53 miles of new shared-use trails could soon run through Rothrock State Forest in Centre, Huntingdon and Mifflin counties.
These trails, according to Rothrock District Manager Mark Potter, will run in a loop system and be accessible to hikers, bikers, and horseback riders. He said they will also offer an alternative to some of the more difficult or overused trails in Rothrock.
“I think it’s just going to create greater opportunity for folks in the Centre region to utilize and enjoy the state forest,” Potter said.
The trails will be two to three feet wide and feature a natural surface, making them generally consistent with the already existing trails in the forest, Potter said. None of the new trails will be handicap accessible.
Potter said they’ll begin construction this year on the first eight miles of the project, running from the Musser Gap trailhead over Tussey Mountain and into Shingletown Gap.
Further trail blazing, according to Rothrock Trail Alliance Board Chair Jay Ziegler, is largely dependent on finances.
“A lot of it is going to depend on the funding and how much the community and the private sector is helping us out,” Ziegler said.
The Trail Alliance, Ziegler said, will host an open house on Feb. 20 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Calvary Harvest Fields church in Boalsburg to discuss the project with the community and solicit funds for future sections of the trails.
