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Print Friendly MapClosure notice: the 0.5-mile Brady Tunnel remains closed while under construction, disconnecting the northern 4.5 miles from the lower 39.2 miles. No bypass is available.
Overview
The Armstrong Trail connects riverfront towns along the eastern bank of the Allegheny River as it winds through the lush Allegheny Plateau. The flat trail, currently 44.2 miles, runs along a former railroad corridor as it follows the river through the counties of Armstrong, Clarion, and Westmoreland in Western Pennsylvania. The trail runs between East Brady and the Kiskiminetas River in Schenley, passing relics from the area’s railroading and industrial past.
The trail surface is primarily compressed limestone with a few paved asphalt sections in the borough of Ford City and Kittanning. The trail is typically 9ft wide; the narrowest sections are 6ft wide.
About the Route
Access the currently disconnected 4.5-mile section of the trail at the Sarah Furnace Trailhead (1867 Sarah Furnace Rd, Rimersburg), where there is parking. From, this trailhead, head north or south. With the tunnel closed, both directions are out-and-back. Heading north, the trail follows the river for about three miles before coming to a dead end. Heading south, the trail follows the river for about 1.5 miles before reaching the Brady Tunnel, which is currently closed.
Access the northern end of 41-mile section in East Brady. The East Brady Trailhead (300 Verner St, East Brady) has parking, restrooms, and a picnic area. The trail meanders south as it follows the river.
At the Phillipston Trailhead (94 N Apple St, Rimersburg), there is an old railroad turntable (restored in 2020) left over from the days when the railroad serviced locomotives here. There trailhead also has parking and restrooms.
The southern entrance to the 0.5-mile 1915 Brady Tunnel is about 1.2 miles from the Phillipston Trailhead. Currently under construction, it will reopen to connect the northern segment to the rest of the trail. In a little less than 1.5 miles later, the trail passes the coaling tower used to replenish locomotives from 1930 until 1957, when diesel power replaced steam.
At the Redbank Junction Trailhead (780 Redbank Rd, Templeton), the trail connects to the Redbank Valley Trail and the Sligo Spur. Just south of the coaling tower, the trailhead is situated at the point the Redbank Creek meets the Allegheny River.
Continuing south, the Armstrong Trail rolls nearly two miles to Allegheny River Lock & Dam 9, built in 1938 as the farthest upstream navigation impoundment (a dam located farther north is for flood control). South of Lock & Dam 9, the Rimer Trailhead (101 Madison Rd, Templeton) has parking and restrooms. Heading south, the trail passes Greys Eddy, a small community where Oliver Gray first built a house in about 1840 when the railroad was active, and then passes the abandoned Pittsburgh & Shawmut Railroad Bridge.
Over the next 7.5 miles, the route passes through small communities to Templeton, where there is a campground. The Templeton Trailhead (112 Allegheny Ave, Templeton) has parking and a PA Fish & Boat Commission Boat Launch.
Just south of the Templeton Trailhead, the Mahoning Trailhead (303 Mahoning Rd, Templeton) also has parking. In a little over two miles, the trail passes Lock 8 (1100 St Rt 1033, Templeton), which serves as a trailhead and has parking and restrooms. Continuing south, the trail passes the Mosgrove Railroad Trestle and the Mosgrove Trailhead (721 St/Rte 1033, Templeton) has parking.
After passing the Monticello Iron Furnace, the trail has a trailhead where the Cowanshannock Creek meets the Allegheny. The Bernie Snyder Picnic Area (503 McMillen Rd, Kittanning) has parking, restrooms, a picnic area and a boat launch. The trail connects to the 1.2-mile Cowanshannock Trail, which climbs uphill along a spur line that served a coal mine and brick plant and today passes Buttermilk Falls in Cowanshannock Creek.
The trail passes through Kittanning, named for a Shawnee and Lenape village that was destroyed during the French and Indian War. Today it’s the largest borough on the trail and home to a wide variety of restaurants, as well as the old train station at Grant and Reynolds Avenues. The Richard G. Snyder YMCA Trailhead (1150 N Water St, Kittanning) and the Kittanning Trailhead (132 N Grant Ave, Kittanning) both have parking, and the section between the two trailhead is paved. Along the way, the trail passes Lock & Dam 7.
The trail surface returns to crushed limestone and the Manorville Trailhead (708 Mill St, Manorville) has parking.
Continuing south, the trail passes through Ford City, founded in 1887 as the company town for Pittsburgh Plate Glass, at one time the largest glassmaker in the nation. The company left town in the 1990s, but the worker’s entrance is preserved at trailside Memorial Park. A section of the trail in Ford City is paved.
The Ford City Trailhead (100 3rd Ave, Ford City) has parking, restrooms, and a picnic area. Located near the newly refurbished (2019) bridge over Crooked Creek, the Rosston Trailhead (135 Rosston Circle, Ford City) has parking and a boat launch.
Meandering south along the river, the trail passes Lock & Dam 6 and Lock & Dam 5. The trail crosses the Kiskiminetas River, where it meets the Allegheny in Schenley. The recently refurbished (2024) bridge has a new concrete deck and handrails. The current southern end of trail is the south end of the bridge.
Access the southern end at the Schenley Trailhead (128 Railroad St, Schenley), which has parking.
Trail Connections
The Armstrong Trail is part of the 270-mile Erie to Pittsburgh Trail that will run from Presque Isle on Lake Erie to Pittsburgh’s connection with the Great Allegheny Passage; it’s also part of the Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition’s developing 1,500-mile trail network through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and New York. In addition, it connects with the Redbank Valley Trail, which runs east from the Armstrong Trail for more than 40 miles and includes a 9-mile spur leading to Sligo.
