My wife and I want to take a ride on the Montour tomorrow and don't know where to start to ride some of the better sections. Also is there anywhere good to have lunch near the trail?
I am a big fan of the Panhandle trail from
walkers mill to Oakdale. It follows a creek
and is really nice and scenic. Sills bakery
in oakdale is a classic rest stop for road
rides, they sell cheap cookies and baked goods
and such. Not lunch, but a nice resting point.
The section just west of Route 19 (mile 30) is particularly nice, with a bridge/tunnel/bridge sequence and a great view, plus some historical exhibits. If you go farther (say to mile 21 at Venice), there's a trail garden and another tunnel.
A mile or two east of Route 19 at McMurray Road are Farmhouse Coffee and My Big Fat Greek Gyro, both right on the trail and popular with trail users.
The section near Coraopolis is also very nice, with deep valleys and stream crossings. I think there's a beaver dam too. Enlow Station, right on the trail at Enlow Road (around mile 
, has dozens of ice cream flavors plus burgers and such, and is another popular stop.
The long McDonald trestle over the Panhandle is quite nice too. And I agree with Steevo about the Panhandle itself. Beautiful trail.
To add to what Steevo said one of my favorite rides is from Montour Run Rd to Walkers Mill. I can never quite figure out how the interchange between the Montour and Panhandle trail works but the whole ride is really nice. Very low traffic, lots of small places to stop.
Yeah, my only ride out there so far was from Walker's Mill to the interchange then on to Mile 0, it was a cool ride. The interchange confused me too, when I saw the trail going overhead I got antsy but you still have to ride a while to get to it - when you get to McDonald station it all becomes clear. If you want to get up on the bridge (which is a nice view) you have to backtrack a bit from where the interchange comes out.
I stopped at Enlow Station for lunch, it was good. You can see it from the trail but you have to cross a road.
Great advice! You guys are awesome.
The inter-trail connection there is pretty long. If you're heading west on the Panhandle and onto the Montour, you can avoid over a mile of it with this on-road route on a bit of Noblestown Road.
If you're heading north on the Montour and want to head into McDonald, the route via only trails has a good deal of backtracking. It's possible to leave the trail just before it reaches the McDonald Trestle and head down a short, steep gravel access path, go beneath a gate, and wind up on Johns Avenue. Go half a mile east, and you can then get on the Panhandle and continue into McDonald. Saves about 2 miles, but it's possibly too steep to easily use in the opposite direction.
Also, I forgot to mention Big Jim's Roadhouse, a second location of the one in Greenfield. It's off the Montour's Morganza Road detour at mile 27, a quarter mile along flat Cecil Henderson Road. Good food, unusual decor.
I think others have said this, BUTT:
If I was going to take somebody on a ride to include lunch, I'd plan the meal at MP 31.5 at Farm House Coffee. If I wanted a substantial meal, I'd hit the adjacent Gyro shop.
If I only wanted ice cream - hot dogs, I'd be at Enlow Station at MP7.5
Enjoy! Life is too short to eat chain-restaurant food!
I live not even 1/2 mile from Enlow Station and use the trail to commute every day so I eat there a lot. Cheap and awesome.
Another thing I like to do is hit up Brother's Grimm at Old Beaver Grade Rd. marker.
are there any good vegan/vegetarian lunch options along the montour or panhandle trails?
@ Steven Also, I forgot to mention Big Jim's Roadhouse, a second location of the one in Greenfield. It's off the Montour's Morganza Road detour at mile 27, a quarter mile along flat Cecil Henderson Road. Good food, unusual decor.
Big Jim's in the run would do well to market some stuff to the bike community. Now that I hear they have a place off the Montour?
I'm sure that business would do well to suck up to the biking community.
Or at least put in a good bike rack.
You can't even find Big Jim's on Google. I was amazed to see that none of the businesses in McDonald market to the trail users. We found a great ice cream place with giant home made waffle cones 5 minutes off the trail.
Here are a few photos from my ride on Saturday. Rode 30 miles to McDonald and back.
No bridge yet so they give you stairs.
Open fields break up the monotony of the straight rail trail.
This bridge goes over the Pandhandle. Gorgeous.
From the bridge.
Great reuse of bridges all along the trail.
Wouldn't want those dirty trail users spending money in our plaza.
Pella Plaza!
An excellent place to avoid!
well we certainly wont be buying pella windows when we replace the ones in or house!
Mcdonald is a cess pool, frankly. It *never* fails that I get yelled at within its borders. 80% of the time it's someone trying to tell me I should be on the trail.
McDonald is a weird town, I spent a good bit of my younger years there dealing with bigots and buttheads. That's not saying there's a lot of them, but the ones that do exist make it known.
I wonder what Pella is thinking there. Do they think that people like me, a home owner in need of windows wouldn't be riding along that stretch of the trail? Why not invite me in to have a look at their show room? So. Odd.
wait, is Pella Plaza the same Pella as the window people, or is it just the same name, different game? (I used Thermotwin, they're super local (just down the road!) and have awesome customer service, and I highly recommend them)
I think it was just outside McDonald (eieio?) that some cows were mooing so loud near the trail I made my husband stop so we (I) could moo back. Husband spent the whole bovine conversation really busy trying to look like he didn't know me. It worked, they quieted down (I think they were just upset that nobody stopped to talk to them, and perhaps envious at our ability to escape McDonald on awesome bicycles).
Looking at Google Maps it is Pella windows.
@ejwme
bah, I can't see the pic you posted because I have IE for paste-eaters. linky to clicky?
^ this
eta: (is hilarious)
Mick's image is here. I don't know why IE wouldn't be showing the photo inline, though. It does for me.
I think their No Trail Parking rule is reasonable. They don't want their lot filled by trail users' cars, when there's designated trail parking nearby. But I don't know what problem they think prohibiting bikes solves.
ah, it's not IE, but the internets police. Will have to check after work (apparently that site was tagged as "intimate apparel/swimsuit" and is thus illegal - but I've had online license renewal sites blocked as "shopping" when amazon loads just fine, so the logic is always shakey)
I think tht pic really *NEEDS* a bathing suit and/or intimate apparell to complete it.
Really.
got an independent connection and looked - filter FAIL. That's hilarious.
I'd love to equip a herd of cows with scooters and see where they go. I bet they'd Flock. Would it be a round trip?
^^
Herd of Cycles.
^^
When they accidentally blow a red light, do the leaders act sheepish?
I think they'd be pretty baashful.
Ride 'till the Cows Come Home.
They're not very aggressive in traffic, being easily cowed. They rarely have lights, but often have both bells and horns.
Don't send the cows on a round trip though. Cow tripping is mean.
Cows like their LOW gears.
You got a beef with that?
But, high gears make for stronger calves...
I'm normally one to chip in on this kind of lunacy, but on this thread I feel udderly left behind.
What, you're gonna farm it out to someone else? Jeez.
sheesh, you guys are really milking it for all it's worth...
It's all Mick's fault...he gave us a bum steer.
most likely your company firewall prevented viewing, as mine does. regardless, that IE is all hat, no cattle.
smh...
The logic here is spotty at best.
@reddan It's all Mick's fault...
Me?
Me?
I'm calling BULLsh*t here.
Anything willstart you guys.
yeah, as a herd we spook easy...
