Trails & Recreation

The Chartiers Creek Greenway and Trail could become the centerpiece of the Lower Chartiers Creek Watershed connecting residents with water-related recreational activities such as fishing, hiking, birdwatching and boating.  A trail and greenway could potentially provide 14 communities with a continuous natural blue and green recreational thread as well as preserve an important wildlife corridor. 

Land and water trails form a vital link from the greenway's hillsides to the floodplain, wetlands and waterways, allowing residents to access the natural landscape. It is difficult for the public to indulge in and enjoy the watershed's countless recreational opportunities without convenient access. Currently, hiking trails exist on conserved parcels of land, but these parcels are not linked together in a system, nor is there a continuous hiking/biking trail along the main channel of Chartiers Creek.  

GREENWAY & TRAIL 
FEASIBILITY STUDY 

The lower Chartiers Creek valley presents the residents of southwestern Pennsylvania with a wonderful opportunity for an authentic outdoor experience.  Although much of the land in the watershed has been impacted by years of industrial activity, wooded hillsides and expansive floodplain open areas abound.  It is the goal of this study, and the mission of its sponsors, to construct land and water trails to encourage access to these resources, and to ensure that significant natural areas are afforded protection.

Why? | What? | How? | Feasibility Study 

WHY CHARTIERS CREEK?

The Chartiers Creek valley, although located just a few miles from downtown Pittscurgh, offers breathtaking vistas and quiet solitude for those who seek its offerings.  It also offers cultural and social riches in the same magnitude.  Although, recovering from more than a centruy of impacts that have resulted from coal extraction, the water quality in.Chartiers Creek has exhibited significant improvement in the last decade.  Much of this improvement has been the result of grassroots efforts to inventory and remediate harmful discharges from the vast network of deep coal mines that underlay the watershed.  Efforts to reduce other sources of point and non-point water pollution have been initiated by local conservation groups and governmental agencies as well.  

These efforts are returning large dividends as water-based activities in the Chartiers Creek watershed have gained increasing popularity.  These include recreational and sport paddling, fishing, waterfowl observation and development of educational programs.  An interconnected water / land trail will enhance these experiences and provide the basis for the future development of the concepts that are recommended in this study.

Why? | What? | How? | Feasibility Study 

WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE PRESENT?

Fortunately, there are significant opportunities for the development of a regional trail and greenway system in the Chartiers Valley.  At the confluence of the Ohio River and Chartiers Creek will be an important hub that connects the Chartiers Trail with the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.  The CIty of Pittsburgh is currently undertaking a master plan study for a riverfront park along the Ohio River in this area. A connection between these two corridors would provide a large urban population with a direct pedestrian / bicycle route to the city of Pittsburgh, and connect with 37 additional miles of waterfront trail..

Approximately 6 miles upstream on Chartiers Creek from the Ohio River confluence is a possible connection with the Panhandle Trail.  The Panhandle, when completed, will extend 29 miles from Walkers Mill in Collier Township to Weirton, West Virginia.  The Panhandle Trail is actively being developed and was recently awarded funding from the TEA 21 for construction of Phase III that encompasses 17.3 miles of trail through 9 municipalities.  Approximately 6.6 miles now have improved surface between Walker's Mill Road in Collier Township and Laurel Hill Road in McDonald Borough.

At a point commencing approximately 7 miles downstream on the Ohio River, and progressing south, is the well-used Montour Trail.  This rail-trail, when completed, will be a part of a complex of trails that stretch from Coraopolis, PA to Washington, D.C.  The trail covers 54 miles of abandoned railroad right-of-way from the Montour Railroad in Allegheny and Washington Counties.  Of the 54 miles of trail, approximately 23 miles are located within the lower Chartiers Creek watershed.  A connection can be made at the Montour Trail's northern terminus along the Ohio River, or at the southern terminus of the Chartiers Trail near the Greer Tunnel.  

The Chartiers Trail will potentially make numerous intermodal connections with major transportation facilities such as the Port Authority's Southern Busway and the proposed Maglev project.  An emerging water trail also adds to the uniqueness of the Chartiers Creek Trail and Greenway system.

The greatest potential for a contiguous trail system throughout the Chartiers Creek valley is the existing Pittsburgh and Ohio Central (P&OC) railroad corridor.  This rail line is operated as a short line freight system by the Ohio Central Railroad System.  Under this ownership, it is not likely that any portion of the P&OC will be used for the Chartiers Trail.  An interim plan has been specified, however, that will offer connections to existing trails and provide neighborhoods with recreational opportunities

Why? | What? | How? | Feasibility Study 

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

The vision of the stakeholders to make this exciting trail and greenway network a reality is fueled by the presence of numerous regional linkages, many of which have drawn the local population into a routine of outdoor activity and recreation.  To turn the vision of the Chartiers Creek Trail and Greenway into reality, it is imperative that the stakeholders gain the support of local and state government officials and planning entities.  At a grassroots level, the population of the primary trail and greenway service area must be educated of the benefits of hosting a regional trail and greenway facility.  Public education, and the willingness of local government and conservation groups to work together towards a common goal, will draw attention to the unprecedented opportunity that is present in the Chartiers valley.

This study has been prepared as a tool for the project sponsors to build consensus, and to generate enthusiasm within the adjacent communities.  It should also be used as a tool to solicit and secure project funding.  To view the entire trails study, select the Trails Study link on the left hand menu.

Why? | What? | How? | Feasibility Study