Trail History
The Allegheny Valley Railroad began laying tracks in 1853, and by 1870 the railroad ran between Pittsburgh and Oil City. Absorbed by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1900, the corridor went through several ownership changes until the Allegheny Valley Land Trust acquired it in 1992 for a trail. Court challenges delayed construction of some trail sections, resulting in today’s mix of surfaces, which include asphalt and crushed stone.
The Armstrong Trail runs between East Brady and Schenley. Parking is available at numerous locations along the route, including:
Visit the TrailLink map for all options and detailed directions.
While in the Schenley area, decided to scope the new bridge over the Kiskiminetas River. The historic bridge was recently refurbished to accommodate the bike trail. This bridge is at the very southern end of the trail at the Kiskiminetas Junction where the is an active rail line looking to the South towards the Tredway Trail. At the Kiski Junction/Schenley there is ample parking and lock #5 on the Allegheny River is nearby. Trail surface is crushed limestone and newly laid. Will get more packed down as there are more trail users. Headed North on this trail a few miles. Follows the Allegheny River. In Schenley there are quite a few old factories along the trail but heading North, becomes scenic and peaceful.
This is a really nice trail to ride. It is the closest trail to our house so it’s our go to trail. The northern end it is somewhat desolate, and sometimes we don’t even see any other riders! The lower end is a little busier, but fun! Be very careful between the YMCA and the Mariner around mile post 46. The trail is paved, but very, very bumpy! Especially in the right hand lane heading to Ford City. Bikers were actually walking their bikes through the stretch. I’m
Rode a round trip of 14 miles, had to turn around once we ran into a momma bear with some cubs! Was definitely the highlight of the trip.
Great trail well maintained
My buddy and I rode the entire lower section of the Armstrong Trail this past weekend from Rosston to East Brady and back and were well pleased with the trail. We started at the parking area at/near the Rosston Marina and headed south over the decked Crooked Creek bridge to a dead end .2 miles from the parking area and then turned around. Just a short ways up the trail you hit Ford City and the trail is paved. I liked this area. The pavement was pretty good with practically no heaves but there were some little ruts across the trail which were not bad at all. There is an old factory you ride by but it isn't trashy. The trail then turns back to crushed gravel/limestone sand for a ways before hitting Kittanning. Pavement again and there were some areas with root heaves but really not that bad - just stand up off the seat for a few moments. This area was pleasant also. After Kittanning the pavement ends and you're basically in the woods and alongside the river the rest of the way. You do go through the small town of Templeton but that's it till East Brady. In East Brady you pick up pavement again starting with Shady Shores Drive and then an actual trail by the park which dead ends at the intersection of 6th St and Purdum St. This is the last point I saw an actual "Armstrong Trail" sign but there were green and white signs with a bike image and the words "Bike Path" along the streets. We followed those out Purdum St to 3rd St to Kellys Way out to the Old Bank Deli and saw that they continued. This brings me to a gripe about the Armstrong Trail. Traillink and the trail's website list this section of the trail as 31 miles long so we thought we could squeeze in a metric century ride (62.13 miles) with just a little extra riding. However, I believe that the 31 miles includes this road riding because the trail signs along the way show the trail going through East Brady and continuing to follow Rt 68 across the Allegheny River and then turning north, probably onto Seybertown Rd. Our round trip mileage to this point with a detour to the park was 60.75 miles. Anyway, we grabbed some pastries at the Deli then rode back through town and down to the Riverside Park which was very nice. Paved trails, picnic tables and a very nice shelter with benches facing the river. We enjoyed our lunch there and then did the long ride back.
Pros of the trail - the surface where it wasn't paved was GAP level smooth. About as good as it gets. There were well spaced benches for resting. Plenty of historical interest with lots of signs with titles big enough to read without stopping if you wanted to. The Allegheny River is right beside you almost the entire time and it is a nice, clean river to look at. The Riverside Park in East Brady is a nice touch and a great place to stop. There are a lot of summer campsites along the river and they were very clean and well kept - a pleasure to look at.
Cons - beside the aforementioned root heaves in Kittanning there were a few short gravelly sections that could be fixed up and the smaller bridges with wooden decking were rough - they really need redecked. The biggest con in my opinion was the lack of trailside amenities. There were almost none. I saw nothing in Ford City or Kittanning. To be honest those towns were near the beginning or end of our ride so I went back to Google Drive through there (which doesn't cover a lot of the area) and there is a pizza place in Kittanning but that looks to be it right on the trail. There are places to be sure in Kittanning but they are off the trail a ways. After that there is nothing until East Brady and the pickings are slim there. Of course, you have to ride into town which wasn't bad and there is the Old Bank Deli with pastries, ice cream, coffee, etc. I also saw a pizza place and there was a gas station/food mart. That was about it. If you're doing the entire thing like we did bring your own lunch. We did and I'm glad.
Overall this was a nice trail and I suspect if/when the Erie to Pittsburgh connection is complete and through riders start using this that more trailside amenities may open. Until then, go knowing you might want to pack your own food (or ride off the trail a bit) and enjoy. Outside of the two larger towns we saw almost no one. On a sunny, pleasant Saturday over 60+ miles we saw less than a dozen bikers (some twice) and maybe one jogger. I was amazed by that. The middle section of the trail is quite isolated and even though there apparently was a trailhead at Rimer we didn't realize it since no one was there.
Go, enjoy the trail and maybe if enough people use it a few more establishments will pop up.
This is a very long trail. Only did a part of if , on a beautiful summer day. completed 28 round trip miles before it got super hot.
Armstrong Trail is across the road from the parking lot for the Cowanshannock Trail, you can take a easy hike on the crushed gravel with the site of the river which runs beside it. If you go in Early Spring bundle up the wind off the river is icy cold¿ but sight is pretty.
