Panhandle Trail

Panhandle Trail
Length 29 mi (47 km)
Location Allegheny County / Washington County, Pennsylvania and Brooke County, West Virginia, USA
Trailheads Walkers Mill, Pennsylvania to Weirton, West Virginia
Use Multi-use
Hiking details
Trail difficulty Easy
Season Year-round
Hazards Rough terrain from Burgettstown, Pennsylvania to the Pennsylvania/West Virginia state line

The Panhandle Trail is a rail trail in southern Pennsylvania and the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. It occupies an abandoned railroad corridor that had been known as the Panhandle route which has been converted to a bicycle and walking trail. The rail line covers a distance of 29 miles (47 km) and was abandoned in 1992. Although the Panhandle Trail occupies 29 miles of the Panhandle Route, the remaining portion of the route is owned by the Pittsburgh and Ohio Central Railroad, but it is no longer used.

History

The rail trail follows the same route as the former Panhandle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad that connected Pittsburgh to St. Louis and gives the trail its name. It is part of the government funded “Rails to Trails” project.[1] The first mile of the trail officially opened on October 29, 2000.[2] About five months later on March 15, 2001 a group of volunteers was chosen to serve as the Panhandle Trail Association. Their purpose was to establish and manage the passage that would eventually link the Panhandle Trail to the larger Montour Trail.[3] In January 2007 the connector was completed.[4] Though the entire trail is accessible, the trail becomes rough for about eight miles from Burgettstown, Pennsylvania to the Pennsylvania/West Virginia state line.[5] Because the trail is constantly under development there is no official completion date.

Organizations

The Collier Friends of the Panhandle Trail is an organization that manages a 2.4 miles (3.9 km) portion of the trail beginning at Walkers Mill.[1] Another organization is the Montour Trail Council, who is in charge of a 6.8 miles (10.9 km) section in Allegheny County.[4]

Location

The Panhandle Trail runs 29 miles (47 km) beginning at the Walkers Mill station in Walker’s Mill, Pennsylvania and ending in an area near Weirton, West Virginia. It passes many towns beginning in Harmon Creek and including Colliers, Hanlin, Dinsmore, Burgetstown, Joffre, Bulger, Midway, McDonald, Sturgeon, Noblestown, Oakdale, Rennerdale, and finally Walkers Mill.[5] At the 8.62 miles (13.87 km) mark near McDonald, a one-mile connector links the Panhandle to the larger Montour trail.[6]

Activities

The relatively flat trail is covered with crushed limestone, while much of the trail in Washington county is paved. This makes the trail suitable for walking, running, biking, horseback riding, and cross country skiing; however, motorized vehicles are prohibited. Thanks to local geocachers, several caches are available along the trail as well. The Collier Friends of the Panhandle Trail host special events such as the annual Night Walk in October and "Rock the Quarry" which is a two-day festival in the fall that includes music, food, and games. You can even contact The Collier Friends and host your own event at the trail.[7]

Stations and amenities

Panhandle Trail[8]
Legend
0 Walkers Mill
.63 Rennerdale
2.37 Gregg
Settler's Cabin Park connector
3.73 Oakdale
5.75 Sturgeon
7.24 McDonald
7.25 Allegheny/Washington county line
8.18 McDonald Trestle (carrying Montour Trail)
8.62 Montour Trail connector
8.75 Primrose
10.60 Midway
13.5 Bulger
17 Burgettstown
24.67 Pennsylvania/West Virginia state line
25.22 Colliers
28.49 Harmon Creek
29.44

There are stations and special areas that serve as access points and provide parking places and also features like permanent restrooms, portable restrooms, shelter houses, picnic tables, vending machines, water fountains, maps, bike racks, and bulletin boards that provide event notifications and maps. In between these areas, many benches as well as a few portable restrooms and picnic tables have been placed along the trail. Nearly every mile has at least four benches (one at every quarter mile) and some have even more. The access points are located at the following places:[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Collier Friends of the Panhandle Trail". Collier Friends of the Panhandle Trail. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "Montour Trail". Mpntourtrail.org. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Montour Trail". Mpntourtrail.org. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Montour Trail". Mpntourtrail.org. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  5. ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20110717002917/http://www.panhandletrail.org/images/PDF%20Mileage%200707.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110717002932/http://www.panhandletrail.org/index.html. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. 1 2 "Panhandle Trail" (PDF). POanhandletrail.org. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  8. ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20110824011504/http://panhandletrail.com/images/PDF%20Mileage%200707.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 24, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ "Settler's Cabin Park Connector Trail - Phase 1 (within park) - Allegheny County Parks Foundation". Acparksfoundation.org. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "Connector trails will be part of landscape". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  11. ↑ OpenStreetMap contributors. "Panhandle Trail" (Map). OpenStreetMap. OpenStreetMap.
  12. ↑ "Panhandle Trail Reviews - Walkers Mill Rd./SR 3028 (Carnegie, PA) - Police Lodge Rd. at US 22 (Weirton, WV)". Traillink.com. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
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Coordinates: 40°23′45″N 80°07′54″W / 40.3959°N 80.1317°W / 40.3959; -80.1317

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