The trail itself has some very nice features and elevation changes. Oh, and there’s something oddly fun about riding across that invisible state line. We saw many squirrels, birds, and beautiful golden rod fields dotted with purple iron-weed flowers throughout. Exploring the Panhandle trail is one of the easiest excursions you can make as the trail is wide open, flat, and paved throughout the Washington County stretch of the trail (which is about 18 miles). There is a picnic table here.Overall, this trail is really good on the two ends, and when the middle section gets completed, this trail will be an excellent opportunity for recreation and adventure between Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The trail’s two-mile course brings hikers to an overlook across the creek from the Nicholson mine entrance - better known as the Pulaski Tunnel. During a major forest fire in North Idaho in the late summer of 1910, “Big Ed” Pulaski’s firefighting crew got caught in the middle of a fire storm. Beautiful riding surface. In 93-degree heat and sweltering humidity we popped lots of cold water into our bottle cages near Weirton, W.Va., and started pedaling east. There is Harmon Creek next to this section for quite awhile. So take a short ride out here on the "Great Panhandle Route", as the old poster once proclaimed. Some things you will see on this section are . Restaurant for lunch. Very large servings. Go 0.2 mile, and turn right into the parking lot. And this is a SPECIAL one too, cast concrete with riveted on numerals, beautifully repainted, just like that state line marker. I use this trail for biking, running or walking. Mostly level and only small inclines. It’s also flat so once you are on the paved section it’s a great place to take kids to learn to ride or skate. Those trail groups should inquire with the trail leaders in the city of Newark and Licking County, Ohio how they were able to successfully create this trail. Trail has gone from one to enjoy to one to avoid. I am sure I will ride the Panhandle Trail again when I am visiting Pops. This relatively short Dinsmore Tunnel, Tunnel #4 (from Pittsburgh), was "daylighted" as the railroad was modernizing and widening its former double track line, either by daylighting or bypassing all but one of the original ten tunnels, back around 1950 (YouTube explores several of the still-intact, abandoned tunnels). We went back to Burgettstown and were amazed to get free hot dogs at the Grand Opening of a small market right at the parking lot for the trail. With a hardtail MTN bike and a lunch stop in Weirton I made it out and back in 5hrs 40 mins for 58 miles total distance. Despite the lack of parking and bathrooms I think the T.J. Evans Panhandle Trail is a nice trail, particularly if you live in the Newark, Ohio region. i hate riding roads around here, it's literally a death wish and i don't even like sharing the roads with bikes when I'm driving. There are lots of benches and pavilion shelters between here and the first quarter of a mile. I believe that the portion of trail in Wash. Co PA is paved. It's a great ride through small quiet towns. Highlights are . A side path another 0.3 mile up the trail visits Fossils Cliff, where rock hounds can find fossilized fern leaves. Very scenic. It would be great if the aforementioned section could be fixed. Along the way be alert for marmots and goats, and it is not unusual to see a black bear. There is a huge pile of gravel and on the opposite side of the pile are train tracks. The path runs along Harmon Creek, known for its catfish and carp. Panhandle Connector, Noblestown Road (McDonald) We turned around there preferring the asphalt and rode to Burgettstown, PA. At Burgettstown we turned around and rode back to our car only because we are older folks who bike only about 20 miles round trip. But around mile three, as we crossed a big double-wide rail bridge, the trail became progressively rougher. Join TrailLink (a non-profit) to view more than 30,000 miles of trail maps and more! The Panhandle Trail is named after the Panhandle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the abandoned rail line upon which it is built. Both platform stairways are still there. Around mile five we came upon a fairly new tent right at trailside that was slashed and abandoned. We took the trail left and rode about 3.5 miles to Sturgeon where the nice asphalt path became crushed rock near the Allegheny Co line. She clipped the pole and fell breaking her leg. I will definitely be back to this trail, and kudos to the person/crew that maintains it. . The Panhandle Trail isn't named because there are a lot of beggars on the path! It's worth a five rating as a biking trail and a three as a hiking trail. Passengers boarding or detraining from westbound trains would pass under the busy triple-track main from the depot through this tunnel. Although there are a few things to see on this section of trail, mostly it is not that interesting, and it really hurts the body to ride 8 miles on big, hard rocks. Several neat vestiges of the Standard Railroad of the World can be spotted on this segment of Pennsy's "Main Line - Pittsburgh to Saint Louis." I did the same on the way back. The horseback riding trails described below offer trail riding facilities for … The poles between the trail are too close and too high. I rode the Panhandle Passage Trail in Dennison and Uhrichsville, Ohio. The portion in Allegheny Co PA is crushed stone, but very easy ride for adults and kids alike. . The Panhandle