Pine Creek Rail Trail (Pennsylvania) Weather Forecast & Planning Guide

Pine Creek Rail Trail, Lycoming, Tioga Counties, PA, 65.12 miles

Trail Facts

Length65 mi

Elevation564 to 1295 ft

Grade0.2% average

Shade cover61%

SurfaceCrushed gravel

Activities

E-bikingBikingWalkingRunningHikingBirdingFishingKayakingSwimmingHorseback ridingCross-country skiingand more

Connects To

Turkey PathMid State TrailGolden Eagle Trail

Managed By

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry

Trivia

Pine Creek Gorge is a designated National Natural Landmark, better known as the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.
The corridor was first opened in 1883 by the Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway to move timber and coal.
Conrail ended rail service in 1988, the first trail section opened in 1996, and the final stretch into Wellsboro opened in 2025.
Pine Creek carried the Native American name Tiadaghton, which the surrounding state forest still bears.

About This Trail

Named Pennsylvania’s 2026 Trail of the Year, the Pine Creek Rail Trail (PCRT) runs 65 miles from Wellsboro to Jersey Shore, dropping roughly 700 feet along its route. Merging with the Pine Creek around 9 miles from Wellsboro, the trail dives into the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, a majestic and time-worn gorge between Ansonia and Blackwell. The route strings together several quaint villages including Blackwell, Cedar Run, Slate Run, Cammal, Jersey Shore, and Waterville. Rock outcrops, side-canyon waterfalls, and railroad artifacts are common sights along the trail. Outside of the Grand Canyon along the lower half of the trail, the views are magnificent, often featuring the shimmering Pine Creek in the foreground and old, weathered mountains in the background. Several crossings of the Pine Creek are made on stately truss bridges, offering sweeping views of the river and landscape. The trail is quite remote with ample opportunities to see an abundant variety of flora and fauna. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources of Pennsylvania meticulously maintains the trail, making it accessible to everyone for a wide range of activities.

RailTrailWx TIPS

Pine Creek Rail Trail

Your comfort. Prognosticated.

The Pine Creek Rail Trail inspired the creation of RailTrailWx and is one of my “home” trails. After riding thousands of miles along it, I continue to be struck by its beauty and distinctive weather patterns. Pine Creek has given my family and me so much, making it a natural choice as the flagship trail of RailTrailWx.
Temperatures: The gorge has a very unique microclimate. It runs cooler than surrounding areas, with some sections receiving very little (if any) sunlight from fall through spring. Along the southern half, there are a few open stretches through farm fields with less tree cover that can run warm in the afternoon.
Wind: The trail is generally sheltered by the surrounding mountains and forest, but there are open stretches in the southern half of the trail where it can be a force to reckon with. The gorge in the northern half features very chaotic wind flows. Typically, the wind likes to channel down the gorge, but it's common for the winds to produce rotors when interacting with the canyon walls. During the stretches along the gorge when the tree canopy thins, these rotors produce alternating periods of strong headwinds and refreshing tailwinds.
Fog: If you love foggy mornings, then Pine Creek won't disappoint, especially during the late summer and fall. It is very common for cold air to spill off the plateau into the valley and form dense fog. The fog typically clears by mid-morning, pulling back the curtain in a spectacular display of sun beams, glistening dew, and contrasting shadows.
Humidity: Count on feeling a bit more sticky along this trail than nearby areas. The forest and nearby creek are constantly exhaling water into the local atmosphere.
The trail descends around 700 feet from the Wellsboro to Jersey Shore, with most of that loss occurring in the gorge. Because of this, traveling by bike from north to south is a bit easier than the opposite direction.
The 17-mile section from Darling Run to Blackwell has no intersecting roads and is the most secluded stretch; carry water and supplies since services are sparse between trailheads. There is very little cell service on this trail.

-Cory

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Enjoy the Pine Creek Rail Trail!

