An online map could soon help the growing number of paddlers in the Kiski and Conemaugh rivers and outdoor enthusiasts discovers where to stop for a beer and to take in a small town attraction.

A $230,000 state grant to the nonprofit Allegheny Ridge Corporation will pay for an updated, internet-based map of the Kiski and Conemaugh river trails and other work on the Main Line Canal Greenway between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.

The greenway is a network of land and water trails.

The grant, awarded by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, was announced recently by State Rep. Joe Petrarca, D-Washington Township.

Petrarca noted that recreational trails, whether on land or water, are a “boon to our region and encourages more participation in outdoor activities for residents and visitors alike.”

Although a waterway cannot be plied into an actual trail, a water trail can incorporate features of a traditional hiking trail. Water trails can identify and inform users of locations, landmarks and other features along the way, including the string of small towns lining the Kiski and Connie rivers.

“Our approach is to emphasize the communities along the water trail,” said Laura Hawkins, greenway coordinator with the Allegheny Ridge Corp.

“We want to better position communities,” she said. “We want to make sure to direct river users into the towns, businesses, historical features and other points of interest.”

For example, the current online map includes historic sites, businesses, launches, and landmarks in Leechburg, Vandegrift, Apollo, Avonmore, Hyde Park and elsewhere.

The first interactive river map of the Kiski and Connie rivers was developed about a decade ago and is still available online at: www.mainlinecanalgreenway.org

While towns benefit economically from the eco-tourism from river paddling, the Allegheny Ridge Corp. wants to “make it easy for people to know where to get a beer, a drink, supplies, have a good meal and visit some heritage sites,” Hawkins said.

Work will start on the new map next year. It should be completed by late 2020, according to Hawkins.

The majority of the grant will pay for the continuing efforts to develop the Main Line Canal Greenway between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.

The Allegheny Ridge Corp. works in trail development, water access development, community parks, historic rehabilitation projects, assistance to communities for grants to improve access to water and land trails, and more. The nonprofit manages two water trails, the Kiski-Connie and Juniata River trails.

Throughout the greenway, small towns are highlighted, according to Jane Sheffield, executive director of the Allegheny Ridge Corp., which is based in Hollidaysburg.

“You have to make it easier for people to access the water trial and the historic sites and local landscapes,” she said.

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