By George Berkheimer for The Bedford Gazette
The Huntingdon & Broad Top Rail Trail stretches 13.4 miles to connect Tatesville with Warriors Path State Park near Saxton. Owned and maintained by Broad Top Township, its first phase opened in 2012.
State and local dignitaries joined Broad Top Township Supervisors in October to celebrate the official opening of the 1.7 mile extension that made the final connection from Riddlesburg to the state park.
Donnie Hedge, chairman of the Broad Top Township Supervisors, said the ultimate goal is continue development with the eventual goal of extending the trail with Everett to the south and Saxton to the north.
“It was important to establish a link with Warriors Path State Park because that opens up the corridor with a Share the Road venture so trail users can bike right into Saxton to get to shops and dining,” Hedge said. “If we can establish Saxton as a rail trail hub, there’s a possibility to establish more trails to Broad Top City or Raystown Lake and other destinations. It opens up a lot of possibilities.”
Economic Benefit
The trail follows a railbed that was abandoned in phases after the H&BT Railroad ceased to exist in 1954 and precipitated a period of economic decline for the area. It’s not lost on the supervisors that this corridor now has the potential to bring some economic life back.
“We’re seeing that happening with businesses like The Grind Coffee shop opening up in Saxton and other improvements being made in that town, that’s going to be quite a significant impact financially that we’d like to help promote,” Hedge said. “Warriors Path State Park was a beautiful fancy park that fell by the wayside, but they’ve already noticed a 47% increase in park usage since the trail opened.”
The township’s last study in 2020 showed 8,400 users during the study period.
“We’re working with the Southern Alleghenies Planning Commission to order some new counters for the new section and get an accurate count,” Hedge said.
Amenities continue to be added to the trail and include bike work stations donated by REI, picnic tables provided by Leadership Bedford County, and sponsored benches that cost $750 and provide funding to Rail Trails of Bedford County.
One amenity exclusive to H&BT will be an emergency shelter for extreme weather being constructed as an Eagle Scout project roughly midway between Warriors Path State Park and Riddlesburg.
“Unexpected storms frequently come up the river from Raystown Lake and can be dangerous for people on the trail who don’t expect them,” Hedge said. “We visited the area around the end of September to mark the site and hope to see construction start soon.”
The township is also studying scenarios for adding bathrooms in Riddlesburg, he acknowledged, and would also like to add more informational signage with historical information along the trail.
Community Asset
Extending the trail required some significant challenges that included eminent domain proceedings.
“We really didn’t want to go that route, but after three or four years of negotiations that’s what we ended up doing. We paid the property owners for the land and it’s been taken care of,” Hedge said. “I think we actually improved their usage and property access in some cases.”
The trail serves as a venue for events throughout the year, including the Tatesville United Methodist Church’s annual Harvest Hayride and Fall Event, in addition to a nighttime Glow Walk and bonfire, and the Everett American Legion Post’s Spring 5K Color Run/Walk.
Funding for the 2.5 mile extension included a $504,924 PennDOT Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Grant, a $200,748 DCNR grant, and donations from the Nason Foundation and private individuals.
“The trail draws tourists and economic impact, and it provides outdoor recreation benefits to the people that live here, and we greatly appreciate how much volunteerism we get to help us maintain it,” Hedge said. “REI sends workers here once a year to do maintenance work for us. We budget $20,000 a year to mow and maintain it, but the trail users and people who live nearby help out by mowing sections of it themselves and taking care of what they can. It’s a community asset, and the community recognizes that and takes pride in it. It’s really nice to have their support.”