Went for a ride 3-27-2021 from the bike parking to redbank and I loved it. Crushed gravel trail makes for a small bit of drag but still very easy. I'll be returning more often.
We road from East Brady to Kittanning and back for a total of 44 miles. Riding that direction, you first go through about one mile of shared gravel road with private homes. The trail winds along the Allegheny River with beautiful scenery. It also follows a few camping areas. When in Kittanning a must stop to eat is at the Allegheny Mariner restaurant. West coast atmosphere, the best Mac and cheese ever (an we are M & C connoisseurs) and a skillet fresh-baked warm chocolate chip cookie with ice cream that is to die for! The rest of the food was homemade and excellent also. The Armstrong Trail is one of many great trails in PA!
I try to get to this trail a couple times a year, and today was the day. I always look forward to going thru Kittaning and seeing the historic county building and old train station, and always snap a few pictures on the way thru. I was happy to see someone was making a go of a business in the train station, which looked like a little flea market, with tagged merchandise sitting outside. I was prepared to check it out and parked my bike next to the trail. I took a couple photos from the grassy area by the trail before grabbing my mask and going in. Before I had a chance, an angry lady ran out of the store and told me I wasn't allowed to be there and get back on the trail and wasn't allowed to take photos. She made a threatening gesture towards me like she was going to grab my phone. I told her I was planning to check out her business, but not any more! I also informed her I'd been taking photos of this historic building for years and never bothered a soul, always stayed near the trail, and that many others using the trail have done the same, and it was unfortunate she didn't respect and appreciate being in a historic building, and I left and told her to have a lovely day. I would think a business owner would be thrilled to be on the trail and welcoming to trail users, but apparently that's not the case. So be warned when passing by the station! No photos allowed! How unfortunate for such a beautiful landmark. The junk she has sitting outside doesn't help much, either. To top it off, I got yelled at several times by folks using the trail in Kittaning when I asked them to yield and be careful with their children so they don't get hit...and I ride very cautiously when there's a lot of folks on the trail. So next time, I'm starting north of Kittaning....how unfortunate, as this could be a great trail town.
Me and my fam would definitely come back her again.
Nicely maintained stone dust trail with several points of interest along the way including a couple locks, an old railroad coaling tower, and several historic towns. Some pieces of this trail are paved near towns, but watch out for the rough patches where tree roots are breaking up the blacktop.
Rosston to East Brady is Complete. Phase 1 of the Renovation of the East Brady Tunnel has began. Completion of this tunnel will further the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail into becoming a reality!
trail was well maintained. rode right along river. we started at cowanshannock trail and headed up river. parking easy to find. mild grade nothing exceptional. after bike ride, we walked cowanshannock trail to see buttermilk falls.
My wife and i ride all the rails to trails in western pa, and this is our favorite.. We park at snyder park above Kittanning usually and go up river, its a perfectly maintained trail, easy grade, a joy to ride.... U can start at snyder park some days and ride a 20 mile loop up and back down the river to park and see less then 5 riders in the 2 hour trip...
I rode from Kittanning north to East Brady after having a difficult time trying to even locate the trail in the southern end of Kittanning. An easy to find downtown trail head would be helpful. Once located however, the trail is very well maintained, scenic and a great ride. Be sure to bring enough water as there were no obvious places to refill or buy refreshments. Once the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail is completed this will be a great place for distance riding. Mile markers are already installed reflecting the completed trail.
From just outside Kittanning to Rosston it's a short ride passing through Ford City. It felt more like a nice leisurely ride for the locals. Nothing remarkable there and in need of signs to help riders negotiate the breaks in the trail. We got on the road for a couple of miles not realizing we needed to make a sharp right turn to link up with the trail again, and we weren't sure where to pick up the trail when we got off the road. Saw some cyclists and followed them. The short forested section could look nicer. We also rode thru Kittanning the first day and ended the ride at the Allegheny Mariner restaurant, where we started the next day. Much nicer and interesting from there to the end in East Brady with the Allegheny River on the left, two dams and locks, bridges, coaling tower, Brady tunnel and turntable, which needs a sign with some history. The bridges would be nicer if they had open rails to see the river as you pedal thru. Need a sign pointing the way after the turntable and after passing a new subdivision being built where there's a small white sign I totally missed. The trail ends abruptly after a boardwalk in East Brady. We decided to bike through the neighborhood and down to the town. It'll be nice when it's connected to the Erie Canal trail. There's a small park with a couple of parking spaces and no benches where I suppose the trail ends for now.
Started in Brady on the Armstrong Trial and drove about 5 miles to Red Bank Creek and the start of the trail at the Allegheny River. Well signed and with interesting history signs. Very good condition.
4th of July 2015 we biked from East Brady to near Templeton.
We grabbed lunch at Subway in East Brady and headed on the trail, which follows the Allegheny River. You park somewhere in East Brady, we were not sure and driving around and a
kind resident pointed in the right direction and told us where
to park. Once parked you ride nearly a mile on gravel road where people live, to get onto the limestone trail. We past some houses and camps along the trail and went through a campground. Since it was the 4th of July, there seemed to be a lot of picnics! Just out of East Brady is the Phillipston Turntable. Then the old Brady Tunnel, South Portal. Can't go in, it's closed. Went up to it, it has a lot of water in it.
Stay on the trail is Redbank where there is an old coaling tower. Also the intersection of the Redbank Trail. Continue on to lock and dam #9 on the Allegheny River, then along the trail is Hook Station which is some houses and a rock that reads Hook Station. Farther down the trail is Gray's Eddy, an old village with a beautiful waterfall. Nice to stop there and walk around. There is a power plant across the river you can see it. We went to the blue bridge and turned around and headed back to East Brady. If you park in East Brady and bike towards Kittanning, it's downhill making the return trip uphill! We saw a deer along the trail and there were some boaters on the river.
