More than 50 miles of new natural surface, shared-use recreational trails are in the works for Rothrock State Forest in Centre and Huntingdon counties.
The Rothrock Trail Association (RTA), a committee of ClearWater Conservancy, plans to begin work on the project this year with construction of 8 miles of single-track trail in the Musser Gap area, with plans to connect to Hubler Gap and Whipple Dam in the future, according to a news release. RTA plans to contract with a professional trail builder in the first quarter of 2024.
In collaboration with RTA and the state Bureau of Forestry, outdoor recreation firm Applied Trails Research has field designed 53 miles of new sustainable trails on a loop system across the forest. The trails are designed for non-motorized uses, including hiking, biking and equestrian riding.
Financial support for the trail design came from private donations and grants from the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. The initial 8-mile phase is funded through a $365,700 grant from the Recreational Trails Program administered by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.
A public meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Feb. 20 at Calvary Harvest Fields, 150 Harvest Fields Drive in Boalsburg, to showcase trail design and solicit funding to construct future sections of the project.
“RTA and Clearwater negotiated this historic access agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, opening the pathway for third party groups to build trails within state forest,” Jay Ziegler, RTA board chair, said in a statement. “We are excited to have pioneered this agreement to improve PA trails and finally reach the construction process for our local Rothrock State Forest. RTA represents all trail users and needs your help to make this vision a reality for all to enjoy.”
Plans for the trails have been in the making for several years and date back to an assessment and 10-year recreation plan for the forest issued by DCNR in 2018. That report found that while the Rothrock trail system is heavily used, many of the fallline trails originally developed for logging purposes were not sustainable.
The plan looked at ways to develop more sustainable trails and provide better recreational access across more areas of the 96,975-acre forest.
RTA, which was formerly known as Friends of Rothrock before transitioning to a ClearWater committee last year, was awarded the state grant for the first phase of the project in early 2020, just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ClearWater has long been involved with preservation of Rothrock State Forest. It acquired the Musser Gap land in 2006, and later 281 acres on the north side of the Tussey Ridgeline, and transferred both to the Bureau of Forestry.
In addition to financial support, RTA is seeking volunteers to assist in other ways, including trail finish work, website maintenance, social media, capital campaign support, membership tracking and communications. More information will be available at the Feb. 20 meeting and online at rothrocktrails.org.
Former Centre County Gazette reporter Vincent Corso contributed to this report.
