New Trail to Combine Hiking and History in Zelienople and Harmony

Local hikers soon will be able to get a dose of history with their exercise.

Harmony council President Jack Shanks and other community volunteers are creating the Connoquenessing Valley Heritage Trail, a pathway that will build upon existing trails and take hikers through historical sites.

The idea started two years ago when Zelienople and Harmony officials developed a comprehensive plan for community development that included recreational improvements.

Shanks said developing new trails was one of the top requested recreational activities in the boroughs, so he set out to find the right people to make it happen.

“I contacted a couple of well-known hikers in our area, including Tom Murray, a guy who does the ‘Iron Man’ competitions and has worked on trails,” Shanks said.

Looking at trails already in existence, plus some historical sites in the area, Shanks began to develop a new trail that would link to other trails and travel through historical sites when possible.

“We got some folks together, sat down and took what I had done and mapped out a trail,” Shanks said.

The group noted where the trail went over private property before walking it themselves in late May.

“Some of us know this area like the back of our own hands, so it was easy,” Shanks said.

The group decided where it would make sense to move a route a bit, where to link the other trails and what historical sites would make sense to include. Shanks said the trail tentatively is set to start in Zelienople Park and pass by the grave of Zelie Basse, for whom the town is named.

The Heritage Trail will be about 8.8 miles and wind by a historic mill, dam and other notable sites.

Besides Shanks, the planning group includes Tom Nesbitt, Roc Dornbrook, Mike Cornell, Tom Murray, Mary Hess and Julie Meier, field manager for the Venture Outdoors North Office.

“Some of us are hikers, Mary owns a mapping and GPS company, and, of course, Julie represents Venture Outdoors,” Shanks said.

Now that the group has worked out where they want the trail to go, Shanks said they are contacting eight to 10 landowners who have property they want to cross with the trail.

“Once we have their permission, we will finish cleaning the trails and create the only part we need to actually make,” Shanks said.

He estimated the group has about one mile of the trail they will need to build from scratch. They are hoping the trail will be completed by May. Shanks said Historic Harmony and the Zelienople Historic Societyhave “blessed the trail” and are looking at ways they can incorporate the pathway into their activities, including having hikers spend half the day in Harmony before hiking and part of their time in Zelienople after hiking.

Venture Outdoors North is planning to use the trail for its activities.

“We are always interested in bringing more activities to our area, and the fact that this combines the history of our area makes it all the more appealing,” Meier said.

Once this trail is complete Shanks has another project he'd like to tackle. 

“We’ve been talking about building another trail that is 9-and-a-half miles in 2013,” he said.