A college friend and I get together halfway between our home bases once a year, so we’ve spent a lot of time exploring the western slice of Pennsylvania and Maryland plus a little bit of north-central West Virginia. This year’s expedition involved five nights along the Allegheny River just outside Kennerdell, Pennsylvania, and it has been a definite crowd pleaser!
The river is the most amazing part due to its clear water, copious submerged plants, and so much aquatic life. We used an outfitter to make the paddle from Franklin to Fisherman’s Cove an easy trip then DIYed it with a shorter paddle from the Kennerdell launch to our Airbnb a mile and a half downriver. I also pulled out my snorkel so I could revel in the fish, crawdads, mussels, and snails up close and personal, as you can see in the video above.
We could have easily spent all four days on and in the river, but there was much more to explore on land. The region is a nexus for rail trails, and we dipped into two different paths which pleased us for two different reasons.
First came the Allegheny River Trail, which runs along the eastern bank of the river for 32 miles. We enjoyed a short 4 miles each way from Kennerdell Tunnel heading south, then half a mile through the tunnel plus a bit further north. That was enough to see that the paved path passes through communities (a downside for me) but also gives easy access to lots of gorgeous mountain streams (major plus).
(Do not miss the tunnels! It was a literally cool and exciting experience to bike through the Kennerdell Tunnel, pictured above. For me, a phone light was sufficient, but my friend needed the real flashlight I’d brought and you might too.)
Despite loving the tunnel, the best part was elsewhere. If you drop down off the side of the rail trail, you can pass through Civil-War-era stone culverts like the one pictured here (mile marker 115) and find ultra-cool cave species (like the Eastern Cave Long-jawed Spider with its gauzy egg sac) that have made these human-created structures home. There were even little stalactites forming on the twentieth-century concrete addition in the front!
Next up, the Sandy Creek Trail crosses the Allegheny River Trail at Belmar (where you can pedal across the Belmar bridge and enjoy lovely river views). We made time for a short jaunt from Rockland Road to Belmar and back, which involved passing over several fun bridges.
The downside of this trail is that it’s raised up so high that there aren’t many spots where you can easily access the beautiful stream running below it. However, just a short distance west from Rockland Road, there’s a well-used walking trail running down to a gorgeous streamside spot that’s clearly used for swimming and fishing…and which also gave me an opportunity to wade and look at more aquatic critters like the Johnny Darter above.
My friend is a waterfall-lover, so I always try to find her at least one waterfall on every trip. Freedom Falls was the only one nearby, and it did have a lot of visitors. However, at lunchtime on a Friday, the space cleared out for almost an hour and we were able to relax at the base of the falls while enjoying the roar of water all on our own.
While waiting for the falls to depopulate, we ambled extensively upstream, enjoying the diverse mushrooms, plentiful salamanders, and one very amenable toad. Even though this area is a network of well-trodden ground rather than a preserved area around a single trail, I highly recommend the spot for naturalists as well as waterfall lovers.
Our other on-the-ground amble was along the River Trail in Clear Creek State Forest. The trail is basically a road, so you have to wander a bit to see cool stuff, but we were thrilled to stumble across a newt, scads of mushrooms, and perhaps a dozen tiny toads who were clearly enjoying their new life on land.
What I would have liked to do if we’d had more time: Hire the same excellent outfitters (but reserve ahead so they’d actually be there when we showed up!) to float down French Creek. Plus repeat and extend many of the adventures above, especially the snorkeling and culvert-hunting.
What I wouldn’t change: The airbnb was so much better than anticipated. Both amazing deck and riverfront access could have kept me happy for days, and you can easily bike to the Allegheny River Trail from its front door.
Gear I used for underwater photography: Full-face snorkel and waterproof camera.
For real geeks: INaturalist trip report is here if you want to see all of my observations.
Fine print: The two gear links are affiliate links, so I get a few pennies if you purchase these products I already use and love…