The Coal & Coke Trail is a neat little biking and hiking trail in Westmoreland County connecting…read moreMount Pleasant with Scottdale. A mere 5 miles in length, it's one of the few Rails-to-Trails I hadn't covered yet. Really, I couldn't justify the time or gas money to do a 10 mile round trip bike ride. A 10 mile hike is of course another story! And that's just what I did as part of my employer's wellness program. I planned the whole thing and of course headed up the hardy group of hikers able to complete the entire 10 mile round trip. The trail begins and ends in city parks at both ends. We began at Willows Park in Mount Pleasant. The address I gave you above is the parking lot and it's based on information from www.traillink.com Drinking water and restrooms are available in the park, but the restrooms appear to be closed in winter. We began by working our way southbound. The trail was built on the roadbed of a Pennsylvania RR branch. As ts name implies, the railroad hauled coke ad coal over the line. The railroad was abandoned for many years, however after 8 years of planning, the trail opened in 2007. Upon leaving town, we hiked through some scenic wooded areas to the town of Bridgeport. At one point we noticed the trail paralleling an active rail line. The forest here is old growth and we crossed one of a few small streams. Beyond the town of Bridgeport, we again entered the woodlands while paralleling Jacobs Creek. Curving to the west as we approached Scottdale, we arrived at the scenic high point of the day. The sewage treatment plant. Yep! The trail even goes through plant's parking lot and is routed onto Sewage Treatment Lane! Well no worries--we crossed Old US 119 and then ducked under the new highway before entering our last stretch of woodlands. Part of the trail is incomplete at Scottdale, so we had to walk down Mildred Street , Bessemer Street, and Mt. Pleasant Road (they're actually all the same street) before reaching Kendi Park. The trail resumes briefly here but this was our rest stop and turnaround point. So this is a pleasant and relatively easy trail to hike or bike. Just remember, there aren't any places to obtain food or water along the path, so be sure to bring adequate supplies of each.

Great place to walk. You can choose to challenge yourself or take it easy. Got lots of great pics…read moreas well

This was a pretty and easy hike with a very cool water hole. We went with our kids and friends and…read moretheir kids.

Lovely dog friendly trail with easy access to pristine water. The Rock Furnace trail provides…read moreaccess to a clean stream which flows into a larger river with a lot of kayaking activity.

Had no idea where to park. Drove around a bit and finally parked around the 2 mile marker. We were…read morealong the river briefly but then no view and lots of fences. Wouldn't choose this trail for walking

Easy bike ride along the Monongahela River. My friend and I started at the well-marked Clarksville…read moretrailhead near the Greene Cove Yacht Club and made our way towards Rices Landing. For the time being the trail is not very long (about 11 miles roundtrip) but I read that there are plans to add another 9 miles to the trail which would make it worth driving from Pittsburgh to enjoy on bike. We unfortunately got caught in the rain and a couple down trees meant we turned around about two thirds of the way. Nevertheless the trail had little elevation and Rices Landing was a nice place to stop (there are historic buildings in town, a gazebo and a small park where you can sit along the river). We passed several picnic benches along the trail where one could sit and take in the lovely view. There was also a portajohn at the Rices Landing trailhead parking. Weather permitting, this would be a lovely hiking/walking trail. I'll be back with my bike in better weather once the trail is extended.

Please note that the address shown is that of the trail head, based on Google Maps. The trail…read moreparking area is just to the south of here. The Brooke Pioneer Trail (also known as the Yankee Trail) is a 6.7 mile rail trail running south out of Wellsburg. Sandwiched between WV State Route #2 and the Ohio River, it connects with the Wheeling Heritage Trail System. Thus a round trip of approximately 32 miles is possible if you're so inclined. As it's been our goal to try every bike trail within a 100 mile radius of Pittsburgh, my husband Rick and I decided to give these two a try. The trail is built on a former Pennsylvania Railroad line dating back to 1878. The tracks were abandoned in 1981 and planning for the trail began in 1997. At the north end of the trail, a section of track has been carefully preserved. A plaque depicts the history of the rail line. Several interpretive signs along the trail illustrate the history of the rail line and the area. Heading south from the tail head, the path dips down from WV #2,. Here you'll see transportation on three level--the highway, the rail trail, and the river. There was a gap in trail around the town of Beech Bottom, and Google Maps will have you believe the gap still exists, but the trail is now complete. Continuing south towards Wheeling ,the trail heads deeper into the river valley. As it veers away from WV #2, take a moment and enjoy the quiet. A lock and dam is located near the connection point between the Brooke Pioneer and the Wheeling Heritage Trails. If you're lucky enough, you'll spot a barge in the locks-we did! Both the Brooke Pioneer and the Wheeling Heritage Trails are paved, easy rides. All you really need is a good road bike.

We didn't get far as it was a family affair and some of us walked and some of us rode our bikes but…read moreall of us stopped at the creek. It was such a beautiful unexpected trail and creeks make everything better for my kids.

As of late-Summer 2017, the trail is now paved for 18 of the 29 miles starting at the Washington…read moreCounty Line to the Pennsylvania/West Virginia border. The beginning of the trail in Allegheny County is still a gravel base, as is the West Virginia section, leaving 11 miles unpaved. There is a new bike shop opening up right along the trail in the town of McDonald, in case you need repairs (or some Ice Cream). Still one of my favorite trails in the area (and it intersects with the Montour Trail providing even more options). P.S. Did I mention that Helicon Brewing is conveniently located along the trail in Oakdale if you get thirsty while using the trail?