As a family co-owner of the property known as Gray's Eddy which has been in our family for nearly 100 years, BE ADVISED THAT THIS PROPERTY has been posted as a BIOSECURITY AREA which restricts all trespass or face fines up to $2000 and jail time of up to one year. The Armstrong Trail Organization has rights to only the stone culvert and a 50 foot right of way....that being 25 feet either side of the center of the original tracks. The property is not open to the public and foot traffic throughout the property, its streams and its riverfront are prohibited. The Armstrong Trail Organization has posted signage creating a false sense that Gray's Eddy is a "destination point" to serve the selfish vision of its Director, Ron Steffey. It is NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. It is private property and trespass will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. KEEP OUT.
Before the snow buried our trails for the winter months, I just had to make a short inspection of the south end of the undeveloped trail north of Brady Tunnel. I had never been there, and I wondered how usable this section of the trail really was. I had Googled "Sarah Furnace PA Images" to see a couple of SPLENDID steam era shots, including the large railroad yard once there on the wide river bend. Also, I was quite curious about what kind of condition the other end of Brady Tunnel was in. One drops down the long 1.8-mile hill off of PA-68 via Route 2006, directly into the little settlement of Sarah Furnace, a few houses, some summer camps. The trail is in the same condition that the trail south of the tunnel was in until its recent improvement and surfacing. I headed south down the old grade. It's ridable, a mostly dry surface of steam era cinders and small railroad ballast, with tall weeds weeds growing right up next to the roadbed. It looks like the ATV's are the ones keeping the the trailbed open. I was pleasantly surprised to find Allegheny Valley cut stone milepost 71, its double-sided identification flat numbers long worn off, just north of the tunnel. While the south portal of Brady Tunnel is in good shape, despite the defective overhead drainage flume, the north portal is a complete mess. A large hole has opened up in the tunnel roof, behind the portal, where water is pouring in (See my gallery photo). Pieces of corrugated pipe which apparently drained the water away from the tunnel are lying above the collapse hole and inside the tunnel on its floor. The tunnel floor inside looks dry, though, and there is a drainage cut into the river beyond the very muddy and waterlogged tunnel approach. There is only a very obscure remnant of the shelf along the river south of the tunnel where the pre-1915 (keystone date on this portal, too) mainline once carried the line into and through East Brady. Now back northward. You can see the spoils of the old coal mine north of Milepost 71, and the widened right-of-way where the mine sidings must have been. An upright short pole may have held a "block-limit" sign after the signal system was doused. At Sarah Furnace, right where Route 2006 drops into the 90-degree turn to the road paralleling the right-of-way, there is a neat large concrete culvert carrying Catfish Run under the railroad bed. It must be in dubious condition, as it is blocked off by large concrete blocks, like those used to block both entrances of Brady Tunnel. Careful observation near that culvert reveals signal stands and wires protruding up out of the ground where one of Brady Tower's "CP Madison" [Controlled Point] remote southbound signals once stood. There were once two tracks between Sarah Furnace and Brady Tower, later reduced to one (the old southbound) track for better clearances through the tunnel. There is supposed to be a trail parking lot somewhere around Sarah Furnace ("Catfish"), but my preliminary investigation showed no such lot, nor any access to what looks like a gated off right of way north of the Sarah Furnace settlement. - Rich Ballash, Latrobe, PA 12-27-2014.
After the construction of Brady Tunnel in 1915, the Pennsy stub-ended the southern end of the former main line Allegheny Valley's East Brady river loop at the depot in East Brady. This "East Brady Branch" stub continued in service, through Phillipston Yard. The 1.17 miles between Phillipston and East Brady was abandoned on May 9, 1962, and Conrail closed Philipston Yard, and the line south from the yard to Brady Tunnel, in the fall of 1982. Heading north from Brady Tunnel, the trail runs through the wide expanse of what were the multiple tracks of Phillipston Yard. The Phillipston turntable remains in place, but is rumored to have been sold at this time. At the north end of the Yard, many residences in the "town" of Phillipston have been largely abandoned. One of these properties displays a MASS of railroadiana clustered around it, apparently the home of a deceased railfan whose property is now an abandoned estate. The property looks like a little railroad museum! There are like six AVRR stone mileposts (no numbers on them), metal milepost 64 (where the southbound Redbank home signal footers are also located), Conrail's Phillipston station sign, a telegraph pole with crossarms and insulators, a railroad phone box, a Pennsy Street sign, and more. Pretty interesting! Pennsy obviously pulled what were the multi-track concrete "bridges" at the south end of the yard, and the apparently much longer abandoned line segment looks more like an old dirt road heading toward East Brady. Trail Milepost 67 is the last marker you'll see. Nearing East Brady, the trail has been rerouted off the old railroad grade, around riverfront properties, higher up on the hillside, on the coarse gravel, hilly new riverfront property access road. You can see the old grade and some culverts, down near the river. At the East Brady sewage plant, the trail drops back down onto the railroad grade approaching the town, and becomes a rough dirt, then manicured asphalt walking trail. The trail ends at 6th and Purdum Street, 3.7 miles from Brady Tunnel. There is a section of mainline rail in the former grade crossing here, and a freight track entering a building at the trail terminus. There is NO parking at the end of the trail here, but there is a large, paved parking lot at the sewage plant at the east end of town, on Shady Shore Drive. Just don't assume that this is the end of the trail, as I almost ignored the unmarked access down the rocky, steep lane leading back down to the last mile of the trail into East Brady, as I almost did, at the sewage plant parking lot. -Rich Ballash, Latrobe PA 1-11-2015.
