Volunteers make strides along Armstrong trail
ARMSTRONG COUNTY — With fall coming on, it is a good time of year to be outside and take in the yellow, orange and red tree leaves.
One place to do this is the Armstrong County Rails to Trails in Armstrong and Clarion counties that follows the bank of the Allegheny River.
The 30 miles of trail winds from south of Kittanning to East Brady, according to Toni Henry of East Brady, president of the Armstrong Rails to Trails Association.
Henry and many volunteers have been working on the trail since 2007 and plan to have the 30 miles done by the fall of 2014.
There are many historical stops along the trail including the Phillipston Turntable and Train Yard, Ore Hill Iron Furnace, Kittanning Train Station and two locks and dams.
The trail is being resurfaced in the Rimer area, which is southeast of East Brady. Development of the trail includes “grading, resurfacing with limestone and widening the trail,” said Sarah Heppenstall, treasurer of the association.
Volunteers also have installed benches and signs along the trail.
The group is working to get funding to replace decks of many of the bridges along the trail. According to Heppenstall, “the bridges are PennDOT approved before work begins.”
The Templeton and Manorville bridges are out of service while the Red Brick and Rimersburg bridges are being re-decked.
Some parts of the trail are not accessible and bikers and hikers are being detoured around those areas until the trail can be maintained there.
“We're working a lot in Rimer,” Henry said.
When the work on the trail is complete, association officials hope to use the Armstrong trail connection between the Allegheny trail and the Red Bank Valley Trail, making it possible to travel from Brookville, Jefferson County, to Cumberland, Md.
“There are a lot of plans to connect the mega trails,” Henry said.
Henry's group relies on donations, memberships and grants. It also gets some outside help.
“Allegheny Land Trust gets most of the money to help the trail,” Heppenstall said.
The Armstrong Rails to Trails Association also has a volunteer adopt-a-mile program to keep up the trail. Adoptees “check on your mile a couple times a year and report major issues,” Heppenstall said. “It doesn't cost anything.”
There are also Eat Play Ride events, which happen periodically. The next such event will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday with parking behind the Church of God, 629 Woodward Ave., Kittanning.
It includes either an 18- or 30-mile bike ride or a four-mile nature walk. There is a catered picnic along the ride or walk. The cost is $30 for adults and $20 for children.
Funds raised by Eat Play Ride go to trail improvement, Henry said.
Information about Eat Play Ride events and the trail are available at armstrongrailstotrails.org.
<B>Name:</B> Armstrong Rails to Trails Assoc.<B>Location: </B>Kittanning to East Brady<B>Mileage: </B>30 miles along the Allegheny River<B>Material: </B>Pavement or crushed limestone<B>President: </B>Toni Henry of East Butler<B>Website: </B>armstrongrailstotrails.org.