I had recently heard about this trail, so today was the first time checking it out. I believe the…read moretrail goes for two miles, so it is a four mile hike round-trip. There are 10 markers along the trail, which at first we thought they were 10ths of a mile, but in retrospect we think the trail was just broken up into ten segments (not entirely sure). The trail starts off next to a parking area across the street from a gift shop. There are signs indicating the beginning of the trail, and a big aluminum staircase to get you from street level to the trail level. This was formerly a railroad, so I imagine there used to be a big trestle here at one time. Walking along the beginning of the trail is not too exciting, and you also hear a lot of highway noise from I-70. You pass behind a Dollar General store, and then you walk next to a gravel road until a bend in the trail, where it becomes a little more quiet, and then you see the first big highlight of the trail, an old train tunnel built in the 1800s (Marked Tunnel No. 3). This tunnel is curved inside so you cannot see the exit until about half way through. It wasn't totally dark but it's a good idea to bring a flashlight. Continuing on a ways, you encounter a second railroad tunnel (There is a sign indicating this is Tunnel #4). Soon after exiting the second tunnel, you reach the end of the trail, where there is a picnic table and some cool big rocks. There are several places to sit down along the trail to include a bench, and several tables with benches. There are also some garbage cans, and some bags to clean up pet waste. There was also an exercise area that was built by an Eagle Scout. There were no bathroom facilities along the trail, but I did see two port-a-potties near the Dollar store, but not sure if they were for trail use or not. It was a nice hike, and I am glad to have checked it out. Some spots were muddy, and gravelly, so you may wanna wear hiking boots, but overall not too bad. You could also ride a mountain bike with no problems. The grass along the trail had been mowed recently, which was great. There were also lots of Spring wildflowers. Overall, I would rate this trail pretty good, and may come back again in the future . . . Cheers!

Its a nice bike trail but its worth noting its an uphill slope if youre going from Freeport to…read moreButler. Its barely noticable but coming back down is a much easier ride.

Beautiful green lush landscape surrounds trails through this area. Be careful in case you…read moreencounter ticks.

So lucky to have this trail in our area! Lots of trail heads for parking. Crushed gravel for…read morerunning or biking. The new connector in Moon is a nice break from the monotony and a nice opportunity to do light hiking. Off leash for dogs is permitted.

My daughter and I enjoyed a lovely Saturday morning walk/hike here! I had never been to Montour…read moreTraul but I'll definitely be back. Everything was very well marked and maintained. Lots of options of varying levels and water, ecosystem or built objects of interest. A new favorite!

This was such a fun hike! Its very steep but worth it because it feels like a little secret trail…read morein Millvale. There was a little bit of litter but not too bad. Oh and the yellow trail is a loop.

Recently acquired by the Allegheny Land Trust, Girty's Woods is a 155 acre land tract which…read morefeatures trails for hiking and birding. With over 90 species of birds, Girty's Woods is an enjoyable way to experience Nature. There's a small parking lot at the trailhead. Some of the trails can be quite challenging, but if you enter from Irwin Lane, the trails are more manageable. One particular species of bird, the Kestrel, is thrilling and beautiful. Other birds to see include woodpeckers, hawks, thrushes, and songbirds.

This lovely conservation area is 450 acres of beautiful forest with lots to see and a very shadowy…read morepast. The ruins of an old pipe factory are very visible and there are informative signs that tell the story. These occurrences took place in the 1800's. There is history of criminals murdered, accidental death(pipe factory), a hanging, an explosion, a drowning, a giant snake sighting, all taking place in the park. For this reason many people think that the sight is haunted by the people who met their fate here. I hate to burst the excitement, but I have never experienced ghosts, or any other paranormal activity while spending time there. In fact, despite it's dark past Dead Man's Hollow is a very tranquil place. If you have been there during May when Spring season really kicks off you will see tons of wildflowers that are spectacular. The pipe factory had a fire and the ground was burned. This happens to be very good for re-growth and as a result we get to experience a lot of beautiful flora. Also, the old pipe factory remains are covered with cool graffiti. The trails are at times narrow, but they are very clean. You are at some point going to climb up and down hills, so it is a very good workout. I would say that the hiking is a bit more challenging. To find it I would suggest searching via a trailhead name and not just the park name. One example would be "cat fish pond trail." There is a nice parking area near that trailhead. There is also another parking area on the other side of the park(more on that later). This other side is closer to the ruins.

We checked out the catfish pond today. It looked promising at first but soon discovered that there…read moreis very little accessibility to fish there. The spots that are open are at an incline sloped towards the pond and are very slippery and hazardous. I do not recommend taking young kids there. My daughter and I fished for an hour or so and only saw bluegill in the 3-4" range and smaller minnows. We used lures and worms and had many bites but the fish were too small to get hooked. We did see many water turtles and even a few babies whose shell was about 2-3" in diameter. We also saw one large snapping turtle appear for a few seconds. There are also a bunch of bullfrog minnows whose bodies were the size of golf balls (early June). It's a cool place to see but we won't be returning to fish.