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.
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®
Montana’s Bonner Streetcar Trail | Photo by TrailLink user acewickwireGreat Allegheny Passage (gaptrail.org) in Pennsylvania | Photo courtesy RTCPennsyvlania’s Three Rivers Heritage Trail | Photo by Milo Allerton BatemanPennsylvania’s Panhandle Trail | Photo by TrailLink user ejbecklPennsylvania’s Panhandle Trail | Photo by TrailLink user crableg300Great Allegheny Passage (gaptrail.org) in Pennsylvania | Photo by Milo Allerton BatemanGreat Allegheny Passage (gaptrail.org) in Pennsylvania | Photo by Curtis J. BealPennsylvania’s Montour Trail | Photo by Milo Allerton BatemanPennsyvlania’s Montour Trail | Photo by TrailLink user racethestatenjPennsylvania’s Montour Trail | Photo by TrailLink user vicki1960
Route Reveal Celebration
Great American Rail-Trail branded map (2022) by RTC
The vision of the Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition (IHTC) is to establish the Industrial Heartland as a premier destination offering a 1,500-miles-plus multiuse trail network experience.
Cleveland Foundation Centennial Lake Link Trail, part of the IHTC | Photo by Jason Cohn
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.