Heading north from Mosgrove, we encounter beautifully repainted ex-AVRR cut stone Milepost 50. Arriving in Templeton, with its HUGE trail and river access parking lot, you'll see another rare double-figure ex-PRR cast iron milepost, #54/78, indicating that you are 54 miles north of Pittsburgh Union Station, and 78 miles south of Oil City. Rimer, at Trail Mile 59.4, has a little, 2-car trail parking space. Look for possible station remnant walkways on the east side of the trail as you head north through this substantial little riverside settlement. Measure 1.5 miles north from Trail Mile Marker 61, and there you will see the southernmost remnant of Pennsy's "Brady" CTC control plant. Those concrete bases on the east side of the trail were the footers for the position light home signal directing traffic into and through the Redbank Interlocking complex, its coaling station now visible 2 miles to the north on this very scenic river bend. Crossing the double-track bridge just north of Red Bank Station, with its single remaining telegraph pole and triple crossarms, into the junction with the PRR's Low Grade line to the east (today's Redbank Trail), we approach the classic concrete Red Bank coaling station, an amazing steam era remnant. The junction is at Mile 63.5, and the coaling tower is located at Mile 63.6. I was delighted to see the Red Bank Trail with a brand new limestone base layer curving away to the east. Latest data shows that new trail segment heading to the east for only about one mile. Now, measure 1.0 miles north from the coaling tower, and witness that concrete base on your right. This was Pennsy's "BRADY" Tower, a WW2 traffic control upgrade project (1944) two-story brick tower which housed a Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) machine, from which whose operator controlled switches and signals from Mile 62.5 to the south end of Oil City. I was so relieved to see that the trail upgrade and new power line projects here had not scuttled this significant historical treasure! The tower stairway, basement, and first floor survive, 30+ years after the tower was closed by early Conrail! This was a NEAT place, and we are still not quite sure exactly how "BRADY"s 24/7 operators reached this very remote setting. I'll conclude this chapter at the south portal of Brady Tunnel, which sliced through the river bend 0.2 miles north of BRADY Tower. This curved tunnel cut off MILES of riverside loop running down to and through East Brady, when it was built in 1915 (cornerstone atop portal). Its cross-portal wooden water flume is completely rotted out now, and the tunnel has is flooded with a few feet of water in it at this end (more on the other end in a later report). They will continue the trail northward through Brady Tunnel at a future date, but I found some MAJOR damage at its north portal which I am sure will make that reopening many years away. So sad, but this tunnel has obviously always been a railroad maintenance headache. -Rich Ballash, 1-10-2015.
I "closed the gap", so to speak, on my late 2007 early rail artifacts study of the lower end of the Armstrong Trail yesterday, onboard a special railfan photo excursion on the Kiski Junction Railroad, originating down at Schenley PA (11 miles south of Ford City). As I recall, I headed south from Rosston in late 2007, on the crudely finished trail, and I made it 4.0 miles before the jaggers, huge water puddles, and mud stopped me "dead in my tracks" (Pardon the pun). I had high hopes of seeing this trail connected to the Pittsburgh trails some day. Yesterday, my fellow trail enthusiast and long-time friend Ed Waugh and myself boarded Everett Meehling's Dynamo Productions' trip with about 50 railfans on their special photo run, and our KJRR crew answered many questions which both myself and many other people have asked about the "vanished" lower end of this trail. The owner of the railroad down there has rebuilt 9.9 miles of the old railroad, north from Schenley, up to a point just south of Rosston. The trail, and most recreational access to the river edge south of Rosston, has been increasing sealed off, due to railroad vandalism and abuse of the restored railroad property. From Mile 0 at the old AVRR river bridge at Schenley, a smooth and expensive new single track, with steel ties and welded rail, extends to the KJRR's new coal mine at Mile 8, and from that point, new double track reaches Mile 9.9 just south of Rosston, to shift those long coal train around. Many people have ignored the KJRR's No Tresspassing signs, and people have even knocked some of them over. Be warned!... You will be subject to arrest if you encroach on this property! The railroad has tried to respect people along the river, but they have not had that respect returned, so you are warned to please keep out. Back in 2007, I pried my way south on the undeveloped, 25-years' abandoned and overgrown right-of-way, to old AVRR Mile 36, six miles north of Schenley, to a point exactly as far south as to where our train made it north to from Schenley yesterday. So sadly, at least for now, there will be no Armstrong Trail south from Rosston! There is room for a trail alongside the new single KJRR track, but I don't know about room alongside that two miles of double track north of the coal loader. Let's just hope that some kind of an agreement can be made to allow maybe a "Rails-With-Trail" venture with the KJRR and its new property some day. Oh, and finally, regarding railroad artifacts on this stretch, there is but one! An original, unmarked AVRR cut stone milepost (I believe it is Milepost 33) remains in place, just south of KJRR Milepost 4. And for all of you trail enthusiasts out there, I definitely do recommend a cool ride on the KJRR's regular tourist train operation (May through October) to recreate a part of that beautiful, relaxing riverside trip that Pittsburgh-Buffalo PRR passengers enjoyed until 1941. It will really bring to life, and compliment, your appreciation of the historic treasure which the entire Armstrong Trail has become. -Rich Ballash, Latrobe, PA 11-1-2014.
