Explore the best rated trails in Oil City, PA, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Clarion-Little Toby Trail and Shenango Trail . With more than 39 trails covering 473 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Great weather for November hiking! Early AM 30° but warmed to 42° with plenty of sun and blue skies. Several horses, 13 hikers, and 2 dogs today. Trail is dry and clear despite recent rain.
Rode the trail north to Butler twice. On each trip we rode into nearby downtown Butler to eat. Followed streets marked as bike routes. Between the two rides, we were accosted by angry or unpleasant locals in their cars on three occasions. Twice of which were shouts about how illegal or rude it is to ride bikes and/on the street or slow traffic. The other encounter was a buzz accompanied by shouts of an ignorant nature. All of these occurred in daylight and on city streets. This town is not just unfriendly to cyclists, it is just unfriendly.
Is an additional probably 3 mile loop in the woods that takes you right up to the waterline.
3rd week of October, foliage was peaked. Enjoyed a lovely bike ride.
The Shenango Trail is completely clear and in great shape. Hiked over 5 miles yesterday and had a great hike spotting several deer and Bald Eagles. Late afternoon is the best time for animal watching. Glimpsed several beaver on the river. Due to the dry summer all areas are passable. Bikers taking advantage of conditions. Hunters can be present; WEAR SAFETY ORANGE!
This is a really nice trail to ride. It is the closest trail to our house so it’s our go to trail. The northern end it is somewhat desolate, and sometimes we don’t even see any other riders! The lower end is a little busier, but fun! Be very careful between the YMCA and the Mariner around mile post 46. The trail is paved, but very, very bumpy! Especially in the right hand lane heading to Ford City. Bikers were actually walking their bikes through the stretch. I’m
I did a round trip ride on the Redbank this summer. (As an FYI I ride on 700x35 Marathon Plus tires.) I might suggest this trail is among the best maintained trails I have been on. Even the morning I rode in a light rain there were no puddles or mud. I don’t know why TrailLink says there is ballast. That is very unfair to the folks who have done such a great job on this trail. It’s very scenic as you would expect for this part of the country. And who doesn’t love (2) tunnels! There are also informative markers that are, well, informative and add a bit of local color to the ride. Depending on how much and where on the trail you ride you may need to plan your food stops. For example, on the western end of the trail I continued north on the Armstrong Trail to East Brady for lunch. Bring a bit of extra cash since not every restaurant takes credit cards. I plan to be back and will be bringing a few friends along this time.
The idea of a rail trail through rail tunnels fascinated me so we made the plan to travel to ride this trail.
Started in Emlenton and headed north. Trail head parking is a bit hard to find, you drive a short distance north on what feels like you are driving on the path, a parking area is past the industrial building on the north end of town.
Beautiful ride along the river through fall colors. There are a few spots where the tree roots are pushing up but most of the trail was in good condition.
The tunnels were amazing.
First tunnel was 2500 feet and the second was 3300. Both have a slight turn near the south end so going north you are in darkness for a short time before the circle of light at the other end appears. South bound you are most of the way through before you see light glowing on the wall.
Emlenton trail head to the north end of the second tunnel was 13.9 miles, mainly up grade going north.
My wife and I rode this trail on Oct 18,2023. We started at the Freeport end, doing the longest incline first to make the return trip easier. That was just a long ,steady, gradual climb. Not hard to do with probably nothing more than a two percent grade. Coming back from Butler was a slightly steeper (maybe 3%) climb but much shorter. We really liked this trail as it follows the Buffalo Creek for much of the ride and it goes through a lot of forested areas and farm fields lined with trees. There are plenty of benches to rest and enjoy the scenery. I think it could have maybe two more porta johns or restrooms. There are plenty of parking areas and trailheads. The Derailuer Bike Shop would have been a nice place to get something to eat or a snack along the way but it was closed for the season on weekdays now. Freeport had no place open to get some food after our ride, and from what we could tell, Butler had nowhere close to bike to for anything to eat or drink. Overall the trail was nice and I'd do it again.
Mid October, some pretty fall foliage but not full color. Parked at the Spillway and fed the fish, don't forget to bring (old) bread. Biked the trail back and forth a few times. Enjoyable ride!
From Bailey Road towards Conneaut Lake, Ernst Nature Trail, 4.5 miles. Surface is dirt, cinder and some gravel. They are still working on this section. From Kerrtown in Meadville to Conneaut Lake the trail total length is/will be 12 miles.
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