FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2009
Q: What is the Pennsylvania Highlands Trail Network (PHTN)? A: The proposed PHTN will be an over 100-mile, multi-use recreational trail that will traverse 13 counties in eastern Pennsylvania (PA), from Bucks to Adams Counties. It will connect with the existing 150-mile Highlands Trail in New Jersey (NJ) and New York (NY), creating a major long-distance trail in the Mid-Atlantic region. The PHTN will offer new close-to-home recreational opportunities for millions of residents by linking existing trails with new trail segments to create a trail network. It will also contribute to the conservation goal of creating a protected greenway of undisturbed natural lands and adjacent protected lands in the PA Highlands region. The PHTN will begin in Bucks County at the Riegelsville Toll-Supported Bridge in Riegelsville, PA, where it will connect with the Highlands Trail at the PA and NJ border.
The PHTN will be a non-motorized trail primarily for walking and hiking, with biking and horseback riding allowed on some sections. Trail usage will depend on existing trails’ uses and surfaces where the trail is co-aligned. For new trail segments, usage will depend on the suitability, feasibility, and local need for single or multi-use and a non-paved or paved trail surface.
Q: Who is leading the PHTN project? A: The
Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is leading the PHTN effort in coordination with county greenway plans, trail stakeholders, local and state agencies, trail clubs, and land trusts. Over the last two years, the AMC has held roundtable discussions, convened a steering committee, and developed a prioritized action plan for the PHTN. Most recently, municipal outreach and community open houses have taken place in Upper Bucks and Lower Northampton Counties to begin implementing the action plan.
The AMC is the oldest non-profit outdoor recreation and conservation organization in the U.S. Its Delaware Valley chapter offers hundreds of hiking, paddling, and bicycling trips each year and maintains a section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in the state. The AMC leads the Highlands Coalition, which advocates for federal land conservation funding through the Highlands Conservation Act and other programs. The AMC’s staff has collaborated with the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) in greenway mapping, in addition to working with local communities and agencies in identifying land conservation priorities in the Highlands.
Q: What is the PA Highlands region? A: The PA Highlands region is a 1.9 million-acre forested greenbelt spanning the southeastern corner of PA, from South Mountain at the Maryland border to the Delaware River on the NJ border. It is a part of the 3.5 million-acre Highlands region of PA, NJ, NY, and Connecticut. The PA Highlands has been recognized by the PA DCNR as one of five statewide mega greenways. The U.S. Congress also designated the multi-state Highlands region as “nationally significant” when it passed the Highlands Conservation Act in 2004.
Q: What are proposed route options for the PHTN? A: The PHTN’s Bucks-Northampton terminus is in Riegelsville, PA. Trail route corridors have not yet been determined and studied for feasibility. Potential trail options in Bucks County would start in Riegelsville and potentially connect with protected public lands at Nockamixon State Park, continue to Quakertown and Perkasie/Sellersville, and then link with the Perkiomen Trail near Green Lane Park in Montgomery County. Existing trails in Bucks County that the PHTN could co-align with include the Delaware Canal Towpath, trails in Lake Towhee, Nockamixon State Park, the bike path in Perkasie and Sellersville, and the Unami Trail and trails within the Unami Creek Park in Milford Township. There are also proposed trails in Bucks County such as the Liberty Bell Trail and a “rails with trails” from Coopersburg to Hellertown in Lehigh and Northampton Counties.
A map of proposed routes that will be studied for feasibility can be viewed at:
www.outdoors.org/about/newsroom/press.
Q: Why is Bucks County the first priority in creating the PHTN?
A: Bucks County is considered the gateway into the PA Highlands, providing opportunities to connect the PHTN with the existing 150-mile Highlands Trail in NJ and NY as well as linking to existing trails west and north of Upper Bucks County. It is also a key corridor for linking the Northampton Highlands and the Unami Hills, two priority conservation areas in the PA Highlands. Implementation will begin in Bucks County, followed by York and Lancaster Counties.
Q: What is the process for continued planning and implementation of the PHTN in Bucks County? A: - Community engagement and involvement (municipal outreach; open houses; formation of a PHTN Bucks County Steering Committee): A PHTN Bucks County Steering Committee in coordination with the Bucks County Planning Commission, PA DCNR, and residents from local municipalities in Upper Bucks and Lower Northampton Counties will develop an initial action plan for the trail in Bucks County. The Steering Committee will work with local communities to identify a proposed trail corridor and will complete a trail feasibility study and land protection plan. Most of the 17 municipalities in Bucks County have already passed resolutions in support of protecting the PA Highlands and are expected to support the PHTN project. Project planning progress to date includes municipal outreach to 15 municipalities and 5 open houses for communities in Upper Bucks County.