We continue or railroad artifact exploration north from Kittanning. Leaving the outskirts of Kittanning, the trail turns from asphalt to crushed limestone, a nice fresh surface, and we are alone with the river. As for mileage markers, we see a change from classic Pennsy mileposts to something newer and something much older. Beginning at Mile 46.25, the trail loses its PRR markers, and the trail is now marked with wooden, white markers with black numerals, marked at 1/4-mile intervals. In this trail segment, you will see two original cut stone Allegheny Valley Railroad milestones, #48 and #50. Although I've noted several of these in previous reviews, and remember that these things are well over 100 years old, these are the first two where I detected at least one raised "A" on their 4-facet top faces. #48 has no mileage markings, and is located down at the riverside directly down from wooden trail mile marker 48. I had to pull the weeds out from around totally obscured #50, which has been nicely repainted in white with the numerals nicely painted, on two ground smooth and flat marker faces. There is a nice double track bridge (as this line once was), with classic PRR railings, on both sides of the bridge, at Mile 47.5 Unfortunately, the raised "PRR" lower stanchion markings have long since eroded away. A new historical installation has been recently installed, at Mile 48.1. Monticello (iron) Furnace was installed here in 1859. A brand new plaque states that the railroad was extended to this point in 1865. The furnace supplied high quality pig iron from 1866 to 1875. Although the furnace stack was removed when the railroad was further extended, the installation's stone retaining wall remains, along with the furnace's riverside slag pile. This was Cowanshannock Station, and there was a depot and 200 homes here at one time. You'll pass under the ex-B&O viaduct high above at Mosgrove at Mile 49.7. In the last two miles, I encountered not one but TWO six-foot long black snakes, each sunning themselves, stretched out over the width of the trail. As the tall weeds run right up to the edge of the limestone trail here, keep you eyes open for such creatures. I'm always kind of wary when riding on closed in trails like this. -Rich Ballash, Latrobe PA 9-20-14.
Update courtesy my good NS friend, Eric Johnson:
Rich,
Nice report on the Armstrong Trail. Another on the list to do for me. Some good artifacts you found, so noted.
As far as the new railroad south of Rosston is concerned, this is the Kiski Jct. Railroad, not involved with Norfolk Southern. The railroad was built with public and private funds and is currently owned by Rosebud Mining Co. They have the mine in Logansport that ships coal by rail. Recent rail activity has been slow of late, not much coal moving by rail from here at this moment in time, just spot orders for coal to several power plants. The revived railroad is of very nice construction, all welded rail, good ballast and steel railroad ties. There is a 130+ car length runaround track in Logansport to handle a train of that size. I had the pleasure of riding the line just after it was finished, a lovely ride along the Allegheny. From what I could see, no artifacts along the line. Also the new track was built in the center of what was once the double track to discourage bike riders, campers, fisherman and trespassers, from getting tangled up with a train and potential vandalism. A portion of the area from ghost town Johnetta south does have a road along the active track to allow people to their homes and camps that have been there for years. As you may know the Kiski Jct. operates the old Schenley Industrial Track that runs from Schenley to Bagdad to service the Allegheny Ludlum/ATI mill there. Armstrong Terminals is another customer in Schenley proper that gets an animal feed ingredient and anthracite coal by rail. And KJR runs excursions on the line too, mainly to Bagdad I believe.
The lower end of this trail has it all, every kind of trail surface and environment, and LOTS of preserved railroad remnants! (See Photo Gallery) I covered trail (and former PRR from Pittsburgh) mileage from Rosston (MP39.0) to the northern end of Kittanning (MP46) on this trip. Scarily, NS has restored the former PRR Allegheny Branch track from way down at its Conemaugh Line main to just about a mile south of Ford City, to service a new coal mining operation. No more trail south of Rosston! From the abandoned railroad grade at Rosston (lots of parking there at the boat launch area), you'll encounter ballast and cinders, a single track limestone trail, smooth asphalt, and some back street running. I enjoy these varied trail types... You won't get BORED, for sure! Since people seem to get lost plying Ford City, I've endeavored to document where you turn to NOT get lost. From the boat launch at Rosston, ride south over the railroad bridge to see the new track south of town. Then, head north on the old railroad grade (ballast, grass, and cinders) out to where the old railroad grade crosses and parallels the paved road north. The official trail picks up just a 1/2 mile north of the boat launch lot, at MP39.6. Mile 40.0 was where "FD" Tower sat, a complete interlocking plant on the PRR. Crossing the new PA-128 Allegheny River bridge approach, the haunting bare fields of the former PPG plant site come into view on your left. Stop and see the plant entrance tunnel and train station site at stone mile marker 41. A nice bathroom complex is available here, too. The paved trail ends and dumps you out onto 3rd St. Turn left - Observe the paralleling railroad grade. When you get to 17th St, get back on the railroad grade trail. Then, after another 1.2 trail miles, turn left ONTO and down Butler Street (toward the river) to Water Street. Turn right ONTO Water Street (the street along the riverfront). You'll see stone milepost 43 in the private yard at right, just before you descend under what was a railroad overpass. You will turn a sharp LEFT here and climb back up and onto the railroad grade. From here north, there will be no more confusion. Just stay on the railroad grade. The big blue bridge you pass under is US-422. This is a nice, shady, woodsy trail segment. As you enter Kittanning, observe cast PRR the cast iron whistlepost right and cast PRR Milepost 44 left. The former brick PRR passenger depot and enginehouse are located at Mile 44.6. Love the big, beautiful gold brick fishbone style platform, just like our ex-PRR Amtrak platform down here at Latrobe, only unused since 1964, 50 years ago! Wow! Note how the half century of trees have pushed up the edge platform bricks. The depot houses a massive collection of private storage. It appears that nothing original survives inside, not even original interior walls. I don't know what is housed in that sealed up enginehouse beside the depot. Heading north, you'll soon encounter a rare pair of the old and new mile markers. Early Conrail's (post 1976) metal highway style mileage Marker 45 aits right beside the Pennsy's old cast iron marker. There was a little spur yard here (Google up "PRR tower ford city - prr interlocking diagrams - FD-Brady 1957" to see a track schematic of my whole report area [and beyond])! Nice! I turned around at Mile 46... Enough for this fascinating, historical trail segment. There is so much to see here... So much history! It's a five-star trail segment, for sure! Enjoy the ride! Oh, and be sure to check out my earlier trail reviews on this line much further up north, way up above Oil City! Cool area up there, and very beautiful! -Rich Ballash, Latrobe, PA 8-30-2014
My husband and I ride this trail frequently. We park at the East Brady municipal bldg. The first 1/2 mile is shared gravel road with new homes. The rest of the trail to Templeton is crushed stone with a small part (100yds or so) shared is Phillipston with a paved road. The bridges are now fixed with crushed stone as well. Nice ride along the Allegheny. It is about 15 miles from the municipal bldg. to Templeton.
