Find the top rated trails in Saint Marys, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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This moderately difficult trail features great views of Minister Creek and passes by several outstanding rock outcropings, the latter about 1 mile from the trailhead parking lot. This heavily used...
The Shawmut Trail begins in the southwest corner of the small, charming community of Smethport and continues southwest out of town along Marvin Creek. Along the way, views are a mix of woodlands,...
If you find yourself in Allegany or Olean, New York, with a half hour to spare, this loop trail makes for a very enjoyable bike ride. Better yet, strap on your inline skates and do a lap or two with...
The Greater Jamestown Riverwalk trail is a 1.2 mile paved trail that runs along the Chadakoin river in Jamestown New York. The trail is recently renovated and part of a larger system of trails. The...
Located along the banks of Conewango Creek, the open 3-mile segment of this proposed 11-mile trail follows an old New York Central branch north from the city of Warren. Designed to serve primarily as...
Located on the western side of the Allegheny National Forest, this trail extends north to south, parallel to the Allegheny River from the town of Tidioute to Grove Run. The trail retains much of the...
The old railroad line known as the Moshannon, or the Mills Branch, crossed the Moshannon Valley during the mid- to late 1800s. The line was the foundation of the region's late 19th- and early...
Running parallel to State Route 219, this 4 mile section of trail has been built on a former line of the Pennsylvania Railroad (Line 651) and runs from Sandy Township in Clearfield County (near...
Rail 66 Country Trail is a rustic trail paralleling Route 66, that begins in Paint Township near the Clarion Junction (SR 322/SR 66) and extends north to the Clarion/Forest County line. The trail is...
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Once known as the Clearfield and Grampian Trail, in 2011, the name was changed to the David S. Ammerman Trail in memory of the man who championed turning the abandoned rail corridor into a...
Located in beautiful Sinnemahoning State Park in Pennsylvania, the Lowlands Trail uses the former corridor of the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad. The trail and park are now part of the tour...
The Marilla Bridges Trail provides a 1-mile loop around Marilla Reservoir in Bradford, not far from the Pennsylvania/New York border. The fine-crushed limestone trail offers a scenic trek through the...
The West Creek Recreational Trail begins in the northwestern Pennsylvania community of Emporium and heads 18 miles west to the City of St. Marys in Elk County. The crushed-stone pathway follows the...
The Mahoning Shadow Trail has a flat surface that is easy for biking, running and walking. There is little signage on the trail, but each trailhead and access point is well marked. Begin at the...
Kinzua Valley Trail is nestled alongside the wooded Kinzua Creek within the Allegheny National Forest of northwestern Pennsylvania. The trail begins in Westline at a trailhead with a large parking lot...
Developed as a Safe Routes to School project, the paved section of the Beaver Meadow Trail runs eastward for 1.5 miles from the Dubois City Park along the northern bank of Sandy Lick Creek traversing...
The Clarion Highlands Trail is one of the highest rail-trails in the Commonwealth. It traverses the Allegheny Plateau, passing over the divide between the Clarion and Allegheny Rivers, and follows the...
The Blaisdell-Emery Trail follows an abandoned railroad bed between South Bradford and the borough of Lewis Run. This scenic trail parallels Tunungant Creek (locally called Tuna Creek) for part of the...
This picturesque trail meanders along the Wild and Scenic Clarion River and Little Toby Creek through Elk and Jefferson counties between the charming small towns of Ridgway and Brockway. Tree cover...
Primarily a cross-country ski route, the 13.4-mile Sentiero DiShay Trail can also be enjoyed for hiking and mountain biking. The trail winds through a mixed forest of conifer and deciduous trees. The...
Kinzua Valley Trail is nestled alongside the wooded Kinzua Creek within the Allegheny National Forest of northwestern Pennsylvania. The trail begins in Westline at a trailhead with a large parking lot...
This trail is not groomed. The three loops are suitable for beginners. The trail is marked with blue diamonds. Check out the short 1.2 mile Hearts Content Interpretive Trail which offers a scenic hike...
Redbank Valley Rail Trail follows the old Allegheny Valley Railroad, which dates back to 1873. Mile 0 for the trail is at its west end, where the trail meets the Allegheny River and the Armstrong...
This moderately difficult trail features great views of Minister Creek and passes by several outstanding rock outcropings, the latter about 1 mile from the trailhead parking lot. This heavily used...
