Armstrong County Trails

• Armstrong Trail

  Armstrong Trail Website

  The Armstrong Trail is a non-motorized recreational trail open to the public for walking, jogging, biking, and cross county skiing. 15 miles are currently developed as paved asphalt, crushed limestone, and crushed sandstone. The southern end of the improved section of the trail begins in Rosston 1/4 mile north of the PA Fish + Boat Commission Boat Launch and Parking Lot, and travels into Ford City.

  In Ford City the trail becomes paved asphalt surface and passes between the old PPG buildings and Ford City Memorial Park. Towards Kittanning the trail becomes a mixture of crushed limestone surface and local streets, and follows the bank of the Allegheny River, extending another 1.4 miles until being directed onto SR 1033 for 1/8 mile by the mouth of Cowanshannock Creek. Parking is located by the mouth of Cowanshannock Creek at the Bernard Snyder Picnic Area and Trail Head, Canfield-Holmes Sanctuary and the PA Fish + Boat Commission Boat Launch and Parking Lot. This location is a popular fishing area and also an access point for the picturesque Cowanshannock Trail.

  The next 5.5 miles are newly developed crushed sandstone surface. The trail crosses Pine Creek, passes through the village of Mosgrove, past a parking area and trailhead at Lock + Dam 8, and along PA State Game Lands 287 just south of Templeton. Highlights on this section of the trail include the Monticello Furnace (built in the 1860s), Army Corps of Engineers Lock + Dam #8, and a small beaver dam on an impressive wetland. The next trailhead is located at the PA Fish + Boat Commission Boat Launch and Parking Lot in Templeton. This improved section travels north for one mile to Mahoning Creek.

• Baker Trail

  Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy Website

  Armstrong County’s premiere hiking trail, the Baker Trail, covers 141 miles and extends from Freeport, Armstrong County to the Allegheny National Forest. This hiking trail follows forest paths, old jeep trails and dirt roads through woods, gamelands, and farmlands and is marked by yellow blazes. 18 miles of the trail share a footpath with the North Country Scenic Trail. It is strongly recommended that every person or group planning on hiking the Baker Trail have a trail guidebook. A comprehensive guide to the Baker Trail describes the trail, points of interest, shelter locations, and contains a full set of topographical maps and is available to purchase at the Tourist Bureau office as well as the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy who maintains this hiking trail.

• Cowanshannock Trail

  This newly completed 1.25-mile trail leads to one of Armstrong County’s best kept secrets—Buttermilk Falls. Follow this crushed-limestone surface trail on foot or by bike from the trailhead at the Bernard C. Snyder picnic area, located just off of State Route 1033 north of Kittanning. You can also access the Armstrong Trail from this location. The Bernard C. Snyder Picnic Area offers a pavilion, restrooms, charcoal-burning grills, a picnic area, and is home to the Canfield-Holmes Wildlife Sanctuary. This trail is great for hikers, bikers, birdwatchers, wildflower enthusiasts, and anglers. A nearby boat launch area provides access to the mouth of Cowanshannock Creek (a great fishery, and with spring rain an experienced kayaker’s playground), as well as the Allegheny River.

• Great Shamokin Path

  Built at the Rural Valley Railroad, the Great Shamokin Path is named after the path that once linked the Allegheny and Susquehanna Rivers and ran from Kittanning to Sunbury. This mostly grass-covered trail climbs steadily through the Cowanshannock Creek Valley past the Devil’s Washbasin, a 1.5-acre lake named for the dam built across the creek to obtain water for steam engines—always smokey, steamy and eerie looking. The lake is stocked with fish and offers ice fishing and picnicking. The Great Shamokin Path is a hiking and bicycle trail running for 4 miles between NuMine and Rose Valley. The trail is parallel to the Cowanshannock Creek. There are two trailheads: one along State Route 85 near Yatesboro, and the other in NuMine (near the White Lake Picnic Area).

• Roaring Run Trail

  Roaring Run Watershed Association Website

  The Roaring Run Recreation Area is owned and operated by the Roaring Run Watershed Association. This 653-acre conservation and recreation project is open to the public year-round, dawn to dusk. Over 15 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails exist throughout the property as well as two premier-surfaced trails, the Roaring Run Trail and the Rock Furnace Trail. A canoeing/kayaking launch for Kiskiminetas River access is located at the Roaring Run trailhead. The parking area has a 105 vehicle capacity. Picnic tables and a pavilion are at the trailhead. The first 2.5 miles of the trail are hard packed limestone. The remaining 3 miles are railroad ballast and logging road suitable for mountain biking and hiking. The trail ends in the town of Edmon.

  The Rock Furnace Trail is a 1.5 mile hard-surface trail that joins the Roaring Run Trail at the 1.5 mile mark. This trail passes through the beautiful Roaring Run Valley, where many small waterfalls and huge rocks can be found. The remains of the first iron furnace in the Kiskiminetas Valley can be found across the trail from the huge Camel Back Rock. The Roaring Run Trail and the lower 0.5 miles of the Rock Furnace Trail are suitable for persons with disabilities. The Roaring Run Trailhead is located in Apollo on Kiski Avenue/Canal Road.