Also, you get to see how the Western Maryland RR was built into the side of the Potomac River valley with steep cliffs above the trail and down to the C&O Canal. The Maryland General Assembly changed the name of the company to the Western Maryland Rail Road Company in 1853, and construction began from Owings Mills in 1857. Western Maryland Rail Trail Guide. A new paved parking lot is just west of the canal use area. It was disappointing to reach the end of the trail. Bortz did say the section would be open this year. Fort Frederick Park Manager Angie Hummer said the week of April 15 could be the opening date for the extension. Turn left into the Western Maryland Rail Trail parking lot. The trail itself is a paved, 10-ft. wide biking and walking trail following the former rail bed of the Western Maryland Railroad, which ran from 1852 to 1983 from Baltimore westward. Then it will be built from Paw Paw east to the 5th Potomac Crossing. Due to the dec/ine in the bat population the tunnel is closed to the public. Sager, who started in Big Pool on his new bike, said once the new section of trail is open, he’d be heading out toward Little Orleans. Photo by:pstephentriad The C&O Sideling Hill Creek Aquaduct . 1-16-13, Found out some info on the extension of the Western Maryland Rail Trail. Nita Settina, Superintendent of the Maryland Park Service, delivers remarks during the June 1 grand opening of the new section of the Western Maryland Rail Trail. We saw a flock of wild Turkeys and deer in several locations as well as spectacular views of the Potomac River. A worker for the Charles J. Merlo General Contractors, the company building the trail said last week that the project should be done in three weeks to a month. During planning for the trail, it was discovered that two species of endangered bats were using the train tunnel for winter hibernation. This paved trail is located in the thin Maryland neck between Hancock and Fort Frederick, about 1 1/2 hours northwest of the Capital Beltway. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reaffirming the need for members of the public who engage in outdoor … It’s a real trail success story.”. The parking lot for the Rail Trail on Pearre Road is just over seven miles off Western Pike (MD Rt. I recently cycled the Western Maryland Rail Trail from Big Pool to Little Orleans. To Cumberland 68 leans 40 ALLEGANY COUNTY 68 und Top Works "Devil's Anticline 144 Ittle rle 140 Photo by:carolynm A snake on the trail. The food was great. Pittman recalled her first discussion in 2004 with Emmie Woodward about her vision for the trail to extend through the Paw Paw bends area along the Potomac River and through to Paw Paw, with views of Maryland. The Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) is a 22.5-mile (36.2 km) long shared-use asphalt-paved rail trail from Fort Frederick to Pearre Station, Maryland, United States, that is suitable for walkers, joggers, bikers, rollerbladers and, weather permitting, cross country skiing and snowshoeing.. An added 4.5 miles of the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail officially opened last Saturday, June 1 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held in Little Orleans on National Trails Day. A bridge connects the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail to the C&O Canal towpath just east of Little Orleans. Western Maryland Rail Trail extension may bypass all tunnels NPS is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding the proposed extension of the Western Maryland Rail Trail from Pearre Station, Washington County, MD to the Paw Paw Tunnel area of the park, near Paw Paw, West Virginia. This is the cut just past Little Orleans on the new western extension of the WMRT. The event will be held in the western terminus parking lot, 12719 High Germany Road, Little Orleans. This section of the trail was quieter since it is further from the highway. The paved Western MD Rail Trail was a very welcome 22 mile break for us to get off the C&O canal towpath on the bike tour from Cumberland to DC. Pictured, from left, are longtime trail advocate Penny Pittman, C&O Canal Deputy Superintendent John Noel, Maryland Assistant Commerce Secretary Tom Riford, Superintendent of the Maryland Park Service Nita Settina, Steven Torgerson and Matt Wier of the architecture firm of A. Morton Thomas and Associates, Inc., Fort Frederick Superintendent Angie Hummer, Christy Bernal of the Maryland State Highway Administration, Washington County Tourism Director Dan Spedden and trail advocate Bert Lustig. One feature of this section of trail is a two-mile bypass of the Indigo Tunnel. Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., has shepherded through a key Senate committee will help to … Washington County. Two bicyclists look beyond the western terminus of the Western Maryland Rail Trail at a train trestle that could carry future trail extensions over the Potomac River. Please use the by-pass ramps to the Canal Towpath. Additional fencing is needed along the new section of trail. Contact: 301-842-2155 Hours: Sunrise to Sunset ALERT 11/24/20: The Western Maryland Rail Trail is OPEN to allow for outdoor recreation. My grandson and I cycled from Big Pool to Hancock and back on New Years Day. The views of the River and the Canal were spectacular. The tunnel is one of the largest and healthiest roosts for five species of bats, including two endangered species – the Eastern Small-footed bat and the Indiana bat. The extension, when completed, will extend the trail from its current ending point in Pearre another 4.5 miles to Little Orleans, west of Hancock. C&O Canal Deputy Superintendent John Noel said the trail is unique because the last six miles are owned by the C&O Canal, but managed in partnership with the State of Maryland through Fort Frederick. This is the fourth phase of the trail and extends it 26 miles from Big Pool to the west. Our most recent trip brought us two exciting surprises: a new addition to the rail trail and a newly restored—and rewatered—canal aqueduct at Williamsport. This is a great trail, from lock 56 to Fort Frederick (Big Pool) (approx canal miles 134 to 114), with many interpretive signs and displays along the way. Next week, it will become the new home for the farm and lands trust of York County which oversees the Heritage Rail Trail. It is sandwiched between I-70 to the north and the C&O Towpath / Potomac River to the south. “The Western Maryland Rail Trail is remarkable. Metal gates close off the tunnel to visitors. Proposed Extension of the Western Maryland Rail Trail Maryland and West Virginia Public Scoping –November 2010 National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Purpose and Need Purpose: The purpose of the Site Development Plan is to identify an overall … 144). State and county officials, trail designers and supporters cut the ribbon the new 4.5-mile section of the Western Maryland Rail Trail on Saturday, June 1. When I wrote about the Western Maryland Rail Trail on this blog four years ago, I knew of plans to extend the 22-mile trail another 14 miles. The Western Maryland Railway (reporting mark WM) was an American Class I railroad (1852–1983) which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.It was primarily a coal hauling and freight railroad, with a small passenger train operation.. By using the towpath, this can make a really nice loop ride (up to 40 miles! Western Maryland Rail Trail Extension Opens June 1 May 28, 2019 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Celebrates the Completion of Phase IV The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. on June 1 to celebrate the completion of the Phase IV extension of the Western Maryland Rail Trail. She added there will be a meeting with park and DNR officials along with a walk through before it opens. The parking lot for the Rail Trail on Pearre Road is just over seven miles off Western Pike (MD Rt. The Western Maryland Railroad Freight Station on North George Street dates back to 1896. Don Sager heads west on the beginning section of the Western Maryland Rail Extension from Pearre to Little Orleans on Thursday afternoon, March 28. “We still plan to see this beautiful trail extend the next 10 miles,” she said. This was a great way to bring in the New Year. Travel west on MD 144 for 1.4 miles. The length of the railroad was abandoned in 1975 with the final train removing the rails between Big Pool and Tonoloway in December 1988. Western Maryland Rail Trail c/o Fort Frederick State Park 11100 Fort Frederick Road Big Pool MD 21711. Hummer said the original goal was for the extension to open on March 15, but there were a few set backs like back orders on materials and weather. Pittman said many people, from politicians to local residents in Maryland and West Virginia, stayed committed to the idea of the trail along the old rail line. I would love to see the trail cross the Potomac River and continue west to Paw Paw. I noticed this article said the completed date is april 15th 2019…..is the extension from pierre to little Orleans now open to the public to ride? When I wrote about the Western Maryland Rail Trail on this blog four years ago, I knew of plans to extend the 22-mile trail another 14 miles. Gould had been trying to complete his planned extension to Connellsville, Pennsylvania when his empire collapsed but had secured an important corridor through the Cumberland Narrows via the GC&C. When I wrote about the Western Maryland Rail Trail on this blog four years ago, I knew of plans to extend the 22-mile trail another 14 miles. The Western Maryland Rail Trail Extension. The bridge is part of a two-mile bypass of the trail around the Indigo Tunnel. The parking lot beside the trail at the center of town has meters that take quarters and charge a nostalgically low rate of 25¢ an hour. Fort Frederick is the HQ for the trail and could say for certain. Taking a break beside the Western Maryland Rail trail on a beautiful July day in Hancock, MD. According to Michael Cavanaugh, Procurement Officer in the Department of General Services, the project is 97% complete. The Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) is the area's latest rail-to-trail project. 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