Running parallel to State Route 219, this 4 mile section of trail has been built on a former line of the Pennsylvania Railroad (Line 651) and runs from Sandy Township in Clearfield County (near...
This trail passes through a variety of pleasing landscapes. The area near Crane Run is especially scenic. The trail is marked with white diamonds. The skill level of this trail is rated more...
At 301 feet high, the Kinzua Bridge—also known as the Kinzua Viaduct—was the tallest railroad bridge in the world when it was built in 1882. The bridge served the Erie Railroad and occasional...
The West Creek Recreational Trail begins in the northwestern Pennsylvania community of Emporium and heads 18 miles west to the City of St. Marys in Elk County. The crushed-stone pathway follows the...
The Shawmut Trail begins in the southwest corner of the small, charming community of Smethport and continues southwest out of town along Marvin Creek. Along the way, views are a mix of woodlands,...
The Mahoning Shadow Trail has a flat surface that is easy for biking, running and walking. There is little signage on the trail, but each trailhead and access point is well marked. Begin at the...
Rail 66 Country Trail is a rustic trail paralleling Route 66, that begins in Paint Township near the Clarion Junction (SR 322/SR 66) and extends north to the Clarion/Forest County line. The trail is...
Developed as a Safe Routes to School project, the paved section of the Beaver Meadow Trail runs eastward for 1.5 miles from the Dubois City Park along the northern bank of Sandy Lick Creek traversing...
If you find yourself in Allegany or Olean, New York, with a half hour to spare, this loop trail makes for a very enjoyable bike ride. Better yet, strap on your inline skates and do a lap or two with...
This trail is not groomed. Three stacked loops offer a variety of hiking and skiing opportunities at a range of difficulty levels. The trail starts out on a railroad grade along Big Mill Creek. This...
Located along the banks of Conewango Creek, the open 3-mile segment of this proposed 11-mile trail follows an old New York Central branch north from the city of Warren. Designed to serve primarily as...
Once known as the Clearfield and Grampian Trail, in 2011, the name was changed to the David S. Ammerman Trail in memory of the man who championed turning the abandoned rail corridor into a...
The Blaisdell-Emery Trail follows an abandoned railroad bed between South Bradford and the borough of Lewis Run. This scenic trail parallels Tunungant Creek (locally called Tuna Creek) for part of the...
Located in one of Pennsylvanias most popular State Parks, the Beaver Dam Trail follows old railroad grades at Parker Dam State Park in Clearfield County. The trail runs past streams, beaver dams,...
Located on the western side of the Allegheny National Forest, this trail extends north to south, parallel to the Allegheny River from the town of Tidioute to Grove Run. The trail retains much of the...
The Clarion Highlands Trail is one of the highest rail-trails in the Commonwealth. It traverses the Allegheny Plateau, passing over the divide between the Clarion and Allegheny Rivers, and follows the...
The Mill Creek Trail serves as a connector between Twin Lakes Recreation Area and the Brush Hollow Trail. Just south of Forest Road 138, the Mill Creek Trail leaves the Twin Lakes Trail and heads...
This trail is not groomed. The trail is a combination of logging roads, railroad grades and pipelines that offer challenges to a wide range of skill levels. Trail is marked with blue diamonds.
If you find yourself in Allegany or Olean, New York, with a half hour to spare, this loop trail makes for a very enjoyable bike ride. Better yet, strap on your inline skates and do a lap or two with...
This trail is not groomed. Three stacked loops offer a variety of hiking and skiing opportunities at a range of difficulty levels. The trail starts out on a railroad grade along Big Mill Creek. This...
The Greater Jamestown Riverwalk trail is a 1.2 mile paved trail that runs along the Chadakoin river in Jamestown New York. The trail is recently renovated and part of a larger system of trails. The...
Running parallel to State Route 219, this 4 mile section of trail has been built on a former line of the Pennsylvania Railroad (Line 651) and runs from Sandy Township in Clearfield County (near...
This trail passes through a variety of pleasing landscapes. The area near Crane Run is especially scenic. The trail is marked with white diamonds. The skill level of this trail is rated more...
The route is primitive and unimproved. The trail crosses several streams that are not bridged. The trail follows the scenic Tionesta Creek with lots of great scenery and fishing.
The Mahoning Shadow Trail has a flat surface that is easy for biking, running and walking. There is little signage on the trail, but each trailhead and access point is well marked. Begin at the...
