Looking for a great way to get outside and explore? Check out Washington County’s best trails for biking, hiking, running and more!
Disclaimer - This is a sponsored blog post by the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency. As always, my opinions are unbiased and my own. I want to thank Washington County for their generosity!
Table of Contents
- Best Bike Trails in Washington County
- The Panhandle Trail
- The Montour Trail
- Best Hiking Trails in Washington County
- Peters Lake Loop
- Mingo Creek County Park
- National Pike Trail
Overview of Trails in Washington County
Located just south of Pittsburgh, Washington County is a great place for an outdoor adventure. This western Pennsylvania area is great for biking, hiking, and more. With amazing state and county parks and nationally renowned bike trails, Washington County should be on all outdoor adventure bucket lists.
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Best Bike Trails in Washington County
Washington County offers two amazing bike trails – the Panhandle Trail and the Montour Trail.
As always, follow the principles of leave no trace when you're out exploring! Pack out all trash, leave wildlife alone, and generally leave it better than you found it - for more information visit the Leave No Trace Center.
Panhandle Trail
Overview: This 29 mile trail runs from West Virginia to Allegheny County, with the majority of miles located in Pennsylvania’s Washington County. Originally part of the railroad route called Panhandle Route, this rail trail is a great bike trail for all types of cyclists.
Length: 29 miles
Accessibility: The majority of this trail is paved, with some crushed gravel. I’d recommend thicker tires than a road bike on the gravel sections in WV and Allegheny County (hybrid bike or gravel/cyclocross tires). For regular wheelchair users, I’d recommend sticking to the paved Washington County sections.
Connections to Other Trails: Connects to the Montour Trail via a short one-mile connector trail
Insider Tip: If you only want to bike a short section, I recommend biking out and back from McDonald
For more information and to plan your visit, check out my full guide to the Panhandle Trail!
The Montour Trail
Overview: The nation’s longest suburban rail trail, there’s a reason why the Montour Trail regularly makes the list of top bike trails. The trail runs from Coriopolis to Clairton
Length: over 60 miles of trails, including connectors
Accessibility: The majority of this trail is crushed limestone, so while the grade is minimal, regular wheelchair users may want to keep this in mind.
Connections to Other Trails: The Montour Trail connects to the Panhandle Trail, the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail, and the C&O trail.
Insider Tip: The Montour Trail has tons of options for routes to do any distance ride and it’s easily accessible from public transportation, including both the T and bus routes.
For more information, check out my guide to biking the Montour Trail!
Best Hiking Trails in Washington County
While Washington County might not be as well known a hiking destination as other Western Pennsylvania locations like the Laurel Highlands, you may be surprised at how many different trails there are. Each of the hikes listed below is unique in its own way.
If you want to make sure you never lose a route, upgrade to AllTrails+. Then you can download trail maps to stay on trail even when you don't have service!
Peters Lake Loop
Overview: This hidden gem of a park in Canonsburg is located through a subdivision where you might not know about it unless you knew.
Length: just under two miles
Accessibility: If you’re going counterclockwise, the first half is paved and we saw multiple wheelchair and stroller users.
Insider Tip: This trail gets busy on nice weekends with lots of people out enjoying the park. If you want the trail to yourself, head out very early or on a weekday.
Mingo Creek County Park – Blue & Orange Loop
Overview: This hike in Mingo Creek County Park is a perfect mix of forest single track, open meadow, and paved trail. While other trails in the park are one or the other, this route is great for those who like to mix it up. This trail also runs right by the most unique feature of Mingo Creek County Park, the Ebenezer Covered Bridge.
Length: 4.2 miles
Accessibility: This route is not wheelchair accessible, however, the paved loop at Mingo Creek is.
Connections to Other Trails: This trail connects to the paved loop, the Orange Trail, and the Blue Trail.
Insider Tip: This is my favorite trail at Mingo because you get both the single track forested trail with the paved flat trail. If you do it in the reverse direction that AllTrails suggests, you’ll start with the harder part and end easy.
For more information, check out my guide to Mingo Creek County Park!
National Pike Trail
Overview: This trail, dedicated in 2022, is a newer trail to Washington County. Located in Claysville, the National Pike Trail follows a pre Civil War railroad line. Trail highlights include beautiful summer flowers and two historic tunnels. One of the tunnels is over 750 feet long, so bring a headlamp to walk through safely
Length: 4 miles out and back
Accessibility: This chair is not wheelchair accessible and is located up a set of stairs from the parking lot.
Connections to Other Trails: The goal is to eventually connect to the Montour Trail.
Insider Tip: The National Pike Trail Council continues to do work to improve and expand this trail. As of summer 2025, they are doing work on the No. 4 tunnel, so make sure to park at the trailhead marked on AllTrails and stop walking when you hit the trail closed signs.
For more information, check out my guide to The National Pike Trail!
No matter what type of adventure you’re interested in, Washington County has a trail for you!
Updated September 20 2025