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.

June 19, 2021
Husband & I, both in our mid 60’s, hopped on this trail at the parking lot where the Allegheny & Samuel Justice trails meet. The lot was a little tricky to find, it’s just a narrow driveway down off the main road, but the lot itself had plenty of parking, several fairly clean port-a-potty’s as well as a few covered picnic tables. The paved trail bed is smooth and fairly flat, making for an easy ride, one that enabled us to really enjoy the natural surroundings. The first few miles are alongside the main road, so there was some traffic noise to start, but after a bit, the two separated and the road noises disappeared. The river views are stunning, with multiple boaters, kayakers and fishermen along the lazy waters. Critters abound, we saw multiple rabbits and squirrels, the chipmunks enjoyed playing chicken with us. Momma dear and her spotted twins watched us warily, but continued snacking on the plentiful vegetation.
There is an area about 13 miles in where the trail evidently needed to skirt a small community and the trail bed is gravel. As a tentative rider, I walked the hillier section, but for the most part, I rode low & slow & managed to get to the other side unscathed. The next area was quite interesting, the summer/vacation communities with their sloping lawns and cabins on the hill were for the most part empty of their families.
Then came the Kennendell tunnel and going through it, you will understand the words “dark as pitch”. Even though we tested them the night before, my headlight didn’t work and his wasn’t bright enough to follow safely (did I mention that I’m a tentative rider??), so we walked through – easy peasy but flipping DARK!! And COLD – the temperature drops at least 15 degrees. Finally, daylight & we rode for another couple of miles, hitting 20 and turned around. Going back through the tunnel, I remembered the flashlight on my phone and Ta-Da, I managed to very, very carefully ride back through (was very proud of myself!). And then…it started to rain, which quickly turned into a deluge. I have never been that wet on a bicycle before! And that is about the only criticism I may have about this trail, there was no place along the 20 miles to get out of the weather. There are benches scattered about & a viewing station, but until we got back to the parking lot, nothing with a roof was available. Grateful it wasn’t a thunder storm.
All in all, I give this trail 4 stars for the ease of ride, maintenance, views and variety as well as accessibility, parking and restroom availability.

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.

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.

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.

Approx 13 miles round trip. Parked near the Hot Metal bridge (mile marker 145) and rode the trail to the Point (mile 150). Continued the trail along the North Shore to Washingtons Crossing in Millvale.
I will admit at first, around mile marker 140 the trail goes between two throughways in the city and it was quite noisy and dirty. Just stuff flying in the air dirty. I pedaled along the Mon Warf area and came out at Point State Park. A nice Pittsburgher told me about crossing the Roberto Clemente Bridge and following the North Shore to Washingtons Crossing in Millvale. So I did that and came back staying on the Roberto Clemente Bridge into Downtown Pittsburgh and using the bike friendly bike lanes. Also biked through Market Square and PPG Place. Crossed over the Smithfield Street bridge into Station square and rode along the other side of the Monongahela river through South Side.
Todays ride was asphalt paved except for the short loop on Herr Island at Washington Crossing. Herr Island is a park and also residential areas.

While visiting Pittsburgh I took to this trail numerous times and did not get bored even though I rode some of the same sections multiple times. Basically I covered mile marker 150 (the Point) to mile marker 133 McKeesport. This section is paved with the exception of mile 140 at the Waterfront in West Homestead. So much history to see and it was great taking a trip down memory lane since I was born and raised in Pittsburgh. I have photo's to post and will review each ride separately as short rides with highlights. This trail is part of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP)

Been on most parts of this trail. Lisbon part is great. Tried recently opened
section North Shore Trail In Ashtabula which connects trail to lake Erie by Walnut Beach. Right off trail you enter 4 lane share the road, I road on sidewalk for this part. Then changed to 2 lanes for cars , 2 lanes for bikes. Turns west for short juant thru a park. Then go thru all nieborhoods till you get to Bridge St., after which you must carry bike up very steep, very long cement steps with no handrail to reach Point Park. Then you ride on to Walnut Beach. I did not carry bike up steps , I turned around and started back, did not see Lake Erie. This trail is all on street other than short part thru park. Will not go again.