My Ride: Hardtail mountain bike with 26x2.2in tires. Did entire trail in 2 days. Avg Speed: 12mph

DAY 1: Started at the parking lot in WV by RT 22. Rode 15miles to the middle of the trail at the parking lot in Bulger PA and back to WV. Then drove to camp at the Montour Trail Boggs Campsite in the parking lot for that trail. Free and fine for one night. Total: 31miles

DAY 2: Drove to Bulger PA trail parking lot (15min drive) and rode 13 miles to the end of the trail that dead ends in Rennerdale. End of the trail is a parking lot and it appears like the trail continues but it takes you to someone's backyard..... I recommend turning around at the rock quarry with pavilion and firepit seating area. Afterwards I rode back 13 miles to the car in Bulger. Total: 26miles

CLIMB/DESCENT
Weirton-Bulger: 400ft Climb
Bulger-Rennerdale: 300ft Descent

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Weirton WV - PA line: 4miles Rough gravel, not packed well. Ideal for 1.75in tires and wider, road bikes will work, just won't be much fun. The trail follows a creek and has plenty of seating and port-a-john's along the way. One of the most scenic parts of the trail if you can get past the bad gravel....

PA line - Bulger: 11miles Trail becomes asphalt. Wooded area with bridges over country roads and creeks. Very pretty. No restrooms but a couple nice overlooks with benches.

Bulger - McDonald: 5.5miles Begins with sweeping views of rolling hills with small wooded patches right outside of Bulger, then quickly becomes wooded around the trail for the remainder. The Montour Trail connects to the Panhandle Trail. THE MCDONALD TRESTLE BRIDGE IS NOT ON PANHANDLE TRAIL. Get there by taking the connection to the Montour trail and then turn left (south). The McDonald Trestle Bridge is a must see but don't let the pictures for this trail fool you, you have to go a bit out of your way to see the stellar view. Google McDonald Trestle Bridge and Montour Panhandle Connector.

McDonald - Rennerdale (End of trail): 7miles Towns get closer together and roads are a bit busier for a few miles. Also the trail becomes packed gravel soon after McDonald. A few spots are washed out but not bad. From about Oakdale to the end of the trail it is very smooth for being gravel. Also within the last few miles is a parking lot for the bike trail and Fossil's Cliff/Neville's Woods Hiking Trail. Less than 1/2 mile from the hiking trail parking lot is a rock quarry outcrop with a pavilion and seating area with large firepit. Basically this is the end of the trail. Only a road crossing and a parking lot is past this. If you miss the end of the trail and go past the last parking lot you'll end up in someone's back yard.

I started at Salem and rode trail to end at Saltsburg (8.5 miles) where it seamlessly connected to the West Penn Trail. Beautiful shaded trail, with plush forest views. Passed over a reservoir and multiple streams w kayakers. Nice bridges and a tunnel. Encountered turkey and deer. Uphill and downhill both ways. I rode 30m and still felt like I got a great workout! West Penn Trail is a rougher surface with steep grades and ruts from heavy rains. Still- very enjoyable!

It’s a great trail. Been riding it since the beginning. The elitists need to tone it down though. People like to enjoy the scenery and shouldn’t have to worry about getting ran into or yelled at by the Strava segment obsessors.

10 mile round trip. Hot Metal Bridge to the Point and back along the South Side section of the trail. It was during the annual Three Rivers Arts Festival on a Saturday afternoon and Point Park was very crowded, which was to be expected.

What a great trail of crushed limestone…great climb up from Cumberland at 660’ to about 2,600’ at the Eastern Continental Divide, then a slow decline the rest of the way to Pittsburgh. Great B&B’s along the way in Meyersdale, Rockwood, Confluence…Ohiopyle State Park is one of a few terrific places to stay for the night and take a day off for whitewater rafting. Also take a moment for a bit of hiking or even a trip to see Falling Waters, a Frank Lloyd Wright home built on a waterfall. Only went as far as West Newton this time around but will be back to do it again. Many also start at Pittsburgh and finish at Cumberland enjoying a 24 mile downhill ride into town. Many choices for food and shelter.

Approx 15 miles round trip from Homestead Waterfront mile marker 140 1/2 to McKeesport mile marker 133. Parked at the waterfront in West Homestead and traveled on about a mile of crushed limestone. The rest of the trail was paved and is managed by the Steel Valley Trails Association. You will pass Allegheny Goatscape where the goats are maintaining the river hillside. Also the Pump House and a short bike lane segment. Mile marker 137 is at Kennywood Amusement Park. Mile 133 is a former industrial site area. Coming back from McKeesport I caught up with a group of cyclists who were on on their last stretch of the 150 mile trail. They were almost to Pittsburgh.

Approx 12 1/2 mile round trip. Parked at the waterfront in West Homestead (mile 141) and went to Southside Community Park and back. This entire section is aslphalt paved. This section went through Sand Castle water park, passed the Hays Eagles nest, though the Southside (Hot Metal Bridge area) and to the Community Park. West Homestead Waterfront is where the old stacks are from the Steel Mill.

Nice country trail but the blacktop surface has gotten in such bad shape that I won't ride it anymore.

It was a nice late Spring evening for a ride on the trail. Not real crowded at that time of the day. Trail is asphalt paved in very good condition.