| Montour Trail | |
| Length Mi: | 59.3 |
| Trailheads: | Coraopolis, Pennsylvania 40.5048°N -80.145°W Clairton, Pennsylvania 40.3051°N -79.8838°W |
| Use: | Multi-use |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Season: | Year-round |
| Sights: | see Points of Interest below |
The Montour Trail is a multi-use recreational rail trail near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was formerly the Montour Railroad.
It has a mostly crushed limestone with partially asphalt surface, appropriate for bicycling, walking, running, and cross-country skiing. Eventually, this trail segment will extend from Coraopolis, Pennsylvania to Clairton, Pennsylvania.
The trail is part of a 204miles rails to trails project between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Maryland that makes up part of a 400miles trail system between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., known as the Great Allegheny Passage.
The Montour Trail crosses over the Panhandle Trail on the McDonald Trestle. The Montour-Panhandle connector trail is approximately long and connects the two trails. The Panhandle stretches between Carnegie, Pennsylvania, and Weirton, West Virginia. The last unfinished section between Joffre and Burgettstown was finished in August 2008, and the trail is now complete.
This ambitious project links Cumberland, Maryland, and Point State Park in Pittsburgh. Another branch extends to the Pittsburgh International Airport. The Great Allegheny Passage links to the historic Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which runs from Cumberland to Washington, D.C.
This proposed trail will connect the Montour Trail to the Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway in Ohio. When completed the trail will be an important link in a mega-trail system from the Great Lakes Region to Washington, D.C.
The Montour Trail is managed and maintained by The Montour Trail Council (MTC). The MTC is a non-profit all-volunteer group which builds, operates, and maintains the trail. It is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation, relying on corporate, foundation and government grants and private donations for funding. As of 2012, MTC maintained net assets in excess of $9,300,000.00.[3]
The Montour Trail has four branches: Bethel, Muse, Westland, and the Airport Connector. The Bethel Branch extends from the trail in Peters Township into Bethel Park. There are plans to extend the existing Bethel Branch to nearby Millennium Park by following the remaining section of the former railway.[4] [5] The Muse Branch is a planned, undeveloped branch in Cecil Township that goes to the town of Muse. The Westland Branch is a branch that extends from the trail in Venice to the town of Westland. The Airport Connector is a branch of the trail that goes from the mainline trail in Imperial to Pittsburgh International Airport. The Connector does not follow any of the Montour Railroad grade, rather it follows roads to the airport.
In December 2010 MarkWest Energy announced plans to lease the Westland Branch right of way from the Montour Trail Council for 30 years. The branch was redeveloped as a combination trail and railroad operated by the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway to serve MarkWest's Westland natural gas processing plant. Construction was completed and the branch began operation in August 2012.[6] [7] [8]