Find the top rated walking trails in Bradford, whether you're looking for an easy short walking trail or a long walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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 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 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 Village of Springville in western New York is home to the first section of the proposed 27-mile corridor that will eventually be known as the Erie-Cattaraugus Rail Trail. Running 1.8 miles from...
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...
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...
Make way for diversity on the Pat McGee Trail. This 12.1-mile path boasts a diverse array of plant and animal life, with more than 150 species of bird. A variety of users, including snowmobilers and...
Crossing the state line into New York near Erie, Pennsylvania, the 7.5-mile trail runs through the beautiful Brokenstraw Valley, passing small streams, a tamarack swamp, deciduous woods and...
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 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...
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...
Located in scenic Potter and Clinton Counties, the Susquehannock Hiking Trail is an 85-mile amalgamation of old Civilian Conservation Corps fire trails, logging roads and railroad grades through the...
The Village of Springville in western New York is home to the first section of the proposed 27-mile corridor that will eventually be known as the Erie-Cattaraugus Rail Trail. Running 1.8 miles from...
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...
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...
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 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...
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 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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
Though mostly a continuous system of trails from Sherman north to Brocton, some segments of the Chautauqua Rails-to-Trails system go by other names (see below). All the trails are primarily grassy but...
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...
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 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...
Though mostly a continuous system of trails from Sherman north to Brocton, some segments of the Chautauqua Rails-to-Trails system go by other names (see below). All the trails are primarily grassy but...
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...
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 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...
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...
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 Genesee Valley Greenway rolls through towns and countless landscapes from Rochester south to Cuba, New York. The greenway is a work in progress, but there is a long, continuous segment (37 miles)...
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...
Make way for diversity on the Pat McGee Trail. This 12.1-mile path boasts a diverse array of plant and animal life, with more than 150 species of bird. A variety of users, including snowmobilers and...
The Village of Springville in western New York is home to the first section of the proposed 27-mile corridor that will eventually be known as the Erie-Cattaraugus Rail Trail. Running 1.8 miles from...
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,...
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.
Located in scenic Potter and Clinton Counties, the Susquehannock Hiking Trail is an 85-mile amalgamation of old Civilian Conservation Corps fire trails, logging roads and railroad grades through the...
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...
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 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 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...
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.
I did the 1-mile section in Cuba, NY and found it extremely bumpy. I searched for access points in Black Creek and Belfast and couldn't find them. Heading north, I couldn't find the access on Batzing Rd. the first time but found it the next day after getting used to the difficulty of finding this trail. Many access points don't have parking. York Landing does but you can only go a short distance north before a huge break in the trail.
In Piffard, I parked in an industrial lot across from Yard of Ale and rode a few miles south before encountering a closed gate with very high grass beyond.
Finally, I parked at an access point on Batzing Rd. and rode north hoping to get to Rochester but didn't see the sign for the detour at Ballantyne Rd. and continued to the train tracks. That section has a sign about the Black Creek culvert. Took the on-road detour but didn't make it to Rochester.
All in all, a very frustrating experience and rough riding. Parts of the trail are nice but on hot days there can be a lot of sun exposure. I liked the intersection of the trail with the Lehigh Valley trail between mile markers 12 and 13. There's a very nice bridge there that was the highlight of my ride and the remnants of a stone bridge.
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.
Biked the trail southward from a parking area on the east side of RT. 19, just south of Caneadea. First part is grass and fairly smooth and level. After a somewhat dangerous crossing of Rt. 19 to the west side the trail soon enters a shady section. This was wet and muddy with a large tree blocking the path. It also had not been cut recently. Definitely need a mountain bike on this trail. We turned around after about 2.5 miles.
Biked trail from Little Valley parking area south to end in Salamanca. Fairly level, smooth, mostly grass. Nice bridges. Fairly dry considering the recent rain. Could use a few benches or picnic tables along the way or at the Salamanca end. Had to bike back to Little Valley to have lunch at the picnic shelter. After lunch, biked a few miles north. This part is in more open farm land. Because of the lack of pavement, this trail requires tires wider that a typical road bike. My mountain bike worked well.
Walked this trail last weekend and found it refreshing and relaxing. Lots of nice wide paths and well maintained.
We started the trail at the point where it branches away from Rte 120. The trail from Emporium to this point looked uninteresting as it parallels the highway. The portion we rode toward St Mary's was more remote, edging along the stream. It was a steady climb toward St Mary's so I recommend that you ride in that direction. The return trip was easy riding down hill. We were disappointed that we did not see any wildlife in such a remote area, but you cannot have everything. The trail condition is decent. The stone is a little on the course side for hybrid and road tires but still very rideable. The trail looks like it is maintained for snow mobiling and the club that maintains it should be complimented for sharing this nice recreational trail.
Ran here in July on vacation.Started at St Bonaventure Tennis Courts.Cool summer morning.Just a very pleasant trail,scenic views of river,and friendly people.
Trail runs along the Allegheny River, along the bottom of the mountains. We parked at the Trailhead in Westline and biked to Route 321 at Little Meade Run. Trail did continue to Red Bridge, another mile and a half away. Total trail that is completed is 6.3 miles as of July, 2017. In Westline there is the Westline Inn which offers lodging and food. Check with their website on hours.
Trail goes through wooded and open areas. Seems kind of on the remote side. There is no cell phone service. Trail surface is a little rough but we knew this ahead of time. Not a bad trail surface. Some areas were washed out due to storms but very much passable. We didn't have any trouble getting through the trail. Saw a few people.
At the Trailhead in Westline there is parking for about 20 cars and a picnic area. At the 321 area of the trail there is parking for about 10 cars.
All in all, a great little trail if you want to experience the Allegheny National Forest.
Trail is about a half hour away (by vehicle) from Kinzua Dam if you want to check it out while in the area.
Trail is a bit over grown with weeds un spots. Had to ride in wheel ruts. Dense woods. Not much to see. Saw several deer. Bring bug spray. Nrockway has several pizza places and grills. Same in Ridgeway. Not many prople on trail.
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