Find the top rated bike trails in Oil City, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The East Branch Trail is a rare dual-lane rail-trail. The 8-foot asphalt lane serves walkers, bicyclists, in-line skaters, and people in wheelchairs. Horses, specifically horses pulling Amish buggies...
The Trout Island Trail is planned to be a 13-mile rail-trail along the former Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad. Currently, 2.4 miles are open and fully paved in Sharpsville, following the Shenango River...
Starting in Meadville, known as the home of the zipper, the 7.2-mile Ernst Trail closes the gap between the city and surrounding forests and farms for visitors. The trail is named for Calvin Ernst,...
The short but scenic Cowanshannock Trail is a great pathway for hikers, walkers, and bikers to use to link to the larger Armstrong Trail. The Cowanshannock is 1.27 miles long, and plans are to extend...
Built in 1871 to transport the region’s high-quality limestone to support Pittsburgh’s growing steel industry, the Butler Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad was the first railroad in Butler County....
The Bayfront Connector Trail, also known as the Bayfront Bikeway, offers a paved route across the city of Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania. At its east end is the Penn State Behrend campus; from...
The 11.7-mile John C. Oliver Multi-Purpose Loop Trail is a centerpiece of Maurice K. Goddard State Park, which spans 2,856 acres in northwestern Pennsylvania. The mostly shaded, paved, off-road trail...
Rail 66 Country Trail is a rustic trail paralleling Route 66, that begins in the Village of Marianne near the Clarion Junction (SR 322/SR 66) and extends north to the Clarion/Forest County line. The...
Keep your eyes open for wildlife when you visit the Allegheny River Trail. This segment of the Allegheny River—once a canoe route for local tribes and French trappers—was designated a national wild...
You’ll want to pack water, food, and flashlights to travel the Sandy Creek Trail, as it crosses 12 miles of remote, but scenic, countryside in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Named for separate Sandy...
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 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...
Moraine State Park features a nearly seven mile bike trail, which follows the north shore of Lake Arthur. Along the way, you'll enjoy beautiful scenery, especially during the fall as trees line the...
Armstrong Trails connects riverfront towns along the eastern bank of the Allegheny River, as it winds through the lush Allegheny Plateau. The flat trail, currently 35.5 miles follows the river...
Deep within the Allegheny National Forest lies a rail-trail with a past. The Kinzua Valley Trail follows the route of the former Kinzua and Hemlock Railroad (later Valley Railroad) near the town of...
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...
Tracing a section of the abandoned Rural Valley Railroad corridor the Great Shamokin Path parallels the Cowanshannock Creek for 3.5 miles. The eastern part of the trail, which is surfaced primarily...
Oil flows through the veins of the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail. Its northern departure point is Oil City, which was founded during the 1860s oil boom and became the headquarters for several...
It’s hard to believe that the world’s first oil boom occurred along the path of what’s now the Oil Creek State Park Trail. The park’s forests, beaver ponds, and trout streams were once the site of oil...
Running 1.5 miles, the Queen City Trail serves as a community connector for the small city of Titusville, where the American oil industry began in 1859. The trail provides a short, paved connection...
The Trout Island Trail is planned to be a 13-mile rail-trail along the former Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad. Currently, 2.4 miles are open and fully paved in Sharpsville, following the Shenango River...
Tracing a section of the abandoned Rural Valley Railroad corridor the Great Shamokin Path parallels the Cowanshannock Creek for 3.5 miles. The eastern part of the trail, which is surfaced primarily...
The Bayfront Connector Trail, also known as the Bayfront Bikeway, offers a paved route across the city of Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania. At its east end is the Penn State Behrend campus; from...
The 11.7-mile John C. Oliver Multi-Purpose Loop Trail is a centerpiece of Maurice K. Goddard State Park, which spans 2,856 acres in northwestern Pennsylvania. The mostly shaded, paved, off-road trail...
Running 1.5 miles, the Queen City Trail serves as a community connector for the small city of Titusville, where the American oil industry began in 1859. The trail provides a short, paved connection...
Built in 1871 to transport the region’s high-quality limestone to support Pittsburgh’s growing steel industry, the Butler Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad was the first railroad in Butler County....
Deep within the Allegheny National Forest lies a rail-trail with a past. The Kinzua Valley Trail follows the route of the former Kinzua and Hemlock Railroad (later Valley Railroad) near the town of...
Moraine State Park features a nearly seven mile bike trail, which follows the north shore of Lake Arthur. Along the way, you'll enjoy beautiful scenery, especially during the fall as trees line the...
Rail 66 Country Trail is a rustic trail paralleling Route 66, that begins in the Village of Marianne near the Clarion Junction (SR 322/SR 66) and extends north to the Clarion/Forest County line. The...
