9/11 National Memorial Trail completed in three national parks

STOYSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — The National Park Service held a press conference on Monday to discuss the progress of the 9/11 National Memorial Trail .

“It’s one of the proudest moments I’ve ever had in my entire career, and I mean that sincerely,” Stephen Clark, Superintendent for National Parks of Western Pennsylvania said.

The 9/11 National Memorial Trail is 1,500 miles long and links the World Trade Center , the Pentagon , and the Flight 93 National Memorial .

A portion of the trail is now complete. It runs through the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site , Flight 93 National Memorial and the Johnstown Flood National Memorial .

“And it’s just a really, really wonderful step forward for the other national park units. And again, to showcase that tremendous partnership between the alliance and the National Park Service,” Clark said.

These are the first three parks to have a completed piece of the trail.

“And the beauty is going to be not only will our citizens understand more about what happened on 911, but they’ll be able to have a recreation experience, be they walking or cycling or just being with their families. It’s a great day for America and a great day for Flight 93,” said David Brickley, Founder and President Emeritus of the 9/11 National Memorial Trail.

The trail is already open for recreational use such as walking, biking and hiking. On Monday, some bikers were already taking advantage of the trail.

“It feels really special to be able to ride this now, to see it come to life. We were here about a year ago and whilst it was welcoming, now we’ve got this marking that tells us like, this is a lane for you to enjoy the park. You’re welcome. Please come and be part of our community,” said Matt Harris, Chair of the Board of Directors for the 9/11 National Memorial Trail Alliance.

A board member of the National Memorial Trail Alliance was also riding his bike on the trail.

“To actually see the signage, the places where you can park your bike safely. It just – it’s a wonderful feeling to know that people can now use this in a way that we were just imagining a decade ago,” Daniel Wille, a board member said.

The National Park Service describes the trail as a triangle, with no specific start or end. However, there are a lot of gaps on the trail that still need to be completed.

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“We look forward to continue to work with the National Park Service to develop the 9/11 trail route through these parks for all users and for the community,” said Jeffery McCauley, President of the 9/11 National Memorial Trail.

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It could be years before the entire 1,500-mile alignment is complete. The trail is expected to pass through 18 national parks and six states.

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