Great Allegheny Passage (gaptrail.org) in Pennsylvania | Photo courtesy RTC
In Pennsylvania, the Great American route is hosted by trails that showcase the state’s history and heritage, from its days before the country formally came into being to its heyday as an industrial powerhouse. Beginning at the Maryland–Pennsylvania border on the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage (gaptrail.org), the route travels to Pittsburgh and through downtown on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.
Plans to complete the Great American through Pittsburgh also align with the vision of the Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition—one of RTC’s TrailNation™ projects—to connect Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and New York via a developing 1,500-mile trail network.
The “Great American” Route Through Pennsylvania
RTC’s route analysis defines the preferred route of the Great American Rail-Trail through Pennsylvania as 172 miles and nearly 95 percent complete. Click the links below to view full trail descriptions on TrailLink.com.
Stretching 29.2 miles through small towns and the countryside of West Virginia and western Pennsylvania, the Panhandle Trail is a key piece in connecting several longer routes, including the Great American Rail-Trail®
Be a Part of the Movement to Complete the Great American
Like you, we can’t wait to see the Great American Rail-Trail vision come to life—but we can’t do it alone. Help us reach 1 million pledges for the Great American, showing the strength and solidarity of the trails community.