Ernst Trail

Ernst Trail French Creek Recreational Trails, Inc. http://ernsttrail.org/ Despite the involvement of some of Meadville’s best-known citizens, the railroad did not flourish.

History of Ernst Trail
The Meadville-Linesville Railroad was built from 1880-1892 by a group of Meadville entrepreneurs to gain access to the Pennsylvania Railroad at Linesville. In 1891, the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad Co. leased the right-of-way and for a time it’s most profitable use was as a passenger line, transporting visitors to Exposition Park (renamed Conneaut Lake Park in 1920). With t

he rise of the automobile, passenger service declined, and in 1934, rail service to the park was discontinued. The Bessemer abandoned the line in 1976. In 1996, Calvin Ernst, the right-of-way’s owner, donated the property to French Creek Recreational Trails and the Ernst Bike Trail was born.

Here are some scenes from the Conneaut Lake end of The Ernst Trail. In one photo, you will see evidence of the former E...
08/28/2026

Here are some scenes from the Conneaut Lake end of The Ernst Trail. In one photo, you will see evidence of the former Erie Extension Canal. The Ernst Trail is currently being groomed on the former base of the old railroad bed. Before the railroad came into our area, this was actually the tow path for the horses pulling the canal boats down the Erie Canal. If you look closely, in the winter, with less foliage present, you may even see former wooden plank steps on the side of the old canal bed. In warm weather, these steps were used to allow the tow path horses to walk down to get some water, per our resident local trail historian, Mr. Calvin Ernst.
"And now you know the rest of the story!"

Here are some more photos for you to enjoy! These were taken yesterday, in the early evening as dusk approached, betwee...
08/22/2026

Here are some more photos for you to enjoy! These were taken yesterday, in the early evening as dusk approached, between mile 1.0 and 2.5 on the Ernst Trail...

During this three-day period of giving (August 19 through August 21), a portion of the prorated match pool will be added...
08/19/2026

During this three-day period of giving (August 19 through August 21), a portion of the prorated match pool will be added to each donation you make to the Ernst Trail when you donate through this website or deliver cash or a check to the Crawford Heritage Community Foundation. Here are the ways to give (and be sure to specify 'ERNST TRAIL - French Creek Recreational Trails, Inc.' as the recipient of your donation!):
BY CREDIT CARD
To make your gift by credit card, begin by selecting the organizations to which you wish to donate and then click the "Checkout" button at the bottom of the screen. You can then assign a dollar figure for each organization and enter your credit card information.
BY CASH OR CHECK
Prepare and submit a copy of our Check Contribution Form with your gift no later than August 21! We can't guarantee that checks arriving later than Friday, August 15 will be included in our fundraising totals. Gifts can be dropped off at our office 415 Chestnut Street, Meadville, PA 16335. CHECKS MUST BE PAYABLE TO THE CRAWFORD HERITAGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.
QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS?
Call Georgette Bennett, Operations Coordinator of the Crawford Heritage Community Foundation at 814-336-5206 or email [email protected].

The Conneaut Lake trailhead parking lot and the access road of Coleman Drive recently received their final paving on Tue...
08/18/2026

The Conneaut Lake trailhead parking lot and the access road of Coleman Drive recently received their final paving on Tuesday, August 18. The public is asked not to drive on these areas at this time. The parking lot and Coleman Drive will re-open for public use on Friday August 21.

You will find this sign posted at the birdwatching station near the 11.0 mile marker, and the kiosks at Bean's trailhead...
08/18/2026

You will find this sign posted at the birdwatching station near the 11.0 mile marker, and the kiosks at Bean's trailhead, Brown Hill Rd., and Bailey Rd. If you scan the QR code, you can find info on recent observations of specific species of birds at each hotspot location 🐦.

Don't forget that Crawford Gives starts this Wednesday! We hope you will consider donating to the Ernst Trail during thi...
08/18/2026

Don't forget that Crawford Gives starts this Wednesday!
We hope you will consider donating to the Ernst Trail during this event, as thanks to a prorated match pool, a portion of matching funds will be added to each eligible donation.
Learn more here: https://www.crawfordgives.org/ and find ERNST TRAIL-French Creek Recreational Trails, Inc. in their online list of 2026 participants.

Today was a perfect trail day! I hope you enjoyed it as well 🙂.(Photos taken between mile marker 0.5 and 1.0)
08/15/2026

Today was a perfect trail day! I hope you enjoyed it as well 🙂.
(Photos taken between mile marker 0.5 and 1.0)

Brian Mahoney, of Mahoney Dock Sales of Conneaut Lake, installed a floating dock system and kayak launch at our Conneaut...
08/12/2026

Brian Mahoney, of Mahoney Dock Sales of Conneaut Lake, installed a floating dock system and kayak launch at our Conneaut Lake Trailhead. These improvements were given as a gift and did not cost French Creek Recreational Trails any funds.
We are very thankful for all of our donors, supporters, and volunteers, who have made so many recent improvements to the trail possible!

Wildflower garden between mile marker 0.0 and 0.5 🌻...
08/09/2026

Wildflower garden between mile marker 0.0 and 0.5 🌻...

Much progress was made on the Conneaut Lake trailhead paving project. After our crew was able to secure a contract to p...
08/07/2026

Much progress was made on the Conneaut Lake trailhead paving project. After our crew was able to secure a contract to purchase the asphalt millings from Shields Asphalt Paving, the hard work began. 300 tons of millings, which is 13 tri-axle loads, were spread around Coleman Drive and the parking lot by our volunteer Dave Hubbard. Using the Ernst C3 vintage bulldozer, Dave worked straight through from 6:30 am to dusk completing the task. Dave was assisted by Erik Kulasa and Michael McCloskey, all of Conneaut Lake. Next step will be to compress the millings using a road vibrating roller and final step will be a top layer of seal coating. As soon as it is complete, we will let everyone know. Looking great so far!

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18757 Smock Highway
Meadville, PA
16335

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