Find the top rated birding trails in Indiana, 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 was pleasantly surprised to find that an additional 3.3 miles of trail has been opened from Murrysville to Export. Mostly crushed limestone with about a quarter mile of blacktop. Uphill grade to Export but certainly not crazy steep. It is nice to see improvements to this trail. It look like it will take about another 3.5 miles to connect Export to Delmont. Won’t that be nice!
Even the rain could not change the beauty of this trail. We rode from Lawsonhan to NB and back. We appreciated the shelter next to the Long Point tunnel where we waited out a thunderstorm with a group from Penn State. Great trail conditions. Be sure to bring a light for the two tunnels.
My wife and I rode the entire Lower Trail out and back on 11 June 2019, and had a wonderful time. We drove out from Camp Hill PA in the morning and stopped for an "MTO" sandwich at the Sheetz in Huntington PA, then parked at the Alfarata (north) end parking lot. It's a beautiful trail that has been on our bucket list for awhile. Saw some wildlife (snakes, turtles, etc), but lived to tell the tale. We highly recommend this trail!
Nicely maintained stone dust trail with several points of interest along the way including a couple locks, an old railroad coaling tower, and several historic towns. Some pieces of this trail are paved near towns, but watch out for the rough patches where tree roots are breaking up the blacktop.
As other reviewers noted, this trail has several areas that are washed out with rough areas caused by water flow. These are not insurmountable and with a mountain bike are pretty easily crossed. If you’re trying for speed, this is probably not the trail for you. Otherwise, though, it’s a perfectly fine afternoon ride. There are some sandy spots near one of the farms to be careful of. There are not any tall bridges or tunnels on this trsil like some of the others, but it is a quiet ride through the woods and farmland.
I would highly recommend this trail to anyone who is unfamiliar with gravel biking as a starter trail. The only problem this the trail can only be accessed by going through private property, a busy road, or steep hills. The trail is 5/5, but the entrances caused me to rate it 4/5.
Want to warn anyone who is considering this trial. Parts of it are in serious disrepair from washouts and soft spots. It has the potential to be beautiful but the rains have taken a toll on it, especially on the the Freeport end. Would like to try it again if they are able to get it repaired.
The Ghost Town Trail has grown and evolved over the years into one of the best trails in Pennsylvania. The key things riders should keep in mind for riding this trail is the mountain. I highly recommend heading west to east, up mountain first.
On Memorial Day 2019 I rode the newly opened portion of the trail, designated the C&I Extension, between Vintondale and the northern end of Nanty Glo. Parking in Vintondale and riding north and then east, the round-trip is just more than 30 miles.
I recommend parking in Vintondale and riding north to Route 422, going under the highway, following Vic Miller Road for a short distance and continuing the next eight miles back to toward Nanty-Glo along the trail. Most of the trail is a true railroad grade, so if you want to have a nice ride back to the end, definitely don't start at North Street and ride west and south.
The ride is quiet and serene. There isn't much to look at along the trail, you're in the woods along the first four miles, but the newly opened (as of 2018) portion from Vic Miller Road to North Street has some wide open areas. I would recommend this trip in the autumn, late September and early October is prime leaf season in this portion of the Laurel Highlands.
One note, there is limited parking at a trialhead along Vic Miller Road. At that trailhead, if you're using the "cycling" feature in Google Maps, it shows the trial continuing northwest. That is not the case, with no trespassing signs and a gate blocking the ATV path Google Maps is mistakenly showing as trail.
There are no services along the C&I spur, so pack and plan accordingly.
Overall, this portion of the Ghost Town Trail provides a quiet ride in the forest to escape to, but your legs will be sore the next day from the uphill portions.
June 2019 Ride: Trailhead signs installed, new barriers as well. Progressing nicely. Parked in the lot on Route 322 in Marianne. Lot holds 10 cars. There is a large parking sign out on 322. In the lot there is a mileage sign and little library. Heading North to Leeper, some new barriers at intersections. At mile 7 in Lucinda at the old train station there is another little library, parking lot for 20 cars, picnic table and new mileage sign. At mile 12 in Leeper there is a mileage sign, little library, picnic table and very large parking lot.
Trail is newly paved (2018) very nice asphalt. The mid section, a few miles before Luckinda, and after Lucinda, is old tar and chip and very loose gravel. Well marked with signs though.
All around nice ride from Marianne to Leeper, and back.
This trail was very nice as it was paved and then went to tar & chip. There were signs along the trail to warn riders of loose gravel. The trail goes through woods and then farm land. I would ride the trail again.
The trail is nice from Houtzdale west. We only road to mile marker 9. There are sections of the trail that are all grass, so you'll probably want a mountain bike. The trail east of Houtzdale is all grass and muddy in spots, so be prepared. The Bilo market is no longer in Houtzdale; it appears to be replaced by a Family Dollar. There's a large parking lot, so you can park there and take one of the streets about a block north to find the trail.
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