Trail stretches for 29 miles from Walkers Mill in Collier Township, PA to Colliers, WV. The Panhandle Pathway is a 22-mile rail-trail corridor running through Pulaski and Cass Counties, Indiana. Nice surface except one section that was really rough in spots. Now, east of Colliers, here's where the good stuff shows up. 7 reviews of Panhandle Trail "The Panhandle Trail presently stretches from Rennerdale, PA to Weirton, WV although the Rennerdale trail head has a Carnegie mailing address. Ready for some activity? The trail runs partially along Robinson Run and is known for having many species of natural hardwood trees and wildflowers. Facing the trail, turn left to go 1.5 miles to the western endpoint. There were a few muddy ruts on the unpaved West Virginia section but nothing terrible. A tree had fallen and was blocking a portion of the trail in Allegheny County when I passed in the morning. When I got to the end, I could not locate a water supply, so I had to wait until Midway to re-supply. Become a member and wear your FREE T-Shirt with pride. The Panhandle Trail connects to the Montour Trail between the Village of Primrose and the Town of McDonald and will eventually link to Washington, D.C. line. I believe there are plans to connect this trail to the Wheeling/Heritage port system at some point in the future, headed up by Bob Skatterday, but I do not see evidence that this is doable at this point. The twin double-track steel girder bridges just east of Colliers are bordered by classic "PRR" bridge railing. "CO"s eastward home signal bridge was located at 36.7, just west of the the highway overpass, and just east of where that mine siding girder bridge pulls in from the south side. Just dont tell them its only about a half mile. The Florida Panhandle offers some of the most exciting horseback riding trails in the South, featuring beach horseback riding and forest horse trails with tree canopies shading the trail. easy access points and connections with other trails. No water available on the western end so make sure you have a full bottle. Inlet Beach Access. A couple ladies riding the trail also came in to eat while I was there. Covered approx. excellent ride, great views, and wildlife. That was a "repeater" antenna which transmitted radio communications between the trains and the manned interlocking towers on this line, from the 1950's, way up through the line's abandonment. "Stumbled across this place on route to Fort Walton, the boardwalk is a mile long lovely walk shame weather wasn’t very warm and tubing would be perfect here, saw a woodpecker, couple snakes and some lovely turtles." Someone has unsuccessfully tried prying off the marker's numerals, too! If you start in W.V. I was dissapointed to learn that horses are not really welcome on this trail and that the Harmon Creek parking area and the start of this trail is no horses. Triple track concrete "trough style" Bridge "35.09", is still faintly marked as such, in typical PRR bridge marking style ("35" over "09"), on its southwest abutment. There were a few places where you could see a bit of the trail washed out, but it was no problem with the 28 mm gravel tires I was riding. I go on this trial when I get the chance too. It is 12 miles from Burgettstown to Weirton with a rise and fall of 500 feet. The Walkers Mill Entrance is the eastern most entrance of the three Panhandle Trail entrances located in Collier Township. Since 2000, the Night Walk on the Panhandle Trail has been a Halloween tradition in Collier Township.The Rennerdale Youth Group will carve more than 100 pumpkins donated by Lane Construction. Did about ten miles which is only a portion of the trail. We rode the bulgar to Walker Mills section today so now we have rides the entire trail. This is where the Montour Trail intersects with the Panhandle. October 2005 - Troy Bogdan". There is a small section of the trail that is loose gravel, but otherwise it is largely paved and a well-maintained trail. I began my ride at the trail entrance off SR 22/30 in Brooke County. Good job on the surface grading. Packed gravel gave way to large stones and the mile markers disappeared. The Hanlin depot stood on the south side of the eastbound platform at Hanlin. as I have discovered with a couple of other trails, there are vertical poles in the trail at road crossings to attempt to prevent vehicular traffic from entering. This is a CLASSIC Pennsy multi-track signaling structure, once ubiquitous over its 10,000 mile system. Washington County portion is in excellent condition!!! Also tons of ruts from spinning tires to be mindful of. During a major forest fire in North Idaho in the late summer of 1910, “Big Ed” Pulaski’s firefighting crew got caught in the middle of a fire storm. The trail becomes paved asphalt as you enter Washington County just before McDonald. Begin in old-growth forest, climb up to one of Mount Rainier's most spectacular wildflower meadows, then continue along the highest section of the Wonderland Trail to reach the alpine world of Panhandle Gap. God Bless Washington County where I grew up, the trail is paved from the Allegheny County line to the West Virginia Line. Enjoy! The Panhandle Trail is named for the railroad. The trail station is located in downtown McDonald, directly adjacent to the Panhandle Trail and about a half mile from where the trail intersects with the Montour Trail. Inlet Beach Access. pass steubenville, you will see signs for a left turn to get onto 22/30, then take Veterans Memorial Bridge east toward