The Oil City Trail connects the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail and the McClintock Trail through the center of Oil City, Pennsylvania. The 2-mile walking and biking pathway runs along the Allegheny...
As it winds along Oil Creek, McClintock Trail connects Oil Creek State Park with Oil City. Note that much of the route is on-road. Just south of the park, a 1.8-mile section on Waitz Road, a dirt...
Oil flows through the veins of the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail. Its northern departure point is Oil City, which was founded during the 1860s oil boom and became the headquarters for several...
The short but scenic Cowanshannock Trail is a great pathway for hikers, walkers, and bikers to use to link to the larger Armstrong Trail. The Cowanshannock is 1.27 miles long, and plans are to extend...
The East Branch Trail is a rare dual-lane rail-trail. The 8-foot asphalt lane serves walkers, bicyclists, in-line skaters, and people in wheelchairs. Horses, specifically horses pulling Amish buggies...
If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, Mahoning Shadow Trail users expect six more weeks of winter before spring arrives. The 15-mile Central Pennsylvania trail passes through the...
You’ll want to pack water, food, and flashlights to travel the Sandy Creek Trail, as it crosses 12 miles of remote, but scenic, countryside in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Named for separate Sandy...
Fifty years after the last trolley cars ran on the Penn-Ohio Electric System between Youngstown, Ohio, and New Castle, Pennsylvania, in 1932, travelers on foot, bikes, and skates began using 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 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...
Armstrong Trails connects riverfront towns along the eastern bank of the Allegheny River, as it winds through the lush Allegheny Plateau. The flat trail, currently 35.5 miles follows the river...
Oil flows through the veins of the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail. Its northern departure point is Oil City, which was founded during the 1860s oil boom and became the headquarters for several...
As it winds along Oil Creek, McClintock Trail connects Oil Creek State Park with Oil City. Note that much of the route is on-road. Just south of the park, a 1.8-mile section on Waitz Road, a dirt...
Deep within the Allegheny National Forest lies a rail-trail with a past. The Kinzua Valley Trail follows the route of the former Kinzua and Hemlock Railroad (later Valley Railroad) near the town of...
You’ll want to pack water, food, and flashlights to travel the Sandy Creek Trail, as it crosses 12 miles of remote, but scenic, countryside in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Named for separate Sandy...
Keep your eyes open for wildlife when you visit the Allegheny River Trail. This segment of the Allegheny River—once a canoe route for local tribes and French trappers—was designated a national wild...
Armstrong Trails connects riverfront towns along the eastern bank of the Allegheny River, as it winds through the lush Allegheny Plateau. The flat trail, currently 35.5 miles follows the river...
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 short but scenic Cowanshannock Trail is a great pathway for hikers, walkers, and bikers to use to link to the larger Armstrong Trail. The Cowanshannock is 1.27 miles long, and plans are to extend...
Tracing a section of the abandoned Rural Valley Railroad corridor the Great Shamokin Path parallels the Cowanshannock Creek for 3.5 miles. The eastern part of the trail, which is surfaced primarily...
If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, Mahoning Shadow Trail users expect six more weeks of winter before spring arrives. The 15-mile Central Pennsylvania trail passes through the...
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...
Fifty years after the last trolley cars ran on the Penn-Ohio Electric System between Youngstown, Ohio, and New Castle, Pennsylvania, in 1932, travelers on foot, bikes, and skates began using the...
Moraine State Park features a nearly seven mile bike trail, which follows the north shore of Lake Arthur. Along the way, you'll enjoy beautiful scenery, especially during the fall as trees line the...
The 11.7-mile John C. Oliver Multi-Purpose Loop Trail is a centerpiece of Maurice K. Goddard State Park, which spans 2,856 acres in northwestern Pennsylvania. The mostly shaded, paved, off-road trail...
Rail 66 Country Trail is a rustic trail paralleling Route 66, that begins in the Village of Marianne near the Clarion Junction (SR 322/SR 66) and extends north to the Clarion/Forest County line. The...
Running 1.5 miles, the Queen City Trail serves as a community connector for the small city of Titusville, where the American oil industry began in 1859. The trail provides a short, paved connection...
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...
It’s hard to believe that the world’s first oil boom occurred along the path of what’s now the Oil Creek State Park Trail. The park’s forests, beaver ponds, and trout streams were once the site of oil...
Starting in Meadville, known as the home of the zipper, the 7.2-mile Ernst Trail closes the gap between the city and surrounding forests and farms for visitors. The trail is named for Calvin Ernst,...
