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 Reporter |
Summary: This part of the Mountour Trail is right in the middle of suburban sprawl. Huge retailers like CostCo dominate the hilltop with Robinson Town Centre just beyond sight over the hill. You ride past the office blocks of RIDC Park. And, over it all, is the flight path of the Greater Pittsburgh Airport with another plane every 25 seconds or so. But once you get past Cliff Mine, the wilderness returns. After crossing Mountour Run four time you reach Enlow Tunnel. While it's only 576 feet long, Duquene Light as seen fit to donate lighting for the tunnel's length. And remember when looking at the elevation profile, it maps from East to West, backwards from the intuitive West/Left to East/Right alignment of the topo map. Trailhead: The lot at Beaver Grade Rd. (N40 27.997 W80 9.302) can be accessed from the Rt. 60 West Exit of I-79.Turn right onto Beaver Grade Road about 1.2 miles from the exit then onto Old Beaver Grade another 1.2 miles beyond that. To access the trail at the Enlow Ball Park (N40 27.374 W80 13.886), take Route 60 west, passing the Montour Run and Business Route 60 exits to McClaren Road exit. Follow McClaren Road south about one mile. Trail parking is on the left at the ballfield before the 5-way intersection. Enlow has a water fountain and porta-johns. There is also parking at Hookstown Grade Rd., Scott Station, Cliff Mine. and RIDC Park along Cliff Mine Road. There is a water fountain and a gazebo (but no parking) at the Cliff Mine Rd. entrance to Robinson Town Centre (N40 27.534 W80 10.268) (Lat:40.4666 Lon:-80.15487) Trail Guides for Montour Trail - Beaver Grade to Enlow: Pennsylvanias Rail Trails (9th Edition) by Tom Sexton & Patricia Tomes (Rails To Trails Conservancy) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Bikes, Ranger Contact: Montour Trail Council 412-831-2030 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Kevin Geiselman, who has posted 96 other hikes on this site. To visit this reporters web site, click here. Trail Reviews Submit your own review 
Reviewed by KG on 1/2/2006 I probably should have mentioned this much earlier but all the hurricane damage done to this section has been repaired with astonishing swiftness. Many thanks to Findlay, Moon and Robinson Townships, Allegheny County, DCNR, the Laurel Foundation, BKG, Inc. and, of course, volunteers of the Montour Trail Council. http://www.montourtrail.org/floodpages/floodmain.html 
Reviewed by MCI on 1/17/2005 Liked the hike, and the flood repair has gone a long way!However, the elevation profile for this hike shown on this site is misleading. There are no "ups and down". The grade rises mildly and nearly constantly going upstream along Montour Run. I suspect the culprit lies in the method of creating the profile with the software used. It must assume, for example, that you CROSS the ridge before Enlow instead of going THROUGH the tunnel, and probably gives you mostly original natural contours, not what the RR did when they came through the valley.
Reviewed by KG on 9/27/2004 September 2004's inundation by the remenants of Hurricane Ivan caused Montour Run to overflow its back, causing extensive damage to the trail. The bridges have survived but much of the trail has been washed away. There are places where gullies several feet deep have been cut through the bed. I blame the expanses of asphalt at Robinson Town Center and RIDC park for directing all that water straight into the run instead of it soaking through the soil. This section of the trail has been closed for the time being. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: Pennsylvania Hiking, Pennsylvania Trails, Pennsylvania Hikes, Allegheny County Hiking, Allegheny County Trails, Allegheny County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||