The Rotary Walk provides a pleasant stroll through southern Pennsylvania's Uniontown. From its western terminus off of Lebanon Avenue, the trail heads northeast for just over 1 mile along a former railroad right-of-way. For much of the route, it parallels the tree-lined Coal Lick Run, winding through a residential neighborhood interspersed with a few businesses.
At 0.7 miles, the trail crosses over W. Fayette Street at the George C. Marshall Plaza, named for a Uniontown native who became a five-star General of the Army and Secretary of State. He is perhaps best known as the developer of the Marshall Plan, an economic rejuvenation strategy for the aftermath of World War II, for which he was recognized with a Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. The plaza includes interpretive plaques and statues. After crossing W. Fayette Street, the trail continues for 0.4 miles and terminates at Pittsburgh Street. An historic Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) freight station (Grindle Station) can be seen on the other side of Pittsburgh Street about 100 feet from the end of the trail.
A mile southwest of the Rotary Walk, travelers will find another rail-trail: the Sheepskin Rail-Trail, which offers a couple more miles of pathway to enjoy, ending with a charming covered bridge.
Most of the trail users in Uniontown are on the Sheepskin and for good reason. After walking on it today my wife and I stopped at Vinny's Pizzeria (highly recommended) and afterwards walked the Rotary Walk which starts right beside the pizzeria. The trail has a crushed stone base which is decent but it is pretty narrow but there is a lot of grass on the sides. The trail is short at just over a mile long but it does go through some residential areas and is mostly quiet. We saw a few other walkers out. Eventually you reach the sometimes busy West Fayette Street but we were able to easily cross. Once across you go through the George C Marshall Memorial Park then walk through a small parking lot and the trail continues. This section was a tad sketchier. We went by one small homeless encampment and some trash but were never in any danger though it was midday on a Sunday. The trail eventually dead ends at Pittsburgh Street at which point we backtracked. I've heard that plans are for the Rotary Walk to eventually connect to the Sheepskin which will eventually be just across the road from the end we turned around at. If you're in the area it's not a bad walk.
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