Find the top rated trails in Pittsburgh, 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.
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...
Moraine State Park features a nearly seven mile bike trail, which follows the north shore of Lake Arthur. Along the way, you'll enjoy beautiful scenery, especially during the fall as trees line the...
The Wellsburg Yankee Trail is a short, paved rail-trail that spans the entire length of Wellsburg, a small city on the Ohio River in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle. The community trail runs...
The first 0.5 mile of the Ligonier Valley Trail and Bikeway is now complete, linking the town's popular attractions: Fort Ligonier from the days of George Washington and the French and Indian War, the...
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...
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...
Morgantown is known as the home of West Virginia University, the inspiration for a Joni Mitchell song and the birthplace of Don Knotts. But it’s also known for its extensive rail-trail system along...
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...
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...
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. Forming a...
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 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...
Open since 1989, the creek-side Indian Creek Valley Trail traces the route of the Indian Creek Valley Railraod (ICVRR). Just north of Indian Head, you will come to a cluster of acid mine drainage...
The Rotary Walk provides a pleasant stroll or roll through southern Pennsylvania's Uniontown. The crushed-stone pathway begins near the town's Five Corners intersection and heads southeast for...
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...
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 Wheeling Heritage Trails running on the former B&O line are known locally as two trails that connect in downtown Wheeling: the Ohio River Trail and the Wheeling Creek Trail. The route is flat and...
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...
The Sheepskin Rail-Trail is a developing pathway located in rural Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It’s currently open in two disconnected segments, each spanning about 2 miles. Eventually, the...
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...
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...
Forbes State Forest and the adjacent state parks (Linn Run, Laurel Mountain, and Laurel Ridge) maintain the PWS Trail System, a network of snowmobile trails and forest service roads though the...
Less than an hour from Pittsburgh, the Little Crabtree Creek travels for just over a mile in Unity Township, east of Greensburg. This first phase of the trail opened in July 2014; a future phase will...
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. Forming a...
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 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...
With a wide, paved pathway and adjacent equestrian trail running through lush woodland and riverside terrain, the Allegheny River Trail (ART) has something to offer every trail enthusiast. Following a...
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...
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...
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 Wheeling Heritage Trails running on the former B&O line are known locally as two trails that connect in downtown Wheeling: the Ohio River Trail and the Wheeling Creek Trail. The route is flat 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 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 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...
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...
One mile of the proposed 4-mile Browns Run Trail is currently open near Masontown in German Township, Fayette County. The trail follows the former Monongahela and B&O lines from Lardin House, a local...
Any trail with a name like "Hoodlebug" deserves a visit. The 10-mile trail follows the path of the 1856-era Indiana Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which ran from Blairsville north to the town of...
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 Sheepskin Rail-Trail is a developing pathway located in rural Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It’s currently open in two disconnected segments, each spanning about 2 miles. Eventually, the...
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...
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 scenic Coal & Coke Trail connects the communities of Mount Pleasant and Scottdale in Westmoreland County and offers many glimpses of the picturesque nature and local communities of Westmoreland...
Open since 1989, the creek-side Indian Creek Valley Trail traces the route of the Indian Creek Valley Railraod (ICVRR). Just north of Indian Head, you will come to a cluster of acid mine drainage...
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...
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 first 0.5 mile of the Ligonier Valley Trail and Bikeway is now complete, linking the town's popular attractions: Fort Ligonier from the days of George Washington and the French and Indian War, the...
The Brooke Pioneer Trail follows the east bank of the Ohio River between Wellsburg and the Brooke–Ohio County line at Short Creek. Here the Brooke Pioneer Trail continues into Ohio County as the...
With a wide, paved pathway and adjacent equestrian trail running through lush woodland and riverside terrain, the Allegheny River Trail (ART) has something to offer every trail enthusiast. Following a...
About 60 miles south of Pittsburgh, the beautiful Greene River Trail parallels the Monongahela River as it winds through the coal mining region of Greene County. Conrail originally used the rail...
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...
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 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. Forming a...
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 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 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 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...
The Wellsburg Yankee Trail is a short, paved rail-trail that spans the entire length of Wellsburg, a small city on the Ohio River in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle. The community trail runs...
We came from the Pittsburgh area just to ride this trail. It was a joy and we loved the town of Leetonia, especially the Dairy Queen!
But seriously, it is a beautiful trail, most of it in a woodsy atmosphere, and definitely one we will come back to again.
We started at milepost 6 at the Cliff Mine parking area and went out and back to milestone 25 (national tunnel) on a warm day (88 Deg F). The ride was great with shade over 75% of this portion of the trail. The trail is well maintained and almost all was crushed limestone. We had road bikes and were fine with these.
Went through 2 tunnels (milepost 7 and 25) where it was cool and very moist (water flowing on walls and some dropping from the ceiling).
Nice historic signs along the way describing bridges and coal mining and processing that was previously in this area. Very well done.
It was obvious the trail is continually maintained and was in great shape. Regular water stops and trail maps every five miles and pocket maps available at the trail and online.
Many trees alongside the trail provided great shade but blocked the view.
Gradual grade up and down throughout. Only a few city blocks are on city street. All rest was off road.
Overall great ride. I recommend it.
I began at the Elm Grove Trailhead on the Wheeling Creek Trail and continued north on the Ohio River Trail until it was under water from the recent heavy rains. I should have been within just a couple miles of the northern most trailhead as I traveled out 17.5 miles. I did not ride the southern portion of the Ohio River Trail choosing to go back to the car when the Wheeling Creek Trail intersected.
The Hempfield Tunnel and Viaduct are amazing. The tunnel was obviously for a mainline as it is wide enough for two sets of railroad tracks. Obviously a train has not passed through the tunnel in many years as a huge branch has grown over the eastern entrance to the tunnel well above cyclists. The tunnel was built in 1904 and made to last as the interior and the facades are lined with brick. Unfortunately taggers have left their mark with graffiti but it could be worse.
