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Trails
& Maps...
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| Hiking Seasons |
 A
hike on the trails blazed through the
woods is rewarding any season.
AT THE START of the climb, the richer
soils and gentler slopes support a diverse
assortment of forest trees, including
several kinds of oaks, white ash, sugar
and red maples, shagbark hickory, basswood
and several other kinds. As you climb
the trails, the major trees are chestnut
oaks, with a scattering of red and black
oaks, pignut hickories, and white, pitch
and table mountain pines.
NEAR THE TOP, numerous American chestnuts
continue to sprout from old roots, and
there are dense growths of black birch
and some paper birch and sassafras. Thickets
of the fast growing but scrubby striped
maple or moosewood and bracken fern are
troublesome along some of the trails as
they tend to take over. The forest floor
is covered everywhere with low-bush blueberries
and other shrubs.
 SPRING, Mother's
Day is an ideal time. Spicy fragrant,
pink azaleas have burst forth on upper
areas, with occasional pink lady slipper
orchids appearing underneath. Pink trailing
arbutus line some trails. Mountain laurels
peak a month later. Serviceberries bloom
earlier, their white flowers presaging
red/purple fruits in June. May sees the
return of migratory birds.
SUMMER,
yellow false foxgloves and loostrifes
are common on some trails. Blackberries
and black raspberries flourish on the
far side. The small red berries of wintergreen
or teaberry are almost everywhere. In
some damper areas, mushrooms and saprophytic
white Indian pipes and red and yellow
pine saps sprout.
FALL,
birches, ashes, hickories, and some maples
turn yellow. Oaks follow from bronze to
dark red. A sampling of wildflowers are
held in check by dense forest cover. In
low damp areas, witch hazel bushes yield
yellow, stringy flowers.
WINTER,
leafless trees along ridge trails offer
additional valley views. Snow shows deer,
fox, turkey and bear tracks. Woodpeckers
abound. |
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| Directions |
 From
Penn State Main Campus Area
Take
Park Ave. onto the Mt. Nittany expressway
(Rt. 322E); Take College Ave. exit; Left
onto E. College Ave. (Rt. 26N) 1/2 mile
to traffic light (Pike St.); Right onto
Pike St. 6/10 mile to Mt Nittany Rd.;
Left onto Mt. Nittany Rd. and up hill
one mile to Trailhead (see trail map).
OR
Porter
Rd. to College Ave.; Left onto E. College
Ave. (Rt. 26N) 1/2 mile to Elmwood St.
(Lemont sign on right); Right onto Elmwood
St. 1/2 mile to traffic light (Pike St.);
Left onto Pike St. two blocks to Mt. Nittany
Rd.; Right onto Mt. Nittany Rd. and up
hill one mile to Trailhead (see trail
map).
From
State College
South
Atherton Street (Business Rt. 322E) to
Branch Rd. (traffic light - see Lemont
sign); Left onto Branch Rd. two miles
to traffic light (Elmwood St.). Continue
straight ahead two blocks to Mt. Nittany
Rd.; Right onto Mt. Nittany Rd. and up
hill one mile to Trailhead (see trail
map). |
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| Trail
Maps |
 Please click
on any map below to see an enlargement. 
Trail
Map ONLY
Trail
Map With ROADS
Small
GIS Map Legend
*This
Map CANNOT be Enlarged.*
Wilderness
Medicine
If
you are interested in learning about Wilderness
First Aid & safety, Click
Here for more information.
 Did
you know that there is a complete course
just on Wilderness
First Aid? There is!
Topics of this course include an in-depth
look at patient assessment, body systems,
trauma response, equipment improvisation,
environmental medicine, toxins, backcountry
medicine, and wilderness rescue. Lecture
and discussion are combined with practical
exercises and outdoor scenarios to help
students gain confidence and encourage
the development of critical decision making
skills. Courses offered in State College,
PA.
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