COLUMN OF KNOWLEDGE

A Circle of Trails Around South Fayette

By Maria Berdusco
With a name like the “Great Allegheny Passage,” you know instantly that it has to be wonderful and extensive, and it is. The passage is a large network of trails that will connect Pittsburgh to Washington DC via bicycle and walking trails converted from railway tracks to outdoor recreational links. In total, the entire system – ultimately from Pittsburgh International Airport, to Cumberland, Maryland, where it links to the C&O Canal Towpath, and on to the nation’s capital — is some 350 miles long, and includes eight expansive rails-to-trails sections.

The benefits of the trail system are numerous and include extensive exercise and recreational opportunities, and free trails to people of all ages and physical abilities. The trail system also provides economic stimulus for communities, with the trail attracting new businesses, such as bike shops, restaurants, and services. Additionally, the trails present the heritage of the region, from Native American campgrounds and remains of beehive coke ovens to railroad towns, and Pittsburgh’s great “Valley of Steel.”

The trails also protect the river environment, since the corridor includes valuable wildlife habitats, and allows a natural buffer to develop along the rivers and creeks. Many educational opportunities exist along the trail, from history and culture, to geology and ecology, and scenic views and sites that make a sunny afternoon even brighter.

Fortunately for us, a substantial portion of the Great Allegheny Passage is right in our own neighborhood, within and around South Fayette Township. The Montour Trail and the Panhandle Trail include over 60 miles of scenic railroad links, encircle South Fayette, northeast from Walkers Mill to Oakdale, McDonald and Cecil, and wind southeast to Hendersonville, Thompsonville, and Valley Brook and McMurray Road. From anywhere in South Fayette, you can be on the trail in about 15 minutes, with convenient access to ten entry points and parking areas right on the trail.

The Montour Trail includes over 40 bridges and 4 railway tunnels — the kind our childhood dreams are made of, with long, wide curves, scenic woods, and lots of interesting vistas. The trail is paved with a smooth surface of crushed limestone. This makes it ideal for all forms of non-motorized use, such as bicycling, walking, running, cross-country skiing, and nature appreciation. Remarkably, an army of volunteers repaired nine miles of severe flood-damaged trail in just four months last fall, with materials and labor costs that, if contracted, will amount to about a half million dollars.

The Panhandle trail, which is the former Conrail line known as the Panhandle Railroad, spans thirty miles from Walkers Mill in Collier Township and traverses through the northern sector of Washington County to the city of Weirton.  

This railroad network once connected Pittsburgh to Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis. The Panhandle corridor donation was a five-year effort, that included the cooperation of Consolidated Rail Corporation, three rail-to-trail organizations, two counties, the State of West Virginia, the Federal Surface Transportation Board, and fifteen municipalities through which the trail passes.

A section of the Panhandle Trail runs four miles through South Fayette, along the northern township line, westward from Oakdale to McDonald, directly along the creek banks of Robinson Run. There is easy access to this section just north of the Oakdale Post Office. In McDonald, you can join the trail at Noblestown Road just west of Sturgeon, or at the McDonald Trestle, just west of where Route 980 turns northward. The spectacular trestle is 70 feet high and 960 feet long, and links the Panhandle Trail to the Montour Trail.

To access the Montour Trail further south at Cecil Park, take Route 50 west from Bridgeville through Cecil and park on your left, next to the Municipal Building. Here, Millers Run makes its way to South Fayette, meandering through a beautiful open area below the trail, where a series of blue, foot bridges carry you along the creek. This is where the 5th Annual Burgh’s 10K Run and 2-mile Fun Walk takes place on Sunday, April 25, an event not to be missed.

You can also follow Hickory Grade Road west from Alpine Road, to where it joins McConnell Road, and drive directly into the parking area on your left. At this point on the trail, a short walk eastward takes you into the 600 foot long National Tunnel, where you are rewarded on the other side by steep walls of vegetation, with a striking view all year round. You can also access this portion of the trail by heading west on the trail from the parking lot just off Washington Pike, south of Bridgeville, at Cecil-Henderson Road. Currently, at the Muse-Bishop Road section, an important construction project is underway, with a detour, as part of a continual upgrade process.

Further east in Peters Township, the paved portion of the Montour, the Arrowhead Trail, is a fun section for rollerblades, biking, and hiking. This portion is accessed right or left on Valley Brook Road at Route 19. From here, the Montour Trail continues east to
Library and then Clairton, before joining the Steel Valley Trail, which also runs through downtown Pittsburgh, and then onward to the east coast.
At this point, one may ask how such a remarkable community asset like the Montour Trail came about, growing and extending over the years to comprise an intricate and elaborate series of multi-million dollar projects and links. Credit for the creation of the Montour Trail goes to Stan Sattinger, co-founder and founding president, and an engineer from McDonald, Pennsylvania.

You have to work hard, however, in a conversation with Stan, to have him acknowledge that he outlined a vision for the Montour Trail over fifteen years ago, at his kitchen table. He had a vision that today has become very real, benefits over a thousand users a day, and is a national model of successful collaboration. The trail also represents countless hours by many helpers, and is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization, dedicated to hard work. This is often that way with great things. We all benefit profoundly from the selfless contributions of just a few people with a strong spirit of creation and contribution. Onward through the Great Allegheny Passage.