After being disappointed by the first 8 miles of the Redbank Valley trail, the Mrs. and I struck out north on the Armstrong trail. The first thing we saw was that mammoth coal tipple, all made out of concrete. I fully expect that structure to outlive me. Continuing north we came across the portal to the closed Brady Tunnel and the old flume above it. I'd really love to see this tunnel opened, but there's an awful lot of water coming through it to be taken care of first. Continuing upstream we entered where the railyard was at Philipston, and there's a waterfall next to the trail that drains under the trail through an old cut-stone culvert. The culvert is in phenomenal shape. Next up, just off the side of the trail is the old turntable where they used to turn the engines around. Hard to believe it's still mostly intact out there in the middle of nowhere. Then a brief distance further the trail peters out into Brady's Bend. We turned around there and headed back. The surface has clearly just had work done to it and is in phenomenal shape. I'm looking forward to riding the rest of this trail later this season!
Had a hard time finding the trial in Kittanning and the parking area north of Kittanning. The 422 bridge is under repair ... only one way traffic west. I was coming from the east and the detour makes the printable trail directions very confusing. The trail is in good shape save one area about 20 yards long with very deep very fine gravel. Definite accident point for fast travelers. At the first unfinished section north of Kittanning, I was verbally challenged but three men digging a new perhaps un-permitted access to the river. Simply moved on. The balance of the trail was in great shape. Thank you trail maintainers. However, someone has opened the gates and there appears to be 4 wheeler tracks on the trail. Not sure if there was a crew working further north than I traveled.
I had the good fortune to ride the Armstrong Trail from Templeton to East Brady on a beautiful blue sky Friday afternoon.
The trail is now 99% complete from Ford City to East Brady. The local trail council has done a tremendous job! The freshly graded trail is in wonderful condition, new benches have been installed, drains have been put in place. Its great to see so much work over such a short period of time. I just wanted to share the good word based on previous comments of "rough ride" and "not ready for prime time".
The scenery is beautiful with the Allegheny River and the surrounding river hills. There are also several cools historical sites, including Locks #8 and #9, as well as the coaling tower and railroad turnaround near Phillipston.
There a still few small sections where larger stone is still in play, but these are all very short and rideable, and did not detract from beauty of the ride. 1) Work in progress around Rimer - will most likely be completed before winter 2) The bridge surface over Redbank Creek 3) The final stretch into East Brady right before the paved section.
The trail will be beautiful in the coming month with all the Autumn colors.
We started at the Cowanshannock picnic area and headed South. The trail was great with views of the river and some old left overs along the side from the possible trail stops. Once you come into Kittaning the trail parallels beside the road but is completely separate. You'll need to stop at each intersection but cars are polite to let you pass. It was nice to be able to travel through the town without being on roads. Once you leave Kittaning and cross under the 422 bridge the trail sort of disappears. We made a few wrong turns and finally started riding on the road through Manorville. We eventually found the trail again at Ford City. This section is well paved and has great views of the river. There are little exercise stations at intervals which seemed nice. We followed the trail over 5th's avenue until it seemed to end in a dirt trail. We turned back and found where we lost the trail coming in. It travels through back yards on grass/gravel/dirt. It was poorly marked and very hard to find, we lost and found it numerous times until we made it back to the 422 bridge underpass. Overall the trail wasn't bad, just a little tricky to find. We'd to it again but travel North to see what it has to offer.
Where is the trail?? I found a railroad and road around an old industrial park. I went further north and found Logansport Road and followed that through an active coal mine to the river. I came across a railroad here too. Does this trail exist anymore or not? I drove up towards Ford City and I couldn't find any signs directing me to the trail. I'm assuming it's a railroad now and didn't work out? Complete waste of my time driving up there.
We're in our late fifties, ride for the fun of it, and live on the Westmoreland Heritage trail, near Saltsburg Pa.
The Armstrong Trail is not ready for prime time. At least the 4 1/2 miles from East Brady to Redbank creek. It's hard to find the unmarked miniscule parking lot in East Brady, there aren't any signs pointing to the actual trailhead, and its a confusing and tortured path downriver to the bridge over Redbank Creek. Most of the section delivers a bumpy, jangling, ride, with most of our time spent concentrating on missing rocks and potholes, instead of being able to look around and enjoy the ride.
Our advice: Enjoy the many other trails in Western Pa. and wait for the Armstrong Trail to improve.
I use to get on the trail at logansport where an old smokestack was a marker. Now there is a railroad there. How is it possiable for what I thought was a land trust to allow a railroad to be built in the middle of a biketrail. So much for ever joining oil city with the point in Pittsburgh, much less going to DC.