The West Creek Recreational Trail begins in the northwestern Pennsylvania community of Emporium and heads 18 miles west to the City of St. Marys in Elk County. The crushed-stone pathway follows the...
This trail is not groomed. The three loops are suitable for beginners. The trail is marked with blue diamonds. Check out the short 1.2 mile Hearts Content Interpretive Trail which offers a scenic hike...
Once known as the Clearfield and Grampian Trail, in 2011, the name was changed to the David S. Ammerman Trail in memory of the man who championed turning the abandoned rail corridor into a...
Primarily a cross-country ski route, the 13.4-mile Sentiero DiShay Trail can also be enjoyed for hiking and mountain biking. The trail winds through a mixed forest of conifer and deciduous trees. The...
The Five Bridges Trail in northwestern Pennsylvania uses a portion of the former Pittsburgh and Shawmut Railroad corridor, which ran from Brockway to Brookville. Begin at the western end of the...
At 301 feet high, the Kinzua Bridge—also known as the Kinzua Viaduct—was the tallest railroad bridge in the world when it was built in 1882. The bridge served the Erie Railroad and occasional...
Located in one of Pennsylvanias most popular State Parks, the Beaver Dam Trail follows old railroad grades at Parker Dam State Park in Clearfield County. The trail runs past streams, beaver dams,...
The Shawmut Trail begins in the southwest corner of the small, charming community of Smethport and continues southwest out of town along Marvin Creek. Along the way, views are a mix of woodlands,...
Developed as a Safe Routes to School project, the paved section of the Beaver Meadow Trail runs eastward for 1.5 miles from the Dubois City Park along the northern bank of Sandy Lick Creek traversing...
I rode from St Marys to emporium and back. Uphill 600 ft on the return to St Marys but it saved me 40 miles of driving. I thought I made a mistake parking at the West Creek Wetlands Learning Center and riding 0.5 miles on unimproved rail bed to the real trail head parking but turned out the shady place I parked was best. First half to Emporium was remote but the last half was near the road. There were several history markers along the trail near Emporium about early industries like Hercules (explosives for the Panama Canal and WWII) and Sylvania to vacuum tubes. A Caboose was at the end of the trail and open to explore.
My husband and I biked this trail the 4th week in July 2018. On Monday we biked from Ridgway to the Croyland trailhead at mile 8.5, near Laurel Run and back. (total approx 17 miles). On Wednesday we biked from Brockway to the Croyland trailhead and back, (approx 19 total miles). The trail seems to have a slight downhill slope from Ridgway to Croyland, and also from Brockway to Croyland. We supposed this is because the Clarion (in the northern portion) flows south, and the Little Toby (in the southern portion) flows north. It is not noticeable until you turn around and go back, which takes more effort and a lower gear.
There are many signs along the trail noting "ghost towns" and former logging and mining sites, but not many ruins can be seen. Walking across the swinging bridge was a fun break. The railroad trestle in the northern portion is impressive.
At approximately mile 10 there was a truck parked on the trail, and a worker with a small backhoe was digging out the ditch along the trail. We had to maneuver around these vehicles, which were taking up the whole width of the trail. The equipment was making deep ruts in the trail. Hopefully these will be flattened and leveled out when the maintenance is completed.
We saw a lot of deer, chipmunks, and a wild turkey. The first day we passed 4 other bikers and a couple joggers near Ridgway. The 2nd day we saw nobody except the maintenance worker. The trail had some vegetation growing in the middle in some sections, but it wasn't a problem. Overall we thought the northern half was in better condition than the southern half. Also, the northern half has frequent benches along the trail. The southern half has one bench that we noticed.
This was fun to ride but not the most exciting rail trail that we have ridden.
Trail is now completely paved ,13 miles from route 322 to Leeper. Great addition to existing trails in this area.
Parked in Brockway and rode trail for 13 miles toward Ridgeway. Trail is a mix of crush stone and dirt. Over grown in some places. Had to duck under limbs sometimes. About 5.8 miles on trail came to swinging bridge. Walked across it. The name is perfect. Hold on to wire or you will go into Toby Creek. At 10.2 mile you will come to Clarion River. I rode 3 more miles and all there was to see is the river, railroad tracks, bike trail(which was on the soft side, tough to pedal), and a major road. The first 10.2 miles is through woods which was very peaceful. My wife and I saw 9 other bikers, 1 deer, and each saw 1 snake. The trail needs some clearing of grass and limbs. There are places only one person can pedal on trail. Also the trail had vehicle ruts from mile 8.5 to mile 9. Also many historical signs on trail of what towns, saw mills, and train stations that use to exist. No remains of anything from these sites. Two old bridge signs do remain. Trail has potential to be better but needs some work.
