Montour Trail an outdoor asset to the community
Want to feel just a little bit more alive?
If you are able, hop on a bicycle on a warm summer morning, put on a helmet and ride on the Montour Trail.
A portion of the 63-mile trail snakes through Washington County, and has been a consistent draw not just for cyclists, but walkers, hikers and others seeking rejuvenation and an opportunity to get out and appreciate the outdoors.
Thanks to the number of users it has and the dedicated volunteers who maintain it, the Montour Trail has been named the 2017 Trail of the Year by the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. When the honor was announced recently, Cindy Adams, the DCNR secretary, noted that the Montour Trail has a history of support dating to 1989, when work on it began, along with “annual user numbers surpassing 400,000 and a strong volunteer network.”
The trail, which stretches from Moon Township in the north to Clairton in the south. is due to be upgraded even further this year, thanks to scheduled work that will connect existing portions of the trail.
When we tally up community assets, it’s natural to think of things like businesses, schools, safe neighborhoods and cultural hubs. There’s no question those things are all important. But we shouldn’t forget recreational attractions like the Montour Trail. If nothing else, its designation as Pennsylvania’s Trail of the Year should remind us of what an asset the Montour Trail is to our community.