Adventure Awaits In The Keystone State

By Susan D. Ferrier Freelance Travel Writer of Purple-fish Creative Studio

As dawn breaks over the landscape, adventure beckons in the heart of the Keystone State. The area around State College and more broadly, Central Pennsylvania, is an underrated paradise for thrill seekers and outdoor enthusiasts.

This region best known as the home of Penn State University and the legendary Nittany Lions offers much more than the excitement of a gameday win. Named an “Adventure Town” by National Geographic, State College and the surrounding area provide sprawling State Forests bursting with hiking trails, on and off-road cycling opportunities, exceptional fishing, cave exploration, and more.

Cycling enthusiasts of every ilk will find exploring the region on two wheels exhilarating and enjoyable. Roadies will find the region’s roadways safe and pleasurable. Offroad cyclists will find awe-inspiring vistas, mountain laurel-flanked trails, and crushing climbs that will leave you breathless in more ways than one.

Thanks to its extensive trail network and bike-friendly roads, State College is a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community, an award given by the League of American Bicyclists. This exceptional infrastructure

highlights the region’s commitment to supporting the greater cycling community and makes biking throughout the region enjoyable.

Pennsylvania is known for its rocky trails and you will find plenty here. Combined, Rothrock State Forest, Bald Eagle State Park, Black Moshannon State Forest, and the Allegrippis Mountain Biking Trails at Raystown Lake, offer hundreds of miles of single-track trails and forestry roads.

Rothrock State Forest spans over 96,000 acres, encompassing four state parks, Whipple Dam State Park, Greenwood Furnace State Park, Trough Creek State Park, and Penn-Roosevelt State Park each offering unique natural landscapes and a variety of activities.

Gravel riders will find steep inclines and rewarding flat paths. Single-track trails traverse fern gardens, rock-strewn ridges, and streams offering challenges for both novice and seasoned mountain bikers.

Alone, Penn-Roosevelt State Park, situated in the isolated Stone Creek Kettle area of the Seven Mountains region offers over 100 miles of forestry roads for gravel biking. Nearby Cooper’s Gap is well-known for mountain biking.

Continue your cycling adventures at Bald Eagle State Forest just 45 minutes from State College. This vibrant year-round recreational area offers over 100 miles of forestry roads and 48 miles of mountain bike trails. The trails promise breathtaking vistas and heart-pounding ascents, making every pedal stroke worth the effort.

For the competitive rider, Rothrock State Forest and Bald Eagle State Park host multiple off-road cycling competitions including the seven-day Trans-Sylvania Epic, the Wilderness 101 endurance race, and Rothrock Trail Mix, an IMBA Epic adventure, and the Rothrock GRIT Gravel Grinder.

For those who prefer a more leisurely pace, Black Moshannon State Park provides a scenic backdrop for family-friendly rides around its blackwater lake and through vibrant bog habitats, where wildlife sightings are part of the adventure.

South of State College at the Raystown Lake Recreational Area, mountain biking enthusiasts can experience the Allegrippis Mountain Biking Trails, a 36-mile, stacked loop trail system designed by MTB riders and built by the Army Corps of Engineers in conjunction with the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). This trail system known as one of the best in the Keystone State offers a flowy ride with moderate to vigorous inclines, stream crossings, and spectacular lake views.

In addition to cycling, all the state parks and recreational areas feature an extensive network of trails to satisfy casual hikers and serious trekkers alike.

The Standing Stone Trail with its famous Thousand Steps offers a historical ascent that reaches back to the days of quarry workers. This challenging 84-mile-long trail stretches from Cowans Gap State Park to Rothrock State Forest.

The trail offers diverse terrain, including rocky ridges, lush forests, and demanding climbs.

For their effort, hikers are rewarded along the way with stunning views of the Pennsylvania countryside, including vistas of the Tuscarora Mountains, the Allegheny Front, the Juniata River, and Raystown Lake.

Those who don’t feel up to the extended trek have the option to hike the 3.5-mile Thousand Steps section. Its name comes from the more than one thousand steps (1036 to be exact) built into the mountain in the early 1900s to transport workers to a sandstone quarry on top of the mountain.

Named Pennsylvania’s 2016 Trail of the Year, this steep section of trail leads to the top of Jacks Mountain. This glacially-carved mountainside developed during the last Ice Age leaving behind fossils and petrified wood making it a geologically significant place.

Another popular section of the trail is the Alan Seeger Natural Area. This tract of old-growth forest highlights a variety of rare plant and animal species and passes by several historic sites. The Natural and Wild Areas of Rothrock State Forest are some of the most unique and interesting sections of the forest. All feature extraordinary ecosystems, providing habitats for scarce species. Thickhead Mountain Wild Area offers an extensive wilderness of mixed-oak forest while Bear Meadows Natural Area surrounds a

fen wetland featuring Black spruce, red spruce, balsam fir, and highbush blueberry.

Southwest of Raystown Lake is Trough Creek State Park which features several natural attractions, including Balance Rock and Rainbow Falls. The park’s breathtaking scenery makes it a must-visit destination for outdoor enthusiasts. The extensive trail system of the small but mighty Penn-Roosevelt State Park offers over 20 miles of hiking pathways including a portion of the famous Mid-State trail. The park’s remote location makes it popular with campers looking to get off the grid.

A short drive from Penn State’s campus is the Nittany Mountain Conservancy. Here you will find hiking trails catering to both casual walkers and serious hikers. Each path offers a unique view of Central Pennsylvania’s lush landscape.

Take the trail for the Mike Lynch Overlook. The hike to the overlook is less than one mile but there is a 600-foot vertical climb. However, once you arrive you will be treated to panoramic views of State College and Penn State’s Campus including views of Beaver Stadium.

For anglers, paradise can be found in Central Pennsylvania’s streams, rivers, and lakes.

Abundant with trout, fly fishing enthusiasts will find tranquility and the potential for excitement with each cast into the clear waters of Spring Creek. It is said that the Fisherman’s Paradise section of Spring Creek has “more wild fish per mile than any other stream in the state.” Some on the internet call it, “legendary.”

If you’re a fan of bass fishing, Raystown Lake is your ideal destination. This lake is recognized as the Freshwater Striped Bass Capital of the Northeast United States. It’s famous for holding the Pennsylvania record for the largest freshwater striped bass ever caught—a massive 53-pound, 12-ounce fish, landed in 1994.

The centerpiece of Bald Eagle State Park is the Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir, a 630-acre lake teeming with various fish species. Anglers can fish from the shore or by boat, targeting bass, pike, and trout. For more adventurous spirits, ice fishing is available during the winter months.

The adventure continues beneath the surface in the fascinating world of underground caverns.

Penn’s Cave offers a remarkable boat tour through America’s only all-water cave open to the public. Visitors will marvel at the intricate limestone formations adorning the cave’s ceilings and floors as reflections of these geological structures dance across the cavern’s clear waters.

Lincoln Caverns and Whisper Rocks welcome more terrestrial spelunkers. These two incredible limestone caverns feature extraordinary stalactites, stalagmites, calcite crystal flowers, and other rock formations formed over millennia.

Visitors can take guided tours through the caverns where they will learn about the history and geology of the caverns. You’ll observe unique features such as the “Frozen Niagra,” the largest active flowstone formation on the East Coast, and Whisper Rocks’ extraordinary “Cathedral.”