The Gillentown trailhead is on W Sycamore Rd not Bombarger Rd. We had to look around for the trail and found it at the Snow Shoe Rails to Trails Memorial. We were able to turn right from there and ride to Clarence and back, a distance of 7 miles round trip. If you turn left the trail is rough and stony. Very difficult by bike. We turned back a mile into it. And it is impossible to ride from one end of the trail to the other due to a bridge out. ATVs use this trail. I would not try it again.
Walked this trail last weekend and found it refreshing and relaxing. Lots of nice wide paths and well maintained.
We parked on side of the trail in Van. We got on the trail along Route 322. You can see where the trail would go across the road in connect (through the woods) to the Sandy Creek trail.
There isn't a designated parking lot, just pull off of the trail. The trail is in PA State Game Lands #45. We went along the trail from Van towards Shippenville.
Trail is mostly flat except a slight grade uphill from Van towards Shippenville. Surface is mostly gravel with some dirt.
It is bikeable on a mountain bike but wouldn't advise on a street bike. A wheelchair would be challenging but is doable.
I started from the very south end of the trail off of Triangle Tech Road on 10/21/2017 and biked uphill from here to the end of the trail. The surface is comprised of small gravel; not crushed limestone. The trail passes thru rock cuts with a nice tree canopy for the 1st three miles with lots of glacier rocks nestled in the woods next to the trail. At mile #3, the trail opens up very briefly before entering back into seclusion. You will cross over Wolf Run several times via 3 bridges. There are 4 mileposts on the trail but they are not accurate; distance between mileposts is less than a mile. There are several picnic tables along the way nestled between the trail and the embankment of the cuts. Occasionally, one will get a glimpse of the BP&R Railroad tracks that parallel the trail on its west side. The only complaint that I have regarding this trail is the trail surface itself. Most Rail-Trails use a fine crushed limestone that is rolled making for a firm riding surface with minimal resistance. The surface of this trail however was comprised of small gravel which offered more resistance and frequent fishtailing. I found this trail absolutely gorgeous and it is well worth the trip to experience it.
This trail is only an hour and a half away from home and it was awesome. Weather was perfect
I rode almost all of this trail Thursday and Friday 10/19 10/20 The surface of the trail was excellent all packed small limestone except for one little spot at New Bethlehem where they took out a railroad bridge that you could easily bypass this by riding down route 28 a short 1/4 mile.
Thursday I started in New Bethlehem. There is a giant eagle there at the end of the trail in Brookville. Make sure you by something to eat and drink because there are few places with food along the trail rode new Bethlehem west to climax tunnel turn around to Brookville city back to New B total miles 51
Stayed at super 8 Brookville PA it was really quiet there is a buffet near the hotel yum
Friday I passed by the trail in Sligo the trail is not improved. Might need a ATB for this area I decided to drive all the way to Phillipston and found the extremely nice trailhead. maps and plenty of parking plus a large port a potty to change you clothes in. Passed by the coaling tower and followed redbank all the way to climax tunnel bypass. I was out of snacks so I decided to keep riding up the steep road and down the tunnel bypass toward New Bethlehem. Stopped at lifesaver gas station for a foot long sub cookies and large Gatorade. There were lots of leaves on the trail did not see much wildlife the trail is more remote than what I am used to. Returned to Phillipston miles 49 checked out the Armstrong trail also.
The Five Bridges Trail is rough, swampy and somewhat isolated- which is exactly what makes it so awesome. I drove 80 miles to ride this trail and it didn't disappoint. This is a perfect trail for anyone who has a bike capable of handling mildly rough terrain and enjoys being in nature. I felt like I was exploring and not just cruising a bike path. It goes through wooded areas and wetland. I'm hoping this trail stays the way it is and doesn't get smoothed and groomed making like most of the other rail trails. Variety is a good thing.If you have a mountain or a fat bike and want a scenic but easy ride you should give this trail a try.
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