The Oil City Trail connects the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail and the McClintock Trail through the center of Oil City, Pennsylvania. The 2-mile walking and biking pathway runs along the Allegheny...
Lots of curves, small inclines and fun downhill riding. It reminds me of being on a rollercoaster! Need to pay attention while riding but lots of fun and very manageable for people out for leisurely ride.
Foxburg to Parker in Clarion County. This section is 2 1/2 miles in length, asphalt paved, and detached by 4 miles from the 27 mile section which runs from Franklin to Emlenton. We just drove to Foxburg and had lunch then biked the short section multiple times for a good ride. Foxburg is a tiny little town one block in length which offers a few places to eat, a hotel, winery and few shops. Nice section of the trail between Foxburg and Parker. plenty of shade as it follows the Allegheny River.
My boyfriend and I LOVED this trail!!!! We saw a bald eagle in a tree above us. The scenery was beautiful and so peaceful. Well maintained trail. We live just miles from Presque Isle and agreed we would go back to this trail before choosing the one close to home.
Great trail for a summer ride. Well shaded tree lined trail. There has been a lot of rain lately. It literally rained for days and days and all day long at that. French Creek was very high and there was a lot of water in the woods along the trail. The field near Meadville was also flooded.
Biked with a small group from Franklin to Sunnyslope. We rode South from approx mile marker 123 in Franklin to 111 at Sunnyslope. This is where the pavved trail ends and you would take the gravel section 3/4 of a mile to pick up the paved trail again. From Franklin to Sunny Slope is a nice 25 mile round trip all paved with very little grade. We met up with another group of riders as we stopped at the Belmar Bridge. It was nice to share trial stories at that time. As always, a great ride.
Trail is well shaded on a warm summer day. Tree lined for most of the trail length and some open areas of farmlands/fields as well. The pavement on this trail is in very good condition as it's only a few years old. Great ride as always. Biked from Leeper to Marienville and back, 30 miles round trip.
June 19, 2021
Husband & I, both in our mid 60’s, hopped on this trail at the parking lot where the Allegheny & Samuel Justice trails meet. The lot was a little tricky to find, it’s just a narrow driveway down off the main road, but the lot itself had plenty of parking, several fairly clean port-a-potty’s as well as a few covered picnic tables. The paved trail bed is smooth and fairly flat, making for an easy ride, one that enabled us to really enjoy the natural surroundings. The first few miles are alongside the main road, so there was some traffic noise to start, but after a bit, the two separated and the road noises disappeared. The river views are stunning, with multiple boaters, kayakers and fishermen along the lazy waters. Critters abound, we saw multiple rabbits and squirrels, the chipmunks enjoyed playing chicken with us. Momma dear and her spotted twins watched us warily, but continued snacking on the plentiful vegetation.
There is an area about 13 miles in where the trail evidently needed to skirt a small community and the trail bed is gravel. As a tentative rider, I walked the hillier section, but for the most part, I rode low & slow & managed to get to the other side unscathed. The next area was quite interesting, the summer/vacation communities with their sloping lawns and cabins on the hill were for the most part empty of their families.
Then came the Kennendell tunnel and going through it, you will understand the words “dark as pitch”. Even though we tested them the night before, my headlight didn’t work and his wasn’t bright enough to follow safely (did I mention that I’m a tentative rider??), so we walked through – easy peasy but flipping DARK!! And COLD – the temperature drops at least 15 degrees. Finally, daylight & we rode for another couple of miles, hitting 20 and turned around. Going back through the tunnel, I remembered the flashlight on my phone and Ta-Da, I managed to very, very carefully ride back through (was very proud of myself!). And then…it started to rain, which quickly turned into a deluge. I have never been that wet on a bicycle before! And that is about the only criticism I may have about this trail, there was no place along the 20 miles to get out of the weather. There are benches scattered about & a viewing station, but until we got back to the parking lot, nothing with a roof was available. Grateful it wasn’t a thunder storm.
All in all, I give this trail 4 stars for the ease of ride, maintenance, views and variety as well as accessibility, parking and restroom availability.
It was a nice late Spring evening for a ride on the trail. Not real crowded at that time of the day. Trail is asphalt paved in very good condition.
May, 2021 we parked in Emlenton and biked North towards Franklin. We went from mile marker 98 (we think, didn't see one) to mile marker 111 at Sunny Slope. This was a 26 mile round trip. During our ride we went through the Rockland tunnel and Kennerdell Tunnel. Tunnels are lengthy, you can't see the other end, you need a light! Great ride except for a few bumpy sections in the asphalt from tree roots. No services along that stretch, take snacks and water.
Bike packed this trail twice and am looking forward to doing it again.
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