Closure 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.
The trail section from Schenley to Leechburg is currently under construction with completion expected summer 2024. While under construction, this section is closed. When finished, the trail will be 48 miles long. Visit the Armstrong Trails website for the latest update.
Overview
Armstrong Trails 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, Armstrong Trails 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 developing 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.
At the southern end of the trail, plans include a connection to the Tredway Trail via a flyover switchback above an active rail line. Please note that it is illegal to access private railroad property anywhere other than a designated pedestrian or roadway crossing. There is not currently a designated crossing.
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.
Armstrong Trails runs between East Brady and Schenley.
Parking is available at:
Visit the TrailLink map for all parking options and detailed directions.
A friend and I rode the Armstrong Trail out and back from East Brady to Kittanning in June 2024. Temperatures were in the 90s with some humidity. Fortunately a fair amount of the trail had full or partial shade, even in the middle of the day.
On this stretch the trail surface is good, mostly packed dirt with occasional small or medium stones. At the north end of Kittanning, the pavement was quite rough from tree roots in places. At times the trail narrows to a track when coming to a crossing road.
The trail mostly follows the wide Allegheny River, a change from other regional rail-trails which follow creeks or small rivers. On the trail are a magnificent coaling tower at Redbank, a railroad turntable at Phillipston, and several locks and dams.
The trail passes through several towns, and past clusters of trailers and houses used as summer/weekend retreats. Their boats and jet skis were in use on the river.
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.