FreeWheeling Easy Supplement

For several years development of the Butler-Freeport Trail was impeded by litigation over the right of way. In July 2000, a judge issued a permanent order to keep the trail open and free of obstructions in Buffalo, Jefferson, and Winfield Townships. From Laneville, the trail is open but undeveloped with a ballast surface for <x> miles to the <x> Township water treatment plant, just west of the high PA28 bridge. It then shares the tar-and-chip access road for the water treatment plant for 1.3 miles to Monroe Rd. For 10 miles from Monroe Rd to Rennier Rd at the Summit Township line it is open on packed crushed limestone. The trail is closed in Summit Township. We understand that a short section is open but undeveloped near Butler in <x> township.

In three sections, the trail is largely grown over, with just a single track worn down to the cinders. These sections are open – they are probably narrow because they were not used for some time. The first of these is just west of Monroe Rd to the bridge that was redecked. The second is between Keasey and Jones Rd, and the third is from Harris Rd to Rennier Rd. These sections were blocked during the legal proceedings.

A snack shop has opened in Cabot beside the trail and the nearby bar is being remodeled to reopen.

The bridge just west of Monroe Rd is open. The on-road section on Keasey and Jones is no longer necessary, because the trail is open along the indicated line. The temporary end of trail at Harris Rd has been moved north about half a mile, to Rennier Rd. This updates the maps on pp. 154 and 156.

Correction to directions to Monroe trailhead: It’s 0.8 miles on Monroe Rd.