The paved surface is in very good shape considering the winters that it suffers. There were some rough areas in the pavement, but very few and that beats gravel!. The trail is completely flat along the Ohio river and it goes from urban in Downtown Wheeling then back and forth between wilderness and industrial. No complaints over a lack of majestic scenery as the river is always nearby. The Pike Island Lock Complex is intriguing.
I rate it 9 gears (based on a 10 speed cassette)
I hiked this in May from Blairsville to the Connemaugh Dam. On my first hike the railway bridges were hundreds of feet above the Connemaugh river. The trail was empty except for one other couple. We both wondered how large logs were tangled in bridge supports as though they had been washed there. It's an extremely beautiful hike, the best of Pennsylvania. I passed over about three railway bridges that looked far down to the river and valley. You hike up and down a steep mountain to get to the dam. I hiked it a second time a week later, construction workers in the parking lot said winter floods had covered the bridges by 50 feet. ( I didn't believe them) The valleys these bridges cover are huge, perhaps a half mile wide, you look down on islands with fully grown trees. Hiking to the dam I passed an older hiker who said, " watch yourself ahead" and kept walking. Two bridge crossings further, to the bridge at the foot off the hill before the dam I had a shock. Water had risen to the bridge deck and as I watched covered the bridge and debris floated over, a huge valley had been flooded. I turned back thinking of the two bridges I had to cross over the same river before Blairsville. Both were clear but it was amazing to see a full valley flooded and just the tips of trees above water. I guess that is what the old timer meant by "watch yourself" . Wish he had been a bit less taciturn. Don't know how you find out if Dam is going to release a few billion gallons of water but "watch yourself" . Also it was a fabulous Hike and completely amazing, with deer, owls, catfish in the shallows and something large crashing just off the trail.
We rode Amtrak from Pittsburgh to Cumberland on June 30th. Fortunately the train was very late, so we didn't get on the trail until 3:30 and were able to avoid some of the sun we likely would have had earlier in the day. The climb to the Continental Divide was long and slow, but beautiful. We stopped to take quite a few pictures and chilled for a bit in Frostburg (ice cream shop closed at 4 on a 90 degree Saturday?!?). Stayed at Morguen Toole Co. in Meyersdale and enjoyed a great meal there too. On July 1 we headed to Confluence in the AM. We borrowed a car to visit the Flight 93 Memorial and, once again, managed to avoid riding in the hottest part of the day. Once on our way again we headed to Connellsville and stayed at the Connellsville B&B, which was wonderful. On the 2nd we rode to West Newton for lunch, after an extended stop at Rachel Sager Mosaics in Whitsett. We had a stop at Over the Bars Bike Cafe in Pittsburgh before finishing up the trail just before a thunderstorm hit. We met some wonderful folks along the way and enjoyed a fantastic few days of riding at an enjoyable pace.
Parked at Saltsburg and road the 8.5 miles west to the end. This is the eastern part of the trail. The trail path is very solid and easy to bike on and most of it is through woods. At marker 2.5 you will start to pedal uphill until you get to marker 5.25. At this point you will coast downhill to marker 6.5. The trail is then a slight uphill to marker 8.5 where the trail ends in a parking lot. It is very easy to ride back except at 6.5 to 5.25 which is uphill. You will not have to pedal at 5.25 to 2.5. You will pass an old coal slag mound, 2 old oil tanks, ride along a orange stream from mine water, and cross two bridges. We did see many people floating in the stream and river. At marker 4.75 you will be in Slickville. There is a store that you can get sandwiches, drinks, and ice cream.
This trail is perfect for new bike riders. It's mostly level and shaded. iMy husband and I want to come back in the fall.
The trail is 20.5 miles in length. We started in Freeport and rode north to Butler. The first 13.5 miles is uphill. When you return, you will find an easy ride. From mile marker 16.5 to 20 is downhill to Butler. The trail will end at a parking lot .5 mile past marker 20. The trail is mostly along a stream and through woods. Many people seem to use this trail on weekends. My favorite part between mile marker 17 and 17.5. There are signs that you are entering a shooting range. CAUTION. I guess if you hear a bullet coming you are to duck. You will also bike past a small shop for bicyclists at marker 15.9. At the highest point on the trail at 13.3 is a historical sign about the area and the old railway. It is wide enough for two riders except between 16.5 and 19.5. The grass through the years has grown in on the sides to narrow the path to about 3 feet wide.
Rode this from Saylor Park to Nanty Glo and back. The uphill grade from Vintondale to Nanty Glo is challenging at times for the mediocre rider and the weekend warrior.
It's not a bad trail. Smooth, compact gravel makes it perfect for any type of bike. If you grew up around the mining industry, this trail offers very little scenery. If that history interests you, you may find this trail more interesting. Signs along the trail and the orange-red creek provide the backdrop of an industry long gone.
The trail heads offer rest stops and restrooms but between Saylor Park and Nanty Glo there's nothing as far as convenience stores in the little villages along the trail.
Drove almost 4 hours to ride this trail, which connects to the Ghost Town trail at Saylor's Park. I started in Indiana and rode the entire 10 1/2 miles. There's a definite downhill feel to it when starting in Indiana. There's no parking area at the trailhead in Indiana. I believe you can park at the IUP baseball field about 1/2 mile away or in IUP lot along the highway. (For no advertised parking, I dropped a star.) As others have stated it's a nice trail with a variety of scenery and a local brewery in Homer City. Trail is well marked.
Rode sections from Nanty Glo to Ebensburg and Heshbon past Dilltown. Great trai with a number of interesting signs on the mining in the area and the status of the river.
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