“The people in this community have worked with their hands, and they know how to get things done,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said at the christening.

Saxton township recently revitalized a 1.7-mile-long trail connecting the Riddlesburg trailhead to Warriors Path State Park, pushing toward their mission of becoming a “trail town.”

Dubbed the Huntingdon and Broad Top Rail Trail, Broad Top Township supervisor Donnie Hedge said the trail is a “win-win for everyone.”

The Warriors Path State Park sign sits at the entrance of the new trail. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow

Beginning of the road

Broad Top Township “gets it done economically for the community, on time and on budget,” GAI Engineering consultant Bob Genter said.

The 1.7-mile trail connector is the township’s final installment to revitalize 13.5 miles of terrain into one long trail. Beginning in Tatesville, the trail continues into Warriors Path State Park.

According to Hedge, it cost Broad Top Township an average of $155,000 per mile, totaling $2.2 million, which includes a new bridge.

They were $50,000 “under budget” with their projected costs, Hedge said.

The beginning of the trail invites people to stop and smell the pine cones. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow.

Funds for the project came from many different sources, he said, such as Bedford County, DCNR, Southern Alleghenies Planning, PennDOT and more.

The trail is also part of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mission to strengthen Pennsylvania’s $19 billion outdoor economy by closing trail gaps across the state.

Due to this push, the commonwealth invested $200,000 in the trail along with awarding the township with $341,500 in additional grants.

Another financial contributor to the project is the Nason Foundation. Nason board member Tom Churbock said everyone came together to accomplish a “value project.”

Former Broad Top Township secretary Ernest Fuller originally brought the idea of a rail trail to Hedge 15 years ago after purchasing the first piece of the trail with another piece of property.

“I looked at him and said, ‘What?'” Hedge said. “But he was right.”

The community thought those involved with the plan were “crazy” for doing it themselves, but Hedge said they “pretty much do everything themselves,” considering how they paved their own roads, installed pipes and had their own construction team.

“It is rare to find a township that’s doing this kind of work on their own,” Adams Dunn said when seeing the Saxton township begin the trail project on their own.

Genter said he became acquainted with Hedge and Broad Top Township 15 years ago, stating they have the “vision, the know-how and most of all, they have the fortitude and perseverance to get it done.”

To celebrate September Trails Month, Adams Dunn said her staff chose the trail to mark the occasion because of the local community’s hard work and leadership, seeing it “rise and rise” over the years.

Adding to local economy

Since the trail’s addition, park manager Joe Basil said August’s attendance has “doubled” as it has been “well received” by the local public.

People involved with the trail’s revitalization believe it will bring more people into Saxton, thus improving their economy.

Bedford County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kellie Goodman Shaffer said there are almost 700 local businesses throughout the county.

Trail towns are “important for the economy of Bedford County,” she said, because trails bring business into the area.

Individuals are coming to the new trail more often now, which is helping local gas stations and convenience stores, according to Hedge.

Before the trail, Hedge said Saxton’s economy changed “a little bit.” Now, the economy has changed “a lot.”

Due to the Shapiro administration’s $19 billion investment, Adams Dunn said 260,000 jobs have been created across the state, being a direct result from trails projects like this.

She added that the new trails can persuade people to “stay here, move here and live here.”

“These are the connections we’re looking for and want to do at our state parks and the communities surrounding our state parks,” Basil said.

In Adams Dunn’s opinion, Saxton has looked “better and better” each time she has visited, adding that “people … have connection to the park and they have pride in their place.”

Making new ways

Adams Dunn said she believes the partnership between DCNR and the township is “deep and rich,” stating that it “enhances the community, the township and the park.”

The new trail will “serve so many more visitors,” she said.

Goodman Shaffer said quality of life is improved by trails because it improves the health and wellness of visitors.

Churbock also said the trails will benefit members of the community “not just from the health and physical, but from the mental standpoint.”

People also meet and talk on a trail, which brings a “connection to the community” as well, Adams Dunn said.

“We want to give our residents a safe place to walk and exercise,” Hedge said.

The rail trail is only at its beginning, according to Genter, since they just finished a study with Southern Alleghenies Planning to make the local area a “hub for trails and outdoor recreation.”

“There are plenty of outdoor recreation venues here,” he said, mentioning Raystown Lake, trails and “connections to the outdoors.”

The trail is an “investment for the community’s future,” Churbock said, because it will be here “forever for adventure seekers to experience.”

Goodman Shaffer said the trail also does a good job preserving railroad history while appreciating local “beautiful spaces.”

“This is a wonderful time for this area, and I expect much, much more to come,” Genter said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.