Leechburg Tow Path Trail connects borough to counties, miles beyond

Visitors and residents of Leechburg have access to a prime spot for outdoor activity just in time for warm weather.

After two years of planning and construction, the Leechburg Tow Path Trail is officially open to the public.

It serves as a passageway to almost 600 miles of trail along the Allegheny and Kiski rivers.

The process

The trail was created in two sections, with a milelong section being built directly into the borough. This section of the project was headed by members of the Leechburg Area Community Development Corp.

“Historically, the trail was proposed 10 to 12 years ago,” said Lou Phillips, president of the group. “Two years ago, we started moving to establish the trail knowing the Schenley section would be completed, and our trail wouldn’t just be an island. It was a rapid time to get it done.”

The corporation ended up taking on the role of developer, sponsor and trail owner.

Project funding came from a $100,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and a $25,000 grant from the Colcom Foundation. Phillips said the Marconi Club in Leechburg and the borough granted the trail a right of way to help bicyclists avoid going onto roadways. Leechburg resident Eugene “Skip” Laratonda donated a stretch of land previously used as the office site for Allegheny Ludlum Steel and its successor, ATI.

“It’s exciting to know we got it done,” Phillips said.

The trail from Schenley through Leechburg is called the Tow Path Trail in memory of the towpath mules that used to tow canal boats, Phillips previously told TribLive. He said the towpath became the right of way for the railroads when the railroads bought and drained the canal.

The milelong trail connects to a 4-mile stretch leading from Gilpin to Schenley, which was made by Chris Ziegler, executive director of Armstrong Trails, and a group of volunteers.

Ziegler said the section of trail has been in the works since last July and was completed with the help of about six volunteers establishing a path for the 10-foot-wide trail.

“When people think of the project, they think there must have been a ton of volunteers, but really there were only a few of us because we needed very specific skill sets,” Ziegler said.

She and the volunteers worked to find and sometimes add culvert pipes. Culverts are embedded pipes that are used to maintain the flow of small, shallow streams, swales or ditches where they are crossed by a trail.

Ziegler said the 10 miles from the Kiski River to the Crooked Creek Bridge had culvert pipes from when the railroad relaid the tracks. Eight pipes were replaced along the four-mile trail leading to Leechburg.

Ziegler said volunteers also needed to know how to operate heavy machinery to make the path bike-friendly.

“Today, you could ride your bike from Brookville in Jefferson County all the way to Leechburg Borough and stay completely off road,” Ziegler said.

She said her organization bought the land of the former railroad corridor from the Kiski Junction Railroad in 2022.

About 10 miles of the old rail line path from the Kiski River to the Crooked Creek Bridge — a portion of trail that Ziegler calls the main line — took about nine months to complete and opened for use through the help of four consistent volunteers.

The project used about $850,000 in donated equipment, $750,000 in donated time and a $120,000 grant.

With this purchase, the organization went from overseeing 36 miles of trails to 52.5 miles.

Users will also be connected to the Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Main Line Canal Greenway, which is a 320-mile corridor that follows the historic path of the Main Line Canal System.

The recreational trail along the former Allegheny Valley Railroad corridor on the eastern bank of the Allegheny River and northern banks of the Kiski River in Armstrong, Clarion and Westmoreland counties is on the main spine of the emerging 270-mile Erie-to-Pittsburgh Trail.

“I’m 81 years old, so I’m not going all the way to East Brady,” Phillips said. “(My wife and I) already had our bikes on the trail.”

On to Hyde Park

The corporation’s work isn’t done yet, Phillips said.

The next steps are extending the milelong stretch of trail into Hyde Park.

“It will turn left along the river to reach the boat ramp,” Phillips said.

Ziegler said in the future, signs detailing the towns’ history will be placed along the Tow Path trail.

“The history is an important part of the trail, and we want to honor that,” she said.

Opening day: April 26

To officially welcome the spring and the trail, leaders of the project will be hosting an opening day on April 26.

Attendees are invited to the Riverfront Park gazebo at 11 a.m. The event will feature speakers including Ziegler, Leechburg Mayor Doreen Smeal, Phillips and representatives from the Allegheny Ridge Corp.

During the event, a naturalist will lead a wildflower walk. Businesses in Leechburg, including Goat Donuts, National Public House and Frankies on 2nd, will offer specials that day.

“I think this will have a huge social and economic impact on Leechburg,” Smeal said. “I am so excited for the rest of the world to see Leechburg the way we see it.”