The Butler Freeport Community Trail is getting connected to two other trails that will expand Butler County’s hiking potential.

This is great news for hikers, as well as for bicyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts looking for their next trek.

And the trek that will be offered once the trail is completed will be one worth taking. The plan is to connect the trail to Armstrong Trails and the Tredway Trail with a pedestrian bridge. The bridge would create a combined 130 miles of uninterrupted trails across Butler, Armstrong, Westmoreland, Clarion and Jefferson counties.

If you haven’t taken a stroll on the 21 mile rail-trail that follows Little Buffalo Creek to Buffalo Creek to the Allegheny River at Freeport, according to Butler Freeport Community Trail’s website, it should definitely be at the top of your to-do list. The stretches of the trail when the dirt path is surrounded by nothing but trees and the sultry sounds of water falling from ledges into a culvert are nothing short of breathtaking. The expansion will allow people to get even further into that outdoor mindset.

According to Chris Ziegler, executive director of Armstrong Trails and volunteer director of the Butler Freeport Community Trail, the bridge could be constructed in the middle of next year, so the long walk is not too far off.

Just make sure to wear good shoes. Once you start walking the ever-expanding trail, you may want to stop.

— ET