Outdoor Recreation

February 14, 2024

Reasons to love the PA Wilds

As we celebrate Valentine's Day, our hearts are filled with love... not just for our sweethearts, but also for the special place we call the PA Wilds! There are plenty of reasons to love this region: the awe-inspiring landscape that surrounds us, the family and friends we can share memories with, the creative endeavors of our PA Wilds entrepreneurs, tasty food and drinks, and all of the experiences you can have within a three-hour drive. Let’s take a moment and show some adoration and appreciation for the PA Wilds!

February 9, 2024

ATV Regional Trail Connector program will continue in the PA Wilds through 2025

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) says it will operate an ATV Regional Trail Connector through the 2025 riding season, following the conclusion of the ATV Regional Trail Connector in 2023. DCNR published an ATV Regional Pilot Report (PDF), which shares findings regarding the pilot on the department’s website.

February 8, 2024

Check out Pennsylvania’s 2024 River of the Year and Trail of the Year in this PA Wilds town

For its second time in ten years winning the prestigious award, the Allegheny River in the western section of the Pennsylvania Wilds has been selected by a public vote as Pennsylvania’s 2024 River of the Year. Just days after the River of the Year announcement in late January, the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) announced that Pennsylvania's 2024 Trail of the Year is the Trails at Jakes Rocks, a 35-mile natural surface trail system located in the Allegheny National Forest. The city of Warren is lucky enough to have both the Allegheny River and the Trails at Jakes Rocks, meaning that you can see both the 2024 River of the Year and 2024 Trail of the Year in one visit.

February 6, 2024

Easy ways to enjoy outdoor recreation at any age or physical ability

Outdoor recreation in the Pennsylvania Wilds isn’t limited to just highly physical activities like running, backpacking, mountain biking, or tent camping. If you’re looking for a low-impact way of getting some fresh air and daily exercise, there are plenty of ways to enjoy outdoor rec without breaking a sweat (or the bank).

February 1, 2024

Trails at Jakes Rocks named as Pennsylvania’s 2024 Trail Of The Year

The Trails at Jakes Rocks, a 35-mile natural surface trail system located in the Allegheny National Forest in Warren County, has been named Pennsylvania’s 2024 Trail of the Year. The trails, located in the Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds landscape of the PA Wilds, are used primarily for mountain biking. However, other types of recreation such as hiking, trail running, and cross-country skiing are also permitted.

January 30, 2024

Allegheny River named Pennsylvania’s 2024 River of the Year, second time winning

The Allegheny River in the western section of the Pennsylvania Wilds has been selected by a public vote as Pennsylvania's 2024 River of the Year, the second time within the past ten years that the Allegheny has won the prestigious award. Although the Allegheny River was the 2017 River of the Year, it has won again, proving its worth as a place to paddle, fish, photograph and enjoy. With specifically 86.6 miles of recreational use in the PA Wilds region, the National Wild & Scenic Allegheny River flows through forest valleys, wilderness islands and rural landscapes.

January 29, 2024

The role of quiet

The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation (PPFF) set out to learn about the health and experience of a quiet environment. “The Role of Quiet” video explores the science of how sounds affect us, the benefits to our mental health, and tips for making the most out of visits submerged in nature.

January 19, 2024

Forest Fridays: Skiing the Black Forest of Tiadaghton State Forest

As fall turns to winter and fair weather recreators retreat to their cozy houses while they wait out what they deem the cold, miserable, “why would I want to hike in this weather?” season, others are eager to break out equipment that has lain in closets and basements for eight or more months out of the year. They are constantly alert to the weather forecast, praying for snowfall, and a snowfall that will stick and stay. Where do they go when the snow finally falls? To the mountains, and a lot of them head to Tiadaghton State Forest, for good reason.

January 18, 2024

National Wild and Scenic Rivers of the PA Wilds: Allegheny and Clarion

The Pennsylvania Wilds region has some of the best flat water paddling and fishing in the United States! When anglers and paddlers research the PA Wilds, they come across these words: “two Wild and Scenic Rivers.” They often ask where those two rivers are, why the words “wild” and “scenic” are capitalized, and why only two rivers out of the many PA Wilds waterways are called out as such. The term comes from the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, a registry that was created with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. The Allegheny River and the Clarion River within the PA Wilds are on the Wild and Scenic Rivers registry, and for good reason.

January 16, 2024

BIRD LORE: Winter birding in Lycoming and Clinton Counties

What is there to do on cold winter days in January and February? If you live in or are visiting Clinton or Lycoming Counties, how about a drive along Old River Road in South Avis, or a road trip to Cogan House Township to look for Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs in open farm fields! Or look for these songbirds wherever you see agricultural fields spread with manure. So what attracts these songbirds, as well as large flocks of Horned Larks, to these fields? In a word, seeds.