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All trails / Allegheny River Trail (South)

Rail trail guide

Allegheny River Trail (South)

Clarion County, PA

A 2.63 mile rail trail in PA.

Length
2.63 mi
Total climb
5 ft
one way, in the uphill direction
Elevation
886 to 891 ft
Shade cover
80%
0% open to the sun
Surface
Asphalt, gravel (smooth; crushed)
Grade
Rail grade, mostly flat
Managed by
Allegheny River Trail in Clarion County (ARTinCC)
  • E-biking
  • Biking
  • Walking
  • Running
  • Hiking
  • Birding
  • Fishing
  • Kayaking

Connecting trails: None

Trivia

  • ◆The trail crosses a bridge over the mouth of the Clarion River, where it empties into the Allegheny.
  • ◆Foxburg grew around two railroads, the north-south Allegheny Valley Railroad, a division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the east-west Baltimore and Ohio.
  • ◆The Allegheny Valley Railroad was extended north toward Buffalo around 1867, about when the region's first oil wells came in.
  • ◆A distinctive double-decker Baltimore and Ohio bridge once crossed the Allegheny at Foxburg, with trains on the top level and road traffic below.
  • ◆Foxburg is home to the American Golf Hall of Fame and one of the oldest golf courses in continuous use in the country.

Planning a ride? Check the hourly forecast.

Trail map

This is the short southern segment of the Allegheny River Trail, a detached stretch of about 2.6 miles running from Foxburg south to Parker in Clarion County. It is flat and deeply wooded, tracing the east bank of the Allegheny River on an old railroad grade. The highlight is a graceful bridge over the mouth of the Clarion River where it joins the Allegheny River. Users finish at a trailhead beneath the Parker Bridge. For now, the trail is a simple out and back, disconnected from the longer Franklin to Emlenton trail while trail groups work to close the gaps in between. Groundbreaking of Fox-Hunt Park in Foxburg occurred in May 2026, which will be a very nice gathering point on the trail.

History

The corridor follows the grade of the Allegheny Valley Railroad, a line pushed north from Kittanning and Pittsburgh toward Buffalo around 1867, just as the region's oil boom began. The railroad became a division of the Pennsylvania Railroad and hauled crude oil, freight, and passengers along the river. At Foxburg the line met the east-west Baltimore and Ohio, whose distinctive double-decker bridge carried trains above and road traffic below across the Allegheny River. That branch closed in 1964 and its rails were removed in the early 1990s. As rail traffic ended, the abandoned corridor along the river between Foxburg and Parker was paved into a smooth asphalt trail, crossing the mouth of the Clarion River and ending at a trailhead beneath the Parker Bridge. The Allegheny River Trail in Clarion County (ARTinCC) now works to develop and manage the corridor, with the goal of closing the gaps between Emlenton, Foxburg, and Parker and eventually extending south to the Armstrong Trail near Upper Hillville, knitting this short segment into a continuous river trail across Venago and Clarion Counties.

RailTrailWx Tips

  • ◆The trail runs along a western slope, so temperatures run cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon.
  • ◆Because the trail is directly adjacent to the Allegheny River, expect temperatures to be moderated warmer during cold nights and cooler during warm afternoons.
  • ◆This segment hugs the Allegheny River and crosses the mouth of the Clarion, so expect occasional morning fog and cool, settled air on calm nights.
  • ◆About 85 percent of the route in deep shade, offering some comfort on warm summer afternoons.

Getting there

  • Foxburgmile 0Find on map
  • Parker Bridgemile 2.63Find on map

Towns along the way

  • Foxburgmile 0
  • Parker Bridgemile 2.63

Plan your ride with the hourly comfort forecast

Hour by hour scores for heat, wind, rain, and shade on Allegheny River Trail (South).

View the forecast

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Further reading

Managed by Allegheny River Trail in Clarion County (ARTinCC)

  • Pennsylvania Wilds · Down Life's Crazy Road: Foxburg
  • Foxburg Tours · Foxburg History
  • Wikipedia · Foxburg Bridge (1921)

Nearby trails

  • East Brady Spur

    3.2 mi · about 11 miles away

  • Sligo Spur

    9 mi · about 11 miles away

  • Allegheny River Trail (North)

    26.98 mi · about 12 miles away

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