Butler-Freeport Community Trail celebrates 30 years of recreation alongside Buffalo Creek
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The Butler-Freeport Community Trail, one of the first major “Rails to Trails” initiatives in Southwestern Pennsylvania, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
Maintained by the Butler-Freeport Community Trail Council, an all-volunteer group, the 21-mile trail was one of the first 400 rail trails built in America.
Chris Ziegler, president of the council and a trail volunteer, said the first section of the trail opened in October 1992, which was around the “height of when railroads started to convert to trails.”
Though the council handles day-to-day operations and maintenance of the trail, the Butler-Freeport Community Trail is owned by Buffalo Township, said Ziegler, who also serves as the executive director of Armstrong Trails.
Traffic has increased immensely on the trail during the covid-19 pandemic, according to Ziegler.
By comparing trail counts in 2019 to 2020, Ziegler revealed that usage on the Butler-Freeport Community Trail had grown 450% — similar to growth other trails were seeing during the pandemic.
Ziegler said she attributes much of the trail’s pool of funding to its membership drive, which happens once a year, as well as the trail’s “pretty good following” on Facebook.
The trail hosts a half-marathon every October as its “major fundraiser,” which takes about 180 volunteers to put together, Ziegler said.
“We hold our own … but it would be nice to see some younger people (volunteer) who aren’t retired,” she said.
Ziegler said even though there has never been a lack of help from volunteers on a work day, the trail could “always use more.”
The trail recently received two grants for needed projects, Ziegler said. Buffalo Township usually applies for the grants, she said, and the trail council occasionally will contribute matching funds.
Last year, the trail received a $300,000 Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant to pave asphalt from Winfield Road to Marwood Road — a total of 1 mile — near nursing homes.
“(The funds helped the trail) be inclusive so everyone can use the trail, wheelchair or walker,” Ziegler said.
And more recently, the trail this year received a streambank remediation grant for $750,000, which will help prevent Buffalo Creek from eating away at the dirt of the trail as it runs alongside it.
“Streambank remediation is our big target right now — the streams flood really quickly,” Ziegler said. “Our biggest enemy, while it is beautiful … is water.”
Besides those two renovations, Ziegler said, the trail is in “really good condition.” And these were the first two grants the trail had received in about seven years.
Looking ahead, Ziegler is hopeful the Butler-Freeport Community Trail will be connected to the Three Rivers Heritage Trail since it already is connected to Tredway Trail and the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail.
“The Freeport area is a trail mecca,” she said.