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Print Friendly MapIt’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 derricks, boomtowns, pipelines, refineries, and a railroad that served the nation’s first oil patch.
The trail passes through Oil Creek State Park for 9.7 miles; the 1.5-mile Queen City Trail connects it to Titusville. In addition to the frequent bicyclists and hikers, the path, open daily, sunrise–sunset, is also popular among those who enjoy fishing for bass and trout.
About The Route
The main trailhead is at the Jersey Bridge Parking Area at Oil Creek State Park, which is also the southern endpoint for the Queen City Trail. For a 0.3-mile side trip to the informative Drake Well Museum, which includes a replica of that first oil well, turn right from the parking lot and cross Oil Creek, and then turn right onto Museum Lane.
Otherwise, turn left from the parking lot and head south along the west shore of Oil Creek. The trail follows the twists and turns of Oil Creek through a mostly hardwood forest, which provides good shade in the summer and good views across the gorge that Oil Creek and the trail run through. There are also numerous historical sites along the trail, as well as some still-working oil and gas wells.
The trail passes boomtowns including Boughton, Millers Farm, Shaffer Farm, Pioneer, and Funkville as the route heads south. Crossing the river at 7.9 miles past the trailhead, the trail comes in contact with rails of the Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad, a tourist train that has been running on the east side of Oil Creek from Titusville since 1986.
The Oil Creek State Park Trail continues on the east side of Oil Creek and then follows a park road for its last 0.5 mile, ending at the site of the most notorious of the boomtowns, Petroleum Centre. Today, the area has shelters, restrooms, parking, and a boat launch; the ranger station here also rents bicycles, or trail users can take a self-guided walking tour of the “wickedest town east of the Mississippi,” according to the state park’s brochure. A depot for the Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad is here.
Connections
The trail is part of the future 270-mile Erie to Pittsburgh Trail, which will connect with the Great Allegheny Passage.
At the trail's northern endpoint, trail users can continue along the Queen City Trail.
At its southern endpoint, the trail connects to the 9.4-mile McClintock Trail, which heads south to Oil City and provides further connections to the 3-mile Oil City Trail and 6-mile Samuel Justus Recreation Trail.
The trail is also part of the Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition’s developing 1,500-mile trail network through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and New York.
Trail History
In 1859, Edwin Drake was the first to strike oil after months of difficult drilling at a site along Oil Creek known since pre-Colonial times for its oil seepages. Oil was mainly used as a substitute for whale oil in lamps and patent medicines; such uses as fuels, plastics, and fertilizers all came later. Soon, oil boomtowns popped up along Oil Creek, and railroads began serving them in 1862.
The trail runs on the corridor of the first railroad to reach Titusville, the Oil Creek Railroad, which ran to a main rail line in Corry. It later ran the length of Oil Creek to Petroleum Centre and merged to become the Oil Creek and Allegheny River Railway in 1868, and still later became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The Oil Creek State Park Trail runs between Allen St. (Titusville) and 1123 Russell Corners Rd. (Pleasantville), with parking available at both ends.
Please see TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.
I love this trail! It’s local and once you get 3 miles in there’s almost no traffic!
Great trail no matter the season. June 2025 a warm and sunny day. This trail offered 85% shade! Just a few short areas that isn't fully shaded. Trail follows Oil Creek, asphalt paved trail surface in very good condition except for a few bumps. We parked in Petroleum Centre and biked North to Titusville and back. Had lunch in Titusville took some side streets to a restaurant. There's several eateries in Titusville as well as trail services...dollar store, convenience store. We frequent this one in the summer due to the shade!
Easy river view trail on all paved surface. Shaded most of the way by the trees. Beautiful views of the windy river and one bridge and railroad trestle and plenty of benches and rest stops in the 10 mile ride. Would have given this trail a 5 as most others did but the paved surface in many areas had roots of trees creating ridges and thus is quite bumpy in some areas. Especially in miles 6 to 7. Around mile marker 8 a bear with a couple cubs can be seen if you time it right according to the ranger. If I could give this a 4.5 I would. If the trail was resurfaced in the bumpy areas it would be a 5 with ease.
Warm and sunny Spring day parked in Petroleum Center next to the Park Office. Very well shaded. Biked to Titusville and back for a 25 mile round trip. While in Titusville also rode on Queen City Trail and rode through Drake Well park. The vehicle bridge in Petroleum Center has been closed at least 18 months and a new one isn't scheduled to be rebuilt until 2026. In the meantime, the bridge is open for pedestrians and cyclists. And as always, our State Parks in Pennsylvania are free to visit.
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