Summer is Busy for Local Trail Network

Bikers, hikers enjoy getaways along Youghiogheny River

By Stacy Alderman
The Tube City Almanac
July 06, 2025
Posted in: State & Region

Volunteers with the Mon-Yough Trail Council dedicate a few hours each week to keeping their portion of the Great Allegheny Passage trail clear and open. (Photo courtesy Mon-Yough Trail Council)

After heavy storms and flooding affected much of the Mon Valley earlier this summer, Ken Medved with the Mon-Yough Trail Council was glad to see that its section of the Great Allegheny Passage didn’t have any weather-related damage.

Thankfully, volunteers have been able to focus on their usual summer maintenance — mowing, grooming weeds, and checking for erosion — readying this part of the trail for their busiest season.

Those members who give their time every Wednesday and Saturday are dedicated to keeping the 15-mile stretch of the GAP trail from Port Vue to the Westmoreland County line as accessible and welcoming as possible. This care and passion is evident in the events they host, like the recently held Half Marathon and five-kilometer Run/Walk.

Plans for another one of their major yearly events, the Yough and Roll Party on the Trail, are already in motion. On Sept. 13, the council will host a series of rides for all levels, ranging from 10 miles to 40 miles. It starts at the Boston access point and includes kids’ games, activities, and vendors from organizations like Rivers of Steel, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and the McKeesport Garden Club.

“These fundraisers, as well as grants, help us get what we need to keep the trails clear,” Medved said. “We recently received grants from The Pittsburgh Foundation, which helped us purchase two brand-new pick-up trucks which we’ve outfitted with tools and maintenance equipment. Right now, we’re in the market for a side winder that will help keep the banks clear.”

One of the Trail Council’s other goals is to encourage younger residents to volunteer as well. “We want the young folks to get more involved,” Medved said. “We always need volunteers, but we also want people to see everything we have to offer, like the visitor center where there’s coffee, drinks, and apparel.”

The visitor center, run by volunteers and typically open daily between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is a great source of information for those interested in utilizing the trail or wanting to become a member or volunteer.

Medved enthusiastically welcomes anyone who wants to learn more or get involved with the Trail Council — even those who aren’t bike riders.

“You don’t have to ride a bike. People jog, walk their dogs. There’s access to fishing holes and places like Dead Man’s Hollow, which is full of history and folklore. People from all over the world use the Great Allegheny Passage in all kinds of ways. We had visitors from 46 states and nine foreign countries in 2024.”

“We encourage anyone who stops by those visitor centers to become part of the council or sign up for our newsletter, Milepost,” Medved said. “Our monthly meetings at Greenock fire hall in Elizabeth Twp. take place every second Thursday of the month and are open to the public. Anyone who wants information or wants to contribute can come.”

Medved’s enthusiasm is echoed by David Kahley with The Progress Fund, an organization that promotes the part of the trail that heads southeast towards Westmoreland County. Kahley also spoke about how they’ve been growing their program with community revitalization.

“We’re focused on ‘getaway’ towns,” he said, which are small communities along the trails that entice riders with the same type of attractions as other popular tourist destinations.

“These small towns and their businesses can flourish in changing economies thanks to the tourism they provide to riders,” he said.

Kahley said that over 65 loans have been made to businesses along these “trail towns” and the surge of people engaging in outdoor activities started during the COVID-19 pandemic helped keep revenue flowing.

Since then, he said, there has been plenty of interest in developing these types of sites. “Bike riders who are traveling long distances want the same things as tourists who drive hours to the beach or the mountains. We’ve been able to finance B&Bs, farms, restaurants, retail shops, outdoor recreation, all along our trails.”

Stacy Alderman is a White Oak-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in Heather Christie's Love Notes, THEMA Literary, inScribe Journal, Minerva Rising, and several others. She is the recipient of the Children of Steel fiction award.

Originally published July 06, 2025.

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