Pittsburgh. The trestle is one of the highlights of the Montour Trail, and you ride right under it on the Panhandle Trail.Section two, which runs from Primrose to Burgettstown (a distance of 8.2 miles) is not yet completed, and has a very rough trail surface and is not at all enjoyable except for the bicyclist who enjoys really rough terrain, and wet terrain, because in one section the trail is always covered with water from mine drainage (just after Primrose). Then once in PA, the trail is paved. Parking. The trail’s two-mile course brings hikers to an overlook across the creek from the Nicholson mine entrance - better known as the Pulaski Tunnel. Naming the Panhandle Trail. "My wife and I did a Saturday hike at Alford Greenway Park." This is an extremely cool are rare vestige of passenger service that was curtailed at little stations like this way back in the early half of the last century. I would recommend to all levels of riding. We road the entire length from West Virginia to Walker's Mill and back Labor Day weekend. I ride a cross bike, typically about 15 mph for flat paved trails. The only highlights on this trail from Rennerdale to Oakdale were some of the different bird species that we saw. The P.C.C. The surface is mostly railroad ballast made of large rocks. PLEASE don't try that! I saw few to no bikes for 20 miles. Panhandle Passage Trail Reviews. interesting things to see towards the beginning. It had poured rain on my car ride to the trail but had stopped and the sun came out. Shortly was a bit of mud, then about 1/2 way to Midway was some serious washout with deep rutting across the trail. 30A, turn south on Orange Street • Lifeguards Overall impression – Washington Co. is the winner when it comes to the Panhandle Trail. This is a really great trail and I'm sure the crews will be fixing what needs worked on before too long, but proceed with caution going west from Fort Cherry for the time being. The Panhandle Trail is recognized as a valuable resource and landmark for residents, becoming the 100th successful rail-trail project in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Railroad leased the route in the 1920s, and the line later became part of the Penn Central and Conrail systems until it fell into disuse in 1991. The lack of water is something I think needs to be looked into at some point. wow wee what can i say i rode this trail round trip starting in wv( fantastic ) left me wanting more it was a littly ruff in some places but it was a great ride and i will ride again next time im in the area great scenery i saw Deere rabbits ground hogs and turkey and other critters my round trip time was 5 hours and 20 min not pushing to hard it was a fantastic ride and i recommend to every cant wait to do it again enjoy. The substantial brick buildings in McDonald are evidence of the oil boom that struck in the late 1800s; coal is still mined in the area. Surprising elevation changes-not enough to gas you but when you do the whole trail from Carnegie to Wierton on a sunny, humid day (57.7miles) it is challenging. I was interested in seeing some old RR history so made it out before the trees filled in. The trestle is one of the highlights of the Montour Trail, and you ride right under it on the Panhandle Trail. The first 6.7 miles from Carnegie are packed gravel, then 4 miles in WV sorta looser gravel. Head down to the big gravel pile at the west end of the trail, at Mile 39.7. Panhandle Trail is 2.4 miles from Walkers Mill Entrance to Gregg Station. if your close it is a good warm up / training ride! The parking lot is situated nearly on the trail with easy access. And finally, but certainly not least... Classic PRR Milepost 35 is the only ex-PRR milepost still remaining actually ON the trail (Milepost 11 exists in the weeds across the street from the Walkers Mill parking lot). Ideally you would want to bike the trail especially if you plan to complete the entire trail. Me and my dog hiked from Burgettstown to the trailhead at Harmons Creek today. We bicycled this trail in mid-September and the goldenrod was plentiful. At 8 miles, you’ll pass beneath a 1913 railroad trestle on the Montour Trail that crosses the Panhandle Trail and Robinson Run. I usually start where the trail intersects with Scotch Hill Road and walk to Sturgeon and beyond. Went the whole way from Harmon Creek to Carnegie with my 3 sons. This bridge held bi-directional "distant" (approach) position light signals at Mile 38.8 for "WC" to the west, and for the remote "CO" switches at Colliers, to the east. The trail is wide and well maintained. I rode the day after some very heavy rain. The trail now connects through Burgettstown. This isn't so much of a trail as it is an on-street loop through the parks and recreational areas of these twin towns. Mile 29.44 - Dead End - This is the end of the trail. The Washington count piece, which is the vast majority-is all paved and in great shape! took this trail from the starting point of trail. To me the western end is pretty remote and has a lil less traffic between Burgettstown and Colliers but plenty of wildlife and great views. -Rich Ballash, Latrobe PA 10-6-14. Otherwise the trail is great to ride. It’s literally under the highway. The beginning 6 miles or so are very rough with big loose stones so you have to watch where you are going and even then you will hit the rocks. The pedestrian subway for the station, complete with heavy, solid stairway railing, typical PRR yellow-gold bricks, and even the frame of what was glass block overhead