My wife and I selected a rainy 70 degree day to explore the Armstrong Trail. We parked in Rosston and then rode north to MM 49. From the parking lot to the trail is 1/2 mile on a nice uncongested local road. We were pretty happy once we were able to get off the road and onto the paved trail. Passing through Ford City, the trail is just perfect! At the north end of Ford City and through Manorville, you are forced onto local roads. we chose Water St? along the river and did not pass a single car. At the power plant we regained the trail that is now crushed stone. Crushed stone is not that good when wet and no fenders. I did enjoy this part of the ride to Kittanning. Through Kittanning, the trail is either paved or on local roads. Again, no traffic issues on the roads. To the north of Kittanning, the trail becomes crushed stone and I immediately had a flat tire. We walked back to Paul's Auto Parts/ Bike shop ( 2 miles) and as my tube was replaced, my wife's tire went flat. Those are the first flats we ever had. Off again heading north. Enjoyed the ride till MM 49 where the trail surface got worse and it appeared the trail led through fishing camps. The trip back was uneventful till we got home and discovered flat # 3. Aside from the flats, I really liked the trip. I had been looking forward to it for a long time and was not really disappointed. Round trip, including the backtracking for flats, was 23 miles.
My wife and I rode this trail for the first time on June 4, 2011. We parked at the Bernard C. Snyder Picnic Area and began at Cowanshannock Trail, a supplement of the Armstrong Trail. This was our first ride in which we were able to pedal to the bottom of a waterfall. We had a close-up encounter with both a groundhog and snapping turtle on the Armstrong Trail. Despite our attempts, we would not locate the Ore Hill Iron Furnace, we suspect it is overgrown with weeds. In Templeton, we had to refer to our map, but we were spotted by another couple experienced with the trail who were kind enough to show us the way. Gray's Eddy was the most interesting point for us. We would like to explore this area further in the future. There are several unmarked but well-traveled trails here; however, we were scared off by a wild animal. Overall, our experience was positive. There were not many people on the trail, but the ones we encountered were very friendly. This was the first time we saw a lock and dam up close and we had fun riding under the railroad bridges. Some of the bridges were in various states of disrepair, but were able to be safely traveled across. The bridge before Grays Eddy was very fun to ride over due to its bumpy surface. There is a tree down on the trail, but it can be biked around. A path is already being worn around it. We thought that it was sad this trail doesn't get the publicity that other trails nearby do. Our only regret was that we missed the Pine Creek Underground Winery. We recommend bringing a map with you, we referred to ours often.
Yesterday, 07.26.2010, I went online to get the trail map and directions to the Armstrong Trail. I followed the directions to Aladdin road but saw no signage regarding the trail. There were large stacks of steel rails, as if a new railroad was to be built and there was a railbed that was being widened, graded and cleared of trees and other large foliage. I asked a local resident where the rails-to-trails trail was and he pointed in the direction of the construction work going on. He said someone was actually building a railroad, like a short scenic railroad.
I set out on the railbed in an effort to see how far I could go or if I could anywhere at all. I was able to navigate 7.5 miles up the trail and could go no farther because of the heavy construction that was underway. Beyond that, the trail was impassable, even with a mountain bike. Along that 7.5 mile ride I encountered several heavy construction vehicles laying slag, chipping trees, and grading. The riding was very difficult, very bumpy, and, at times, impossible requiring me to walk the bike for varying distances. You could see sharp bits of metal and glass in the material they were laying down on the railbed. I did, in fact, get a flat on my return, fortunately only a quarter mile from my car.
I wanted to be sure rails-to-trails is aware of whatever is happening to this segment of the Armstrong Trail. I don't know how long a segment of the trail is under construction and if this part of the trail will be available in the future as a bike trail. It would probably be a good idea to update the information on the TrailLink.com website to inform riders that they should pick up the trail beyond where the construction is taking place. I drove 65 miles to get to this trail and the trail wasn't a lot of fun :(
Sincerely,
Marc Metcalfe
marc.metcalfe@gmail.com
We rode from Ford City to Templeton and about 95% of it is great! There are some areas where you ride in a quiet residential area on the streets with little traffic. Can't wait to try some other area trails.
We rode from Ford City to Templeton and found the majority of the trail to be in great condition. Although in some parts you do ride on streets, it is in small towns and not a lot of traffic. Scenic areas and friendly people along the way. We are anxious to try other areas on this trail!
Much of the trail cannot be ridden unless one has a mountain bike....it seems the rails and ties were removed, but the "gravel" is the size of that used on the railroads. It is also not well marked. The section in Ford City is nice, though.
What I like about the armstrong trail is the lengh of the improved sections. Although there are a few missing short sections you can ride 34 miles round trip. The newly completed Cowanshanock Trail is a real asset to the armstrong trail. It starts about 5 miles north of kittanning at a real nice park and follows the very senic cowanshanock creek to buttermilk falls about 1.5 miles. If you are a geocacher there are several caches along the entire trail.
I rode from Ford City to Templeton about 15 miles (one way). Just a beautiful ride. Great trail.
The view is great. The trail has potential. Difficult to find and a rough ride.
The trail has recently been expanded with some new crushed sandstoen sections. Where the trail is complete is real nice.
Trail is in good condition from Ford City (route 128) up to about one mile north of Rosston. We rode it in September of 2005 -- areas still being surfaced with crushed sandstone base -- so trail was closed at our turnaround about one mile north of Musgrove(spelling?). Kittanning riverfront park is also kind of neat (nice restrooms) and beautiful park. Mulberry Creamery is a must stop -- across from riverfront park in Kittanning. Park is bout 0.5 miles from bike trail in Kittanning.
"The trail head was difficult to locate at Schenley. Once I was on it the scenery was great, but the surface was covered with old ballast, making it impossible to ride."
"This is a beautiful trail that is unfortunately marred by broken glass, garbage and active dump sites. There are people driving cars, motorcycles and ATVs on this trail. Much work needs to be done to make this a useable trail.
**NOTE FROM RAILS-TO-TRAILS CONSERVANCY**
Trail users disappointed with the condition of the Armstrong Trail can consider volunteering to assist with the maintenance of this trail. See http://trfn.clpgh.org/avlt/ for the Armstrong Rails to Trails Association's Web site (they are the local group that works directly with this rail-trail)."
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