Samuel Justus Recreation Trail Weather & Planning Guide

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Samuel Justus Recreation Trail, Venango County, PA, 6.98 miles

Trail Facts

Length 7 mi

Elevation 981 to 1000 ft

Grade 0.1% average

Shade cover 63%

Surface Asphalt

Activities

E-bikingBikingWalkingRunningHikingBirdingFishingKayakingHorseback ridingCross-country skiingand more

About This Trail

The Samuel Justus Recreation Trail is a seven mile paved rail trail on the southeastern bank of the Allegheny River between Oil City and Franklin in Venango County. It runs on the old Allegheny Valley Railroad grade from the Oil City Marina, past the Osborne Street trailhead and the refinery grounds at Reno, to a visitor center housed in an 1844 saltbox house across the river from Franklin. The asphalt is eight feet wide and rail grade flat, with a parallel dirt access road for horses along much of the way. Woods close in overhead for most of the distance, opening now and then to benches, picnic tables, and river views. Working oil pumps stand within sight of the trail.

RailTrailWx TIPS

Samuel Justus Recreation Trail

Your comfort. Prognosticated.

The trail is well shaded for most of its length, with the deepest shade near Reno and the Franklin end, so it stays cooler on a hot afternoon.
For most of the way the corridor hugs the foot of a north facing slope above the river. That slope keeps the trail in shade for much of the day.
The Allegheny River runs beside the trail the whole way, so expect river fog in the mornings, especially in late summer and fall when the water is warmer than the air.
The corridor runs east northeast to west southwest along the river. A wind from the east or northeast is a headwind toward Oil City and a tailwind toward Franklin; a southwest wind does the reverse. The valley wall blocks much of any crosswind.
This is a true rail grade with only a few feet of climb end to end, so pace is set by wind