Construction to start soon on 53 miles of new trails in Rothrock State Forest. What to know
Construction will soon begin on 53 miles of new trails in Rothrock State Forest that can be used by hikers, bikers, horseback riders and other outdoor enthusiasts.
Meeting Thursday at the Musser Gap Trailhead, the Rothrock Trails Alliance gave an update on the highly-anticipated project. They were joined by Department of Conservation and Natural Resource Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, Centre County commissioners, the ClearWater Conservancy and other associated organizations. The first segment of trails for the project will be constructed this summer, RTA announced.
Starting at the Musser Gap Trailhead, the trail will carve 7 1/2 miles into the Rockrock State Forest, connecting with Shingletown Road. In the future, the constructed trails will link up with Hubler Gap in Centre County and Whipple Dam State Park in Huntingdon County.
The ultimate goal of the project is to create a new series of natural, sustainable and looping trails that not only connect to these two recreation destinations, but the rest of the 300-plus miles of trails that the state forest has to offer.
In addition to connecting Centre and Huntingdon County’s sides of the forest, the trail will also lead back to an existing pathway to Penn State and the State College Borough, giving students and area residents easy access to outdoor recreation.
Mark Potter, Rothrock’s district forester, expressed enthusiasm about getting his crew on the ground and getting started with the construction of the trails.
“This project has been something that’s been in the works for years and I know that I’m really eager to get started,” Potter said. “It’s taken a lot of work — both physical and financial — to get to this point and I’m happy that this summer, we’re officially going to get things underway.”
Jay Ziegler, chair of the Rothrock Trail Alliance board, added that the project wouldn’t be possible without the $365,700 grant from the Recreational Trails Program, administered by the Bureau of Recreation and Conservation of DCNR, and the tireless work of all the staff and volunteers helping along the way.
After the presentation, a group including Potter, Ziegler, Centre County Commissioners Mark Higgins and Amber Concepcion and other organization officials made their way onto the trail to check out the work that had been done so far with past projects.
“The work that has been done up in these woods is astounding,” Higgins said. “It’s a true coming together of nature and mankind and I can confidently say that projects like this one are the reasons why Centre County has become such a model for outdoor recreation in the commonwealth.”
Moving forward, after the completion of the first part of the trail, the RTA will continue its work on the second phase of the project, another addition to the trails. The design phase has been completed and is “shovel-ready,” according to Ziegler — all that’s left is to find a source of funding.
More information on the 53 miles of new trails and other RTA projects can be found on the alliance’s website.