Climate

Excellent biking days per month, 2011-2025 climatology

History

Before the railroad, the Pine Creek valley was already timber country. Pine Creek, also known by its Native American name, Tiadaghton, carried white pine and hemlock downstream to sawmills as loggers cleared the surrounding hills throughout the 1800s. As lumbering and coal mining expanded, the Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway built a line along the creek, opening it in 1883 to move timber, coal, and passengers through the gorge. After several reorganizations, the route became part of the New York Central Railroad and later Conrail, which continued service until operations ended in 1988. The tracks were removed soon after, and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources began converting the corridor into a trail. The first section opened in 1996, and the full Pine Creek Rail Trail was completed in stages, with the final segment from Ansonia to just north of Wellsboro opening in 2007. Today, DCNR manages the trail through Tioga and Tiadaghton State Forest lands. In 2025, the trail extended 3 miles from north of Wellsboro to the Patterson Trailhead Facility in Wellsboro proper, officially completing the full 65-mile route from Wellsboro to Jersey Shore.

Trailheads

WellsboroMILE 0.3Directions
Butler Access AreaMILE 3.3Directions
Cavanaugh AccessMILE 7.7Directions
Big Meadow Access AreaMILE 10.7Directions
Darling RunMILE 11.9Directions
Turkey Path TrailMILE 15.4Directions
Tiadaghton CampgroundMILE 19.6Directions
Mid State TrailMILE 26.9Directions
BlackwellMILE 28Directions
Rattlesnake RockMILE 29.8Directions
Slate RunMILE 38.4Directions
Black Walnut BottomMILE 40.3Directions
Clark Farm Utceter StationMILE 41Directions
Ross RunMILE 42.9Directions
Waterville TrailheadMILE 53.1Directions
WatervilleMILE 53.9Directions
RamseyMILE 57Directions
WhitetailMILE 62.1Directions
Torbert Access AreaMILE 62.2Directions
Jersey ShoreMILE 65Directions

Nearby trails

Lycoming Creek Bikeway

5.2 mi·PA

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Susquehanna River Walk & Timber Trail

5.2 mi·PA

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Lambs Creek Trail

3.8 mi·PA

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RailTrailWx TIPS

Pine Creek Rail Trail

Your comfort. Prognosticated.

The Pine Creek Rail Trail inspired the creation of RailTrailWx and is one of my “home” trails. After riding thousands of miles along it, I continue to be struck by its beauty and distinctive weather patterns. Pine Creek has given my family and me so much, making it a natural choice as the flagship trail of RailTrailWx.

Temperatures: The gorge has a very unique microclimate. It runs cooler than surrounding areas, with some sections receiving very little (if any) sunlight from fall through spring. Along the southern half, there are a few open stretches through farm fields with less tree cover that can run warm in the afternoon.

Wind: The trail is generally sheltered by the surrounding mountains and forest, but there are open stretches in the southern half of the trail where it can be a force to reckon with. The gorge in the northern half features very chaotic wind flows. Typically, the wind likes to channel down the gorge, but it's common for the winds to produce rotors when interacting with the canyon walls. During the stretches along the gorge when the tree canopy thins, these rotors produce alternating periods of strong headwinds and refreshing tailwinds.

Fog: If you love foggy mornings, then Pine Creek won't disappoint, especially during the late summer and fall. It is very common for cold air to spill off the plateau into the valley and form dense fog. The fog typically clears by mid-morning, pulling back the curtain in a spectacular display of sun beams, glistening dew, and contrasting shadows.

Humidity: Count on feeling a bit more sticky along this trail than nearby areas. The forest and nearby creek are constantly exhaling water into the local atmosphere.

The trail descends around 700 feet from the Wellsboro to Jersey Shore, with most of that loss occurring in the gorge. Because of this, traveling by bike from north to south is a bit easier than the opposite direction.

The 17-mile section from Darling Run to Blackwell has no intersecting roads and is the most secluded stretch; carry water and supplies since services are sparse between trailheads. There is very little cell service on this trail.

-Cory