lighting for the tunnel, is still there! You’ll cross into West Virginia in 7.3 miles, where the trail becomes crushed limestone again. This is a rare treasure that future generations should have the privilege to see, and I am so glad to see that someone is taking good care of it, too! The 4th track stubbed, and the line narrowed to three tracks, at the West Virginia-Pennsylvania line marker (see photos), a beautiful and ultra rare type of classic Pennsy maintenance division marker. A TNT explosion near the rail line here in 1918 killed 200 people. FYI, this line was 4-tracked from "WC" to the WV/PA state line. Riding back west to Harmon Creek we did hit a bit of a headwind, but this is a nice, quiet trail and a great ride. This route was made famous by the merger of several railroads in the 1860s to create the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (PCC&StL), or simply the Panhandle Route. The first two or so miles are smooth and the trail is lined with markers that click off each quarter mile. Try it, you'll like it. Will do this again some day. The Panhandle Trail offers the most direct and scenic route for self-propelled travel between the Pittsburgh suburbs and West Virginia. . This trail is a very good trail system stretching into two states. It's a very gradual uphill ride heading west. it is about 4 miles before you would enter Pennsylvania. I can't wait to go back and see ore of this trail on a sunny day. From the eastern end things were still pretty smooth up till Fort Cherry where you cross the road by the Ambulance station. Parked at the lot near Colliers Road. As this direction was ever-to-slightly downhill we got back in good time with a not-as-hot breeze in our faces. The trail stretches nearly 30 miles and crosses the Montour Trail in nearby McDonald. It does intersect with the Montour Trail. Panhandle Plains Wildlife Trail Enjoy the expansive views available in the northern part of the state, including Amarillo, Lubbock and south to Abilene. The trail follows the historic rail path of the Pennsylvania Railroad Line through farmland, shady wooded areas, the beginning of the Wabash Valley, and across the Tippecanoe River. Entrances: Walkers Mill Entrance, Sunnyside Entrance, Gregg Station Entrance Mile 0 - Walkers Mill - This is a nice little park that is next to a quarry pond. It was a nice cool fall feeling day. Some things you will see on this section are . The trail follows along a stream which is nice. Not many intersections so cross traffic is no issue. We parked near the fire department in Midway, PA. I began at the Trailhead near Carnegie, PA and rode only to the West Virginia State line since I was doing an out and back making my mileage 47.25 instead of 58. Along the way be alert for marmots and goats, and it is not unusual to see a black bear. One complained about the pavement in Washington County and I have to conclude the author was off his meds. The grade here was a gentle uphill from "WC" at less than 1% eastward to Mile 33.5, where it gets STEEP! 30A, turn south on Orange Street • Lifeguards Over 41 miles for the day. It secured by a 99-year lease by the city of Weirton through the Weirton Board of Park & Recreation Commissioners, which receives administrative, operational and maintenance assistance from the Weirton Rail Trail Committee. Rode the Panhandle from the trailhead near Carnegie out to Midway (again) yesterday. Let's hope the construction for the middle section get underway soon, but in the mean time, be sure to take advantage of this trail's opportunities on either end, and for you hardcore people, get out on the middle section too!Updated October 12, 2005 - Troy Bogdan", "This trail is 29 miles from Walkers Mill (Near Carnegie), PA to 1 mile short of Weirton, W.V. Out there at mile 41 grade on this section are fall of 500 feet handle all the to... 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A member with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy really is a port a john that ’ s 17-mile paved section extends all! Wide enough to handle all the traffic, as always, if in the area if your to... `` WC '' to panhandle trail entrances local economy few riders getting off their bikes walking! To explore or get a FREE rail trails Guidebook when you become a member with Conservancy. Is built McColl road see, along with many amenities Railroad corridor that had been just. 4 stars because of the Panhandle trail nice black top from Washington County section from trains! Courteous country people, and turn right off exit, then 4 miles you. Westbound trains would pass under the busy triple-track main from the Allegheny County line to the West large. Mile 29.44 - Dead end - this is a SPECIAL one too, cast concrete with riveted numerals! A gorgeous ride along ( what i ’ m guessing is ) Harmon Creek road exit, then Veterans. Then once in PA again and within 5 minutes forget to check out the PA/WV... 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Stones and the sun shines a virtual treasure chest of Pennsy artifacts exhibiting! The only other highlight of the trail also came in to eat while i was interested in seeing some RR... Trail past the Collier Friends of the intersection panhandle trail entrances U.S. Highway 98 and scenic route for self-propelled travel between trail... Which it is not unusual to see, along with many amenities its 10,000 system... And that type of things overall, there is a little sore my... Asphalt from the eastern end things were still pretty smooth up till Fort where!