Explore the best rated trails in Butler, PA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Lincoln Avenue Rails to Trails Greenway and Tredway Trail. With more than 49 trails covering 4496 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Hiked out of New Hamburg. Mile marker 4, headed South. Went 1.75 miles, turned around. Nice 3.5 mile hike. Water levels low in the creeks that cross the trail. Trail well maintained. Several bridges for crossing. Saw a bald eagle. Trail very dry, we haven't had much rain lately. It's only muddy if it rains a lot. And what trail isn't?!
Parked in Emlenton and headed North through two long tunnels and traveled 13 miles to Sunnyslope. Then back. Each tunnel is over 2,500 feet in length, bring a light. Several sections of this trail are getting more bumpy each time. And it seems the bumps are the entire width of the trail. This time I feared of actually bending a rim. Always a great ride though.
This trail is well maintained and an enjoyable ride, a bit cool even when the temps are in the 70's, a lot of shade. Volunteers were out trimming hanging limbs and clearing debris from the trail. They also gave us instructions to navigate the streets in Punxsutawney, could have been a real problem without these directions. Made the 15 mile trip out and on our way back stopped at Luigi's Pizza for awesome pizza. Jenn, the owner/manager was very friendly and made our time at lunch enjoyable. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the Eagles nest as it was blown down in a recent wind storm. Definitely a trail to ride again.
Nice maintained trail but it is some sort of interesting paved surface. It is a bit bumpy in a few sections but overall nice trail. You do ride next to the highway and through several small towns. If you are looking for nature trail this is not it. We started in Blairsville and rode entire trail. Mostly downhill on the way back which was nice. Would ride again.
Nice maintained trail but it is some sort of interesting paved surface. It is a bit bumpy in a few sections but overall nice trail. You do ride next to the highway and through several small towns. If you are looking for nature trail this is not it. We started in Blairsville and rode entire trail. Mostly downhill on the way back which was nice. Would ride again.
This is a very nice Trail but there are a couple of issues. If you start in Salzburg when you reach the 4 mile mark you come to a stop sign at a two lane rural road. You have to cross the road and proceed up a dirt road about 100 yard to pick up the Trail again. Unfortunately, there are no signs letting you know that the Trail picks up again 100 yards up the dirt road. Very confusing. One sign at this point with an arrow directing you to where the Trail picks up would be very helpful and save you from riding aimlessly on the county 2 lane, busy, county road looking for the Trail. At the 9+ mile mark the Trail again ends at a two lane, curving, hilly, county road and, again, there are no signs to tell you where to go. Fortunately there was another rider at the Trailhead who informed us that the next section of the Trail has not been completed so you have to ride on the County road (a dangerous road to bike on) until you reach Export. So, despite the description of this being a 21 mile Trail, the actual Trail from Saltsburg to the missing section is only about 9 miles. That 9 miles is very well maintained with mile markers every 1/4 mile; two additional directional/informational signs would make a big difference to those riding it the first time. But, bottom line, if you start in Saltsburgh you are only on the Trail for 9 miles, an 18 mile round trip. We returned to Saltsburg and rode an additional 8 miles on the West Penn Trail which made the trip from Pittsburgh worthwhile.
We got on the trail in Emlenton PA. Scenery is beautiful and large portions of the trail have great views of the river. However, it is the bumpiest trail we have ever been on. It was literally like riding on a washboard. It felt like my teeth were going to rattle right out of my head. They shouldn't pave these trails unless they plan on keeping up with the maintenance on them.
And be prepared, the Rockland Tunnel is long and dark... you can't see the light at the other end. It is pitch black inside and you will need a light. My wife couldn't make it through so we had to turn around and go back... on the bumpiest trail in PA.
I have ridden my fair share of rail trails and the GAP is the best rail trail I've ever experienced. I started in Cumberland and finished in Pittsburgh. I knew what I was getting myself into riding against the Eastern Continental Divide but I got the harder riding done right away. I spent three days on the trail staying overnight in Confluence, Smithton and ending in Pittsburgh taking Amtrak back to my car in Cumberland.
The GAP offers so much variety over its 149 miles from scenic river views, sweeping mountains, ruins of a mining past to human development from a rural to urban scale. Most of the trail is very tightly packed gravel which is in immaculate shape. For the first few miles out of Cumberland and the last twenty or so miles to Pittsburgh the trail is asphalt.
I went on my ride in mid-May right before peak riding season so while many businesses in the trail towns were open many still had limited hours. Riding during peak season will give you even more options to eat, stay and shop. Every town I visited were very bike friendly (I've never seen so many places to lock your bike), with plenty of signage to share the road and locals very happy to see tourism in their communities. Some of the smaller towns like Smithton and Boston are not heavily highlighted but still offer dining and places to stay overnight.
There are many bike fix-it stations located on the GAP. While I expected to see some in the trail towns I was surprised by the abundance of fix-it stations located outside of towns as well. There are bathrooms (a mix of businesses, port a pots and composting toilets) roughly every ten miles. Most trail towns had a store to buy refreshments and I did notice a few restaurants had no issue with filling up a water bottle for any who asked.
My least favorite part of the trail was the last twenty miles from Boston to Pittsburgh. The asphalt in this section is in pretty good shape but in comparison to over 100 miles of smooth gravel it is rough. McKeesport is a sudden shift to an urban environment with a fair amount of on road riding but it is well marked and I had no issues navigating and I felt safe. I had issues navigating in Pittsburgh as I felt the clear marking that helped me navigate McKeesport was non-existent. Also to note is the on-road detour to Point State Park. It is easy to follow if you have a map but it requires riding in a major city for a short distance.
I have ridden many trails, a few that are in the Rail Trail Hall of Fame. The GAP is by far the best and is truly the ride of a lifetime.
A nice day for a Spring ride. The trail runs along side of Lake Arthur within the park. It is paved and has many turns and small hills. 7.5 miles in length, out and back. Ends at where the former Outdoor Recreation Center is. Trailhead and mile 0 is at the Bike Rental and large parking area.. There was a building at that location but burned May, 2022 due to a fire. The bike rental is open and they are operating out of trailers.
We’ve been riding this trail since the 80’s. The scenery along the old railroad bed is beautiful. The stream is full of trout that you can see from the bridge. It’s not uncommon to see deer or bear in the woods. There is very little grade so its an easy ride. The Drake Oil Well Museum is near the trailhead. Definitely check it out!
Miles 1-5 desperately need repaved. Gaps where pavement have separated, jar you and your bike. Feeble attempts, on some of them to fill in have created just as annoying bumps. What used to be a very decent trail has definitely taken a turn for the worse. No longer a pleasure to ride!!!
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