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put up for sale. In 1989, Rails to Trails of
Central Pennsylvania Inc. purchased the first eleven miles of the Lower Trail from Williamsburg to Alfarata from the Penn Central Corp. It was purchased due to the private donation of a Hollidaysburg attorney, T. Dean Lower. The trail was named in honor of Lower's late wife. The trail extension, from Williamsburg to Canoe Creek, was purchased by an anonymous donation for the land in 1994. State and federal funding assisted in the construction of the trail.
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In fall of 2019, an extension of the trail will open that connects the
Flowing Spring trail head into Canoe Creek State Park. The extension includes an underpass that sends the trail underneath US Route 22, so trail users do not have to cross over the roadway. The project was made possible with a
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which operated in the mid-1800s. Following the end of the canal era, the
Pennsylvania Railroad took over the property and developed the Petersburg Branch of the PRR on this alignment. In 1979, the rail corridor was abandoned. Over the next 8 years, the rails were sold for scrap and the corridor
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The Lower Trail is owned and maintained by Rails to Trails of
Central Pennsylvania, a 501c3, non-profit organization as qualified by the Internal Revenue Service. The organization is sustained by its membership, which is open to any member of the public. As of 2019, there were approximately 375
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dues paying members. The members elect a fifteen member board of directors who meet monthly to oversee the annual budget, trail maintenance, operations and development. The current president of the Board of
Directors is Ethan Imhoff, and the vice president is Karl King.
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in West-Central
Pennsylvania from Flowing Springs in Blair County to Alfarata in Huntingdon County. The Lower Trail is owned and maintained by Rails to Trails of Central Pennsylvania, a 501c3 organization. The trail follows the path of the former
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Trail maintenance is performed by a dedicated group of volunteers who give their time to ensure the trail is in good condition during all four seasons. Maintenance is funded by membership dues, donations, and state and local grants.
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269:. By the 1850s, area canals became obsolete due to the rise of the Pennsylvania Railroad and its passage through the Allegheny Mountains via the
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220:. It is open free of charge to the public, though donations are accepted at all trail heads. The portion of the Lower Trail from Alfarata to
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Much of the Lower Trail, paralleling the
Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River, was part of the original towpath of the
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large grant from the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, County of Blair and Frankstown Township Supervisors.
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The Lower Trail has six primary trail heads. All trail heads have parking and picnic tables available.
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that operated in the early 1800s and was known as the "continuous waterways" which linked
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Cycling, Running, Hiking, Bird-watching, Cross-Country Skiing, and
Horseback Riding
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199:(/'laʊ.ər/, rhymes with "flower") is a 16.5-mile (26.6 km)
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Rails to Trails of
Central Pennsylvania: Lower Trail
467:"THE LOWER TRAIL: Where history and wildlife abound"
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895:Protected areas of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
471:THE LOWER TRAIL: Where history and wildlife abound
43:but its sources remain unclear because it lacks
900:Protected areas of Blair County, Pennsylvania
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451:Trails nominated for NRT designation in 2009
890:National Recreation Trails in Pennsylvania
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232:. In 2009, the trail was designated as a
74:Learn how and when to remove this message
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238:United States Department of the Interior
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424:List of rail trails in Pennsylvania
253:Much of the trail was the original
497:. Mid-State Trail Association, Inc
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743:Northwest Lancaster County River
491:"Mid State Trail Guide and Maps"
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495:Mid State Trail Guide and Maps
1:
541:. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
473:. Sierra Club. Archived from
408:N 40° 28.426' W 078° 13.614'
395:N 40° 27.713' W 078° 11.908'
382:N 40° 29.228' W 078° 10.188'
369:N 40° 31.234' W 078° 10.304'
356:N 40° 33.995' W 078° 07.282'
343:N 40° 28.371' W 078° 16.050'
290:Trail membership organization
453:. National Recreation Trails
447:"National Recreation Trails"
283:Pennsylvania Main Line Canal
226:Pennsylvania Mid State Trail
212:Petersburg Branch along the
880:Rail trails in Pennsylvania
602:Rail trails in Pennsylvania
429:Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
97:16.5 mi (26.6 km)
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234:National Recreation Trail
120:National Recreation Trail
29:This article includes a
688:Great Allegheny Passage
339:Flowing Springs Station
249:Historical significance
58:more precise citations.
885:Pennsylvania Railroad
843:Westmoreland Heritage
833:Three Rivers Heritage
566:Lower Trail Trail Map
308:Canoe Creek Extension
277:History and evolution
210:Pennsylvania Railroad
188:Pennsylvania Railroad
848:York County Heritage
365:Williamsburg Station
177:Smooth crushed stone
159:Easy, ADA accessible
823:Susquehanna Warrior
783:Plainfield Township
698:Indian Creek Valley
668:East Coast Greenway
633:Conewago Recreation
628:Clarion-Little Toby
333:Elevation (ft / m)
317:Trail access points
230:Great Eastern Trail
808:Stavich Bike Trail
673:Erie to Pittsburgh
259:Pennsylvania Canal
31:list of references
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718:LeTort Spring Run
653:Cumberland Valley
648:Cumberland County
638:Conoy Canal Trail
511:"The Lower Trail"
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378:Cove Dale Station
214:Frankstown Branch
203:that follows the
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517:. Archived from
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434:Ohio River Trail
404:Alfarata Station
391:Mt. Etna Station
352:Ganister Station
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45:inline citations
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539:The Lower Trail
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521:on July 2, 2009
515:The Lower Trail
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35:related reading
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623:Chester Valley
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535:"Lower Trail"
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477:on 2011-07-20
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723:Liberty Bell
713:Lehigh Gorge
693:Greene River
643:Cross County
618:Beaver River
543:. Retrieved
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523:. Retrieved
519:the original
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499:. Retrieved
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479:. Retrieved
475:the original
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455:. Retrieved
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330:Coordinates
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267:Philadelphia
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222:Williamsburg
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183:Right of way
110:Pennsylvania
106:Blair County
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64:January 2020
61:
50:Please help
42:
545:October 16,
525:October 16,
501:October 16,
481:October 16,
457:October 16,
299:Maintenance
244:Development
197:Lower Trail
116:Designation
89:Lower Trail
56:introducing
874:Categories
828:Switchback
778:Pine Creek
753:Ohio River
683:Ghost Town
440:References
411:865 / 264
398:844 / 257
385:830 / 250
372:798 / 243
359:728 / 222
346:880 / 270
327:Trailhead
263:Pittsburgh
201:rail trail
167:Year-round
156:Difficulty
127:Trailheads
838:West Penn
803:Sheepskin
773:Perkiomen
768:Pennypack
763:Panhandle
678:Five Star
613:Armstrong
738:Nor-Bath
418:See also
257:for the
133:Alfarata
102:Location
818:Struble
748:O&W
733:Montour
703:Ironton
663:D&H
255:towpath
236:by the
216:of the
173:Surface
52:improve
793:Saucon
788:Radnor
758:Palmer
164:Season
94:Length
728:Lower
147:Grade
37:, or
547:2009
527:2009
503:2009
483:2009
459:2009
265:and
228:and
195:The
151:0.2%
138:Use
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.