Sheepskin Trail

The Sheepskin Trail is a proposed 34 mile rails-to-trails recreational facility that will extend from Dunbar Township to Point Marion Borough at the Pennsylvania/West Virginia state line. Fayette County received a planning grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in 1996 to conduct a trail feasibility study. A major study goal was to define and assess the potential trail route.  The resulting Feasibility Study, completed in 1999, indicated that the Sheepskin Trail was a viable project.

Gibson-Thomas was selected to update the Feasibility Study in 2017. The study included the development of topographical mapping, development of alignments and alternatives, stakeholder interviews and public meetings, land acquisition and construction cost estimates, recommendations on design and construction sequencing, and funding options.

Gibson-Thomas initially provided construction inspection services on a 1.4 mile section of the trail from the West Virginia state line, though Point Marion Borough, and terminating at the confluence of the Monongahela and Cheat Rivers.  The next phase was the design of a 1.5 mile section of trail along the Cheat River in Springhill Township. This section is currently in the right-of-way acquisition phase and is anticipated to start construction in the summer or fall of 2021.  An additional section from Nilan to Lake Lynn began design activities in the winter of 2021.

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