Find the top rated birding trails in Altoona, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Having seen the reviews and the dates they were submitted I am glad to say that work has been done to upgrade the trail in the summer of 2018. A group of Conservation Corps workers worked on parts of the trail and local
mountain bikers also continue to do work. Haven't hiked the whole trail but a lot of progress was made. Will update when I hike the complete trail.
We spent a week riding 6 different trails in PA (Alleghany River Trail, Oil Creek State Park Trail, Presque Isle State Park, Kinzua Trail, Pine Creek, and Lower Trail). We rode the GAP trail last October. Because of my fear of snakes, we do a fall ride, hoping the snakes have all gone to their dens! My favorite PA trail is the GAP. My second favorite is Lower. I found Pine Creek well maintained and beautiful, but a bit remote (for me) and saw snake tracks on the path. We rode Lower (33 miles) the next day and this was my favorite of the 6 this year. Path is well maintained and beautiful(rocks, trees, and stream!). You do hear rode noise during small portion of trail, but I didn't mind it at all. We parked at Flowing Spring Station by Canoe Creek State Park. They are working on connecting the path to Canoe Creek. As a side note, we stayed at Reynolds Mansion (loved it!) the night before and got a massage by Lisa at Cloud 9. It was an amazing way to finish our bike week! It was the best massage we have gotten and such a treat for our bike muscles!
I had the morning open so I found this trail on Rails to trails.org. It had great ratings and I agree and give it 5 stars.
Path was wide and well maintained.
View was great with Juniata river flowing on one side and often large rock formations on the opposite side.
Highly recommend this trail if you have a few hours.
Today Aug 23, 2018 we biked the trail from Clearfield to Curwensville. Our first problem was not finding the trail head. The route is unclearly marked. Thanks to one of Clearfield ' s police officers who helped us locate the trail head. The other thing is the trail needs the brush and weeds cut back. Over all it's a nice trail. Just need a bit of upkeep.
We biked this trail early July. It was not flooded. The nearby Conemaugh dam is maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers and they have a Facebook page with the daily water level. You can also call them.
We parked at Conemaugh Dam where there is a nice visitors center, restrooms and picnic areas. West Penn Trail goes right through the parking lot.
We biked through Tunnelview Historical site and pushed our bikes through and across Bow Ridge. We passed the two Bow Tunnels (closed and even plugged). Biking on the trail with our road bikes was quite a challenge since the trail was more like a Mountain Bike trail. Then again, you are crossing over the mountain.
Once on the other side, we walked our bikes some more descending to the other side of the Bow tunnels. The first bridge at Livermore was a few feet above the water.
We biked from there to Blairsville and back crossing a few more bridges over the Conemaugh River. That section of the trail is nearly flat and dirt/crushed limestone. There are historical signs along the trail.
If you are looking for a nice leisurely trail this is not the trail! If you are looking for a good workout, this trail is for you.
From Conemaugh Dam it's 2 miles over the hills and through the woods to the railroad grade at the first bridge in the former town of Livermore. From there it's about 4 miles to Blairsville.
I hiked this in May from Blairsville to the Connemaugh Dam. On my first hike the railway bridges were hundreds of feet above the Connemaugh river. The trail was empty except for one other couple. We both wondered how large logs were tangled in bridge supports as though they had been washed there. It's an extremely beautiful hike, the best of Pennsylvania. I passed over about three railway bridges that looked far down to the river and valley. You hike up and down a steep mountain to get to the dam. I hiked it a second time a week later, construction workers in the parking lot said winter floods had covered the bridges by 50 feet. ( I didn't believe them) The valleys these bridges cover are huge, perhaps a half mile wide, you look down on islands with fully grown trees. Hiking to the dam I passed an older hiker who said, " watch yourself ahead" and kept walking. Two bridge crossings further, to the bridge at the foot off the hill before the dam I had a shock. Water had risen to the bridge deck and as I watched covered the bridge and debris floated over, a huge valley had been flooded. I turned back thinking of the two bridges I had to cross over the same river before Blairsville. Both were clear but it was amazing to see a full valley flooded and just the tips of trees above water. I guess that is what the old timer meant by "watch yourself" . Wish he had been a bit less taciturn. Don't know how you find out if Dam is going to release a few billion gallons of water but "watch yourself" . Also it was a fabulous Hike and completely amazing, with deer, owls, catfish in the shallows and something large crashing just off the trail.
Beautiful area, lots of wild life and an awsome view from the bridge, not to mention the smallies were biting ¿¿
We are 60-somethings and rode this trail last summer and just did a second ride this week. This has to be one of the best trails we have ridden. The trail is very well maintained and perfect for those of us who need a more level trail. As a matter of fact, as we were riding from Hollidaysburg through the Williamsburg area, a willow tree had fallen across the train close to Williamsburg, but, luckily, we were able to walk our bikes around it. When we arrived at the trailhead in Alexandria, a crew was there and asked us about the report of a fallen tree. By the time we returned on the way back to Hollidaysburg, the tree had been removed from the trail! The shaded trail with numerous benches to rest, picnic tables, and spots to enjoy the views of the Juniata River make this a perfect perfect ride.
Rode this from Saylor Park to Nanty Glo and back. The uphill grade from Vintondale to Nanty Glo is challenging at times for the mediocre rider and the weekend warrior.
It's not a bad trail. Smooth, compact gravel makes it perfect for any type of bike. If you grew up around the mining industry, this trail offers very little scenery. If that history interests you, you may find this trail more interesting. Signs along the trail and the orange-red creek provide the backdrop of an industry long gone.
The trail heads offer rest stops and restrooms but between Saylor Park and Nanty Glo there's nothing as far as convenience stores in the little villages along the trail.
Drove almost 4 hours to ride this trail, which connects to the Ghost Town trail at Saylor's Park. I started in Indiana and rode the entire 10 1/2 miles. There's a definite downhill feel to it when starting in Indiana. There's no parking area at the trailhead in Indiana. I believe you can park at the IUP baseball field about 1/2 mile away or in IUP lot along the highway. (For no advertised parking, I dropped a star.) As others have stated it's a nice trail with a variety of scenery and a local brewery in Homer City. Trail is well marked.
Rode sections from Nanty Glo to Ebensburg and Heshbon past Dilltown. Great trai with a number of interesting signs on the mining in the area and the status of the river.
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