Wild In Western PA

Roaring Run Trail
Rock Furnace Trail

I love this trail located in Apollo PA. Why wouldn't I love it: its minutes from my house, it provides a nice walking trail, rough mountain biking trails and is a good place to launch a canoe trip. The walking trails has recently been extended which means there is that much less mountain biking trail. The picture below used to be a muddy trail great for mountain biking and hiking and you never ran into anybody. Now it looks like the picture below.

Camping

Hiking

Mountain Biking

Click on Images for larger views.

Index

As you can see this is a very nice trail and the first thing I did after jumping off the trail and getting dirty on a real trail was to tell my retired dad all about it. He Likes the outdoors and I am sure a normal rails to trails would bore him. But this back section of roaring run has some very nice views and has enough curves and hills to keep it from being completely boreing. I still prefer to walk deer paths and jump stones ona creek bed.... By the way here are the waterfalls I took pictures of. You will not see them from the roaring run trail but they are close enough to the trail to find them.

Click here for a lot more information on these waterfalls
This will take you to a site dedicated to Jackson Falls by Lee Schaeffer and offers a history about the trail and the falls along with pictures from the 1930's and on.

Directions: Take 66 into Apollo PA and cross the new bridge. Make a right at the light and follow this road back untill you see a sign for the trail. Make a right at the sign and drive until you pull straight into the trail head parking lot. This is the main trail head that follows a old rail road bed before turning left into the woods along a old jeep trail. these trails are crushed limestone and very easy to walk.

Discription: Along the way you may bump into other walkers, joggers, dogs and a few bikes. There are many trails that split off the main trail that provide much more fun. There is a picnic area and a second trail head at the far end of the trail. There are also benches provided along the way on the rails to trails section along the river. You may also want to stop and do a little fishing along the way. There are also several larger pools of water in the streams where people stop to take a dip on a regular basis. Along the trails there is a old rock furnace, a tilting stone, several wells, old canal walls and much more to see. (map)
The Yellow trails are not finished yet I will map them this summer. The yellow trail leading off of the "Rock Furnace Trail" will take you past the waterfalls but if you want to see them right you will have to hike up the stream. You will notice my pictures are looking right up the stream.

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