Great American Rail-Trail In Pennsylvania
Great Allegheny Passage (gaptrail.org) in Pennsylvania | Photo courtesy RTC
The Great American Rail-Trail in Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania stories along the Great American Rail-Trail
The “Great American” Route Through Pennsylvania
The route through Pennsylvania connects several existing trails and includes a gap of fewer than 10 miles between Pittsburgh and Coraopolis. By connecting the trail through Pittsburgh, the Great American Rail-Trail also connects to the Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition (IHTC), a 1,500- mile network of trails that is part of RTC’s TrailNation™ portfolio. The IHTC network will stretch across 51 counties in four states—Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and New York—from the shores of Lake Erie to the confluence of the three rivers in Pittsburgh and on to the Ohio River and Appalachian foothills.
172.5
Total Miles162.7
Existing Miles9.8
Gap Miles94.3%
Complete
Trails Along the Route
Click the links below to view full trail descriptions on TrailLink.com.
Tap thumbnail to view photo gallery.
Listen To Oral History:
Route Reveal Celebration
Great American Rail-Trail Preferred Route