- Planning the project: creation and implementation of an action plan for the PHTN in Bucks County; identification of a trail corridor; completion of a trail feasibility study; completion of a land protection plan
- Acquisition and development of the PHTN in Bucks County: in phases based on the feasibility and land protection plan
- Management of the PHTN in Bucks County
Q: How will local municipalities benefit from the PHTN?
A: The major benefits of the PHTN for the PA Highlands region will include:
- Expanded close-to-home opportunities for walking, hiking, biking, and horseback riding that are easily accessible to residents in 180 municipalities in 13 counties. The trail is also a short distance from major cities such as Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Allentown, and Reading.
- Increased protection for the natural, scenic, recreational, and historical resources of the PA Highlands, which is recognized as a statewide mega greenway and designated as nationally significant by the federal Highlands Conservation Act.
Q: How long will this trail project take? A: The expected completion timeframe of the entire project for the 13 counties in the PA Highlands would be 12-15 years, based on the timeframe in which the Highlands Trail project in NJ and NY was completed. In Bucks County, it will take five-to-10 years.
Q: What are the project boundaries for the PHTN? A: The project boundary is the PA Highlands, including portions of 13 counties with over 180 municipalities. A map of the PA Highlands boundary can be found at:
www.outdoors.org/conservation/wherewework/highlands/images/cons_greenway_map_web.jpg
Q: What counties are included as part of the PA Highlands? A: Portions of Northampton, Lehigh, Bucks, Montgomery, Berks, Chester, Lebanon, Lancaster, York, Dauphin, Cumberland, Franklin, and Adams Counties.
Q: What municipalities are in the PA Highlands in Bucks County? A: Durham, Nockamixon, Bridgetown, Tinicum, Bedminster, Plumstead, Haycock, Springfield, Richland, East Rockhill, West Rockhill, and Milford Townships, and the Boroughs of Quakertown, Riegelsville, Perkasie, Richlandtown, and Trumbauersville.
Q: Beyond Bucks County, which existing trails are options for co-alignment with the PHTN? A: - Perkiomen Trail near Green Lane Park (Montgomery County) – existing
- West County Trail (connection from the Perkiomen Trail to Pottstown) – proposed
- Schuylkill River Trail (Montgomery County) – existing
- Trails within North Coventry Twp. (Coventry Woods – Chester County) – connector from Pottstown to French Creek State Park – existing and proposed
- French Creek State Park trail (Chester/Berks Counties) – existing
- Horse-Shoe Trail (from French Creek State Park to the Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail – Berks, Lancaster, and Lebanon Counties) – existing
- Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail (Lebanon County) – existing
- Conewago Recreational Trail (Lancaster County) – existing
- Northwest River Trail (Lancaster County) – proposed
- Mason-Dixon Trail System (York County) – existing
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail (Cumberland & Franklin Counties) – existing
Q: Will the PHTN cross private land? A: The PHTN is expected to run through existing public and conserved lands wherever possible and will be co-aligned with existing trails, including the Delaware Canal Towpath in Bucks and Northampton Counties, Perkiomen Trail in Montgomery County, and the Schuylkill River Trail in Berks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties. Landowner permission and trail easements will be secured where the trail crosses private land. The PA Recreational Use of Land and Water Act Law limits the legal liability of landowners who make their land available to the public for free recreation. As long as no entrance or use fee is charged, the Act provides that landowners owe no duty of care to keep their land safe for recreational users and have no duty to warn of dangerous conditions.
Q: Why is the PHTN as an extension of the Highlands Trail in NJ and NY not simply referred to as the Highlands Trail? A: The PHTN will be part of and known as the Highlands Trail in Pennsylvania. The PHTN is its project name in PA during the planning and implementation phases. Major trail segments co-aligned with the Highlands Trail will retain their current names, uses, and identities.
Q: What funding does the AMC have for the PHTN project? A: The AMC has secured funding for coordinating and planning the PHTN from: PA DCNR, William Penn Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the Claneil Foundation, plus assistance from the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program.
Q: Where can I find more information about the PHTN project? A: To learn more about the PHTN project, download Hike the Highlands cards, and to find out about Highlands recreational activities visit:
www.outdoors.org/hikethehighlands.
Print version
;){kind=link}
