Tag: hiking

Walking the Lower Trail

I participated in this event as part of my commitment to Centred Outdoor’s Outdoor Leadership Cohort. I recommend participating in their events throughout the Summer and Fall seasons. You can check out their schedule on their website. Please consider supporting Centred Outdoors and Clearwater Conservancy today.

Sunday dawned bright and happy, perfect for a mini-road trip to Williamsburg. Our plan was to take the scenic route to meet up with Centred Outdoors at the Lower Trail. For 17 miles, this rail-to-trail connects Canoe Creek State Park with Alexandria, PA. Centred Outdoors guided us for a 1.5-mile walk, where we explored the nature and history of this old railway.

Beebalm or Bergamot, Genus Monarda

Long before colonists settled the Pennsylvania frontier, indigenous people travelled Morrisons Cove, an ancient eroded anticlinal valley. This path followed the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River and has experienced many transformations since the colonization of Pennsylvania. In the canal era, the path of the Lower Trail was the towpath for the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal. This canal led to the Allegheny Portage Railroad, which traversed the Allegheny Front.

As the industrial revolution swept across America, the canal towpath was purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad and converted into the Petersburg Branch. This branch line connected Altoona with Petersburg on the way to Mifflin County. Petersburg Branch barely survived the merger of the Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central companies to create Penn Central Transportation Company. The corridor of line that makes up the Lower Trail was abandoned in 1979, scrapped out, and put up for sale.

Pale Jewelweed, Impatiens pallida

1989 marks the beginning of the current chapter of the Lower Trail. Rails To Trails of Central Pennsylvania, Inc. purchased the first 11 miles of rail corridor, which stretched from Williamsburg to Alexandria. In 2004, another 5.5 miles was added, forming the trail as we know it today.  Rails to Trails of Central Pennsylvania has additional projects, including the Bells Gap Trail, and an extension of the Lower Trail which will connect to Hollidaysburg.

 On this Sunday, Centred Outdoors met us at Williamsburg Station. This spot was once an actual railway station, the perfect spot to hop on the trail and start walking. A big pavilion near the trail has picnic tables and a bike repair station, where trail users can make minor repairs on their bicycles. The trail near Williamsburg Station is paved and has wide grassy shoulders on either side, perfect for walkers to step to the side when bikers whizz by.

Olivia served as our guide for the day, stopping periodically to point out interesting historical and natural facts about the Lower Trail. She noted lots of tree and shrub species, drawing our attention to some replanting efforts made along the waterside. As a group, we admired the towering American Sycamores holding up the bank of the Frankstown Branch. Opposite the river, the bank was coated in Pale Jewelweed, a Pennsylvania native wildflower. We took turns touching the ripe fruit of the jewelweed, which shivered and exploded to the touch.

Meandering back from our turning point, our group took in the sights and sounds of the Frankstown Branch flowing below us. One of our stops was at canal ruins, the location of the keeper’s home and canal lock. Only the foundation and some rubble remain, but we climbed around, taking plenty of pictures. Carefully we navigated the shrubbery past the grassy path shoulders, taking care to avoid brushing up against poison ivy or tree of heaven.

All too soon, our walk was finished for the day. Fortunately, the Lower Trail Creamery was open. Just a few bucks later, I had a hot fudge sundae, and my husband had a milkshake. We enjoyed our snacks and watching bicyclists on the trail. We spotted all kinds of bikes- mountain, racing, and recumbent. It felt like all of Blair County was out on the trail, speeding along on two wheels.

If you are interested in visiting the Lower Trail, I highly recommend starting your trip at Williamsburg Station. With the trail paved for some distance in both directions, it makes for easy and shady walking. If you wear good bug spray and give bicyclists right-of-way, you will have a relaxed hike. Choose to have a snack at the Creamery before you go, and you’ll find yourself having a perfect Central Pennsylvania summer day.

Indiana County’s Buttermilk Falls

Usually the drive home from Pittsburgh area is uneventful- easy miles on Rt. 22 punctuated by Sheetz and upland forests. After 30 minutes on the road headed home, we decided to take a minor detour to Buttermilk Falls Natural Area.

A few miles down a country road, we pulled up to a gate staffed by a security guard. He provided simple directions: McFeely Trail to our right, and the Falls Trail to our left. After parking in the overflow section, we stretched our legs and headed to the trail on our left.

Crisp 65° air filtered through the trees while we meandered down the trail. We admired the accessibility of the walkway as it gracefully turned down the valley. Plenty of signs warned visitors to not stray off the trail- delicate plants grew near the Falls. I noticed plenty of common jewelweed, a sign that deer avoid the area.

We neared the first viewing platform in short order. Stepping out to the wooden deck, I couldn’t see any running water through the trees and brush. Straining my ears over the sounds of other hikers, I couldn’t hear a waterfall at all.

Past the first viewing platform, the trail continued over the crest of the falls to a second viewing area. Stairs descended the far side of the valley and led to a platform under Buttermilk Falls. Once we were on the Eclipse Bridge, I realized that Hires Run was very low. Water still descended the valley, but it was a gentle trickle than the roar I was hoping for.

Other hikers passed us as I led my partner down the stairs. Late summer wildflowers leaned over the cliffside; wood asters full of bumble bees. As we neared Buttermilk Falls, the scent of cool, wet rock permeated the air. As I waited for hikers to clear the area, I watched two small fish dart in the water pooling at the falls’ base.

We were soon able to walk behind Buttermilk Falls. A thick block of sandstone between two layers of shale allowed for an overhang to develop. Unfortunately, graffiti covered some of the shale wall behind the Falls. I wondered why visitors would want to deface natural beauty with grotesque images. As if to spite the graffiti, moss was spreading over the rock.

After snapping a few pictures, we started climbing back up the stairs to take a look at the rubble by the falls’ crest. From 1930 to 1956, Mr. Roger’s grandfather owned property along Hires Run, which Mr. Rogers visited as a boy. The foundation of the home, and the weirs used to dam Hires Run are still there. As children were exploring the area, I didn’t dare disturb the rocks to look for salamanders.

Walking back up the trail, we took our time to talk about football and decide that we will have to stop again. I want to visit in spring, when Hires Run is high and wildflowers are in bloom. My partner would like to visit when the Fall colors riot through the valley in mid-October. At any time, Buttermilk Falls are beautiful, and worth preserving. I’m thankful Indiana County Parks cares for this area and encourages visitors to do the same.

Works Cited

Indiana County Parks & Trails. “Buttermilk Falls.” Indiana County Parks & Trails, 26 Feb. 2024, www.indianacountyparks.org/our-parks/buttermilk-falls/. Accessed 9 Sept. 2024.