husband, and granddaughters were waiting at Mile Zero with flowers and cheers. Just a beautiful, enjoyable, and educational trip. And you meet the kind, helpful, friendly people on the trail that help make this world a better place. Outstanding scenery, cool shade on hot days thanks to beautiful vegetation, historical passageway with awesome bridges and tunnels, well-maintained trails. We can't wait to do it again!
Can't say more been riding the YRT trail for years!!
Leisurely ride to Franklin. Overnight at Barnard House B&B (lovely) and back to Franklin the next day. Path was stellar. Smooth and level. The tunnels were an adventure. Bike headlights were enough, but it was still a surprise at how dark it is in the middle of the Kennerdell 3/4 mile. The detour at Sunny Slopes is a big disappointment and the road is not maintained well, so be prepared to dismount if you're on a road bike. Fortunately that detour is only 3/4 mile and most of can be ridden at this point, but at some point the state needs to exercise its domain rights and force the man who is blocking the improvement of the detour road to allow it. Ridiculous and mean-spirited. Lovely path, full of interesting sights and not crowded at all. Excellent.
Fortunately I had ridden through Oil City before and knew where to look for the signs to navigate downtown. I had even made it a mile or two onto the McClintock Trail before and found the smooth paved surfaces fun to ride. It is in need of some maintenance however and tall weeds are severely encroaching on the outside lane .
The surprise and disappointment comes after that once the "trail" turns into riding back roads that aren't in great shape, have no real berm and get the occasional Jeep or pickup driving by kicking dust into the air. Next time I remember to read these reviews BEFORE I decide where to ride.
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