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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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.
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.
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.
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.
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