Get Outta Tahn: West Penn Trail
My second installment of Get Outta Tahn was a morning on the West Penn Trail, less than an hour east of Pittsburgh. I had read that this trail is not your typical R2T in that it has some climbs, gravel, and a staircase. Their website suggested walking these features if you were not comfortable. I took this and some other trail reviews to mean there were a few sketchy sections, but otherwise it would be a fun, adventurous trail with unique old railway and canal sights suitable for anyone with moderate riding ability. I mean….there are people out there crying that the Panhandle Trail requires a mountain bike…how hard could it be?
Well…for someone like myself who has spent the last 30 years navigating uneven terrain, yes it was a perfectly fun trail. But even for those in our quaran-team party with decades of riding experience, this was no leisurely R2T. Rather, it became less-than-joyful after a few miles. The trail truly requires knobby tires (CX, gravel, or MTB) for the whole trail, not just a few sections. It was more reminiscent of the South Park Montour extension - not terribly technical but enough to keep you on your toes at speed and watching where your wheel goes plus some fun climbs, a trail oddity that isn’t for the typical casual Montour rider.
One of our riders whose regular R2T bike has wide, “all terrain” tires could not gain traction on these West Penn Trail climbs and was sliding out on descents. Some sections had uneven sand/gravel/ruts that pitched another rider off his bike, which was one fall too many. I kept waiting for the singletrack and sandy gravel sections to abate and lead to more comfortable terrain for our group, but it just didn’t happen. At the top of the Bow Ridge Switchback, I called our troop together and suggested turning around since we still had half the trail to go and that elusive element of joy was not within our line of sight. If we turned around, we could link up with the much more mellow Westmoreland Heritage Trail and enjoy the rest of our trip. That did not take any arm twisting so we made it off the singletrack without further incident and headed back to Saltsburg to catch the Westmoreland Heritage Trail, which delivered a perfect, straight-forward R2T ride through the forest.
Don’t get me wrong, the West Penn trail is fun as heck! I will definitely be back and I’ll make sure that our riders are adequately prepared. The sights were beautiful and unique as promised, and best of all there were very few people, which is exactly what we were shooting for. I’m already day dreaming of what it will be like when the trees start changing in another month or so.
Fun With Trains (and canals)
Besides spending time in the woods connecting with your bike and friends, this area has layers of Pennsylvania history to immerse in. Sure there’s the enormous Conemaugh Dam built in 1952 that provides hydro-power and moderates the river’s flow to prevent devastating floods like in the 1930s. Its role in regulating water flow is so important that it even controls the Allegheny River by way of the Conemaugh and Kiskiminetas Rivers, and can reduce the water level at Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh by four feet. Fun with engineering!
Visually more impressive is the giant arched, stone bridge just down the way that you ride across on the West Penn Trail. Although it is reminiscent of an ancient Roman installation, it was built more recently, in 1907, to carry the Pennsylvania Railroad between Philly and Chicago. Standing on the bridge looking towards the dam, you can see the remnants of another railroad stone bridge built in 1864. It is thought that the stones to build this were salvaged from an 1830 stone bridge that served as an aqueduct for canal barges along the region’s important canal network. To further juxtapose two centuries of transportation infrastructure is an imposing iron railroad bridge built in 1952 that flies over the stone bridge and still operates for the Norfolk Southern Railway.
The Bow Ridge that the West Penn Trail climbs over hides four tunnels that were carved out of the mountainside. The first tunnel from 1830 was built for the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal’s Western division that carried goods and people between Pittsburgh and Johnstown by barge, then transferred to railroad cars between Harrisburg and Philly. This Bow Ridge canal tunnel was only the third tunnel built in the entire United States so you can imagine its importance to regional commerce and competing with the Erie Canal that serviced New York City and the C&O Canal that serviced Georgetown/D.C. This network of canals in western Pennsylvania was considered an important investment in maintaining Pittsburgh’s reputation as the “Gateway to the West” and keeping Philly as a viable city of commerce on the eastern seaboard.
The other three tunnels through the ridge were built as the railroad lines grew and needed to be realigned over the next 100 years. The tunnels are now all sealed to prevent the Conemaugh River Lake from seeping through and hindering the purpose of the dam.
For more information, be sure to stop at the Tunnelview Historic Site visitor’s center and read the information signs along the way. For a primer, visit the Indiana County Tunnelview website.
Saltsburg
Another reason to ride this trail is the town of Saltsburg itself, which has over two hundred years of history and is now an outdoor recreation destination for hikers, cyclists, fisherfolk, and kayakers. It’s not at Ohiopyle levels, which is a good thing! Take advantage of its near anonymity, especially during this pandemic when everyone is seeking popular outdoor destinations. The small town has done a great job with economic redevelopment including investing in small businesses, preserving historic structures, and presenting educational signs along the former canal route. There is a lot to preserve in a town’s story that began in the late 1700s when it was one of the leading salt producers in the United States. The Conemaugh riverbank environment was rich in salt that drew settlers and businessmen invest in the town’s economy. By 1830 there were at least 21 salt manufacturing businesses and the region was coined the Great Conemaugh Salt Works. Its hub along the original Pennsylvania Mainline Canal network and later railroad system made it an important stop on the outskirts of Pittsburgh.
Although it was pretty quiet midday on a Wednesday when we visited, Saltsburg has many amenities for outdoorsy people or those who just enjoy a leisurely wander. There were kayak rentals and a few restaurants, although the Point Street Tavern that promised a huge list of local beer wasn’t opened yet - our loss! The town makes a perfect starting point for both the West Penn and Westmoreland Heritage trails that converge at the park on Canal Street. There is plenty of parking and nearby (clean! modern!) restrooms. Make sure to check for hours of operation when you’re there so you don’t miss enjoying these local shops and restaurants.
The Route
Starting in Saltsburg, the first few miles of the West Penn Trail are quite mellow and typical R2T as it follows the Conemaugh River. Once it turns left, however, you begin to cross the hills and loosely follow the old canal route that skips across the meandering Conemaugh River. The terrain changes into more singlestrack and sandy gravel so be alert around turns and descents. It’s SUPER FUN, just be prepared. Pavement takes over at the Tunnelview Historic Site next to the Conemaugh Dam, then down to the large stone bridge. Then it’s up a wide gravel road used by maintenance vehicles, then into the woods and the Bow Ridge Switchback singletrack. We turned around at the top of the ridge before the steep descent to the staircase and next stone bridge across the river.
The Westmoreland Heritage Trail did have a deceptive climb heading out of Saltsburg. We saw 2-4% for about 3 miles and then turned around at the crest before it headed down to the Beaver Run reservoir. Of course, that became a really fun, fast descent back to Saltsburg, just don’t miss the photo opps when crossing over the river - you earned it!
One More Thing
There might have been an ulterior motive to scoping out this trail. It is close to the Meadows Frozen Custard in New Alexandria on Highway 22. I was indoctrinated into the Meadows club last summer on our MS-150 ride in Hollidaysburg. We/I must have eaten there at least 3 times. I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about frozen custard, but then……oh yeah it’s not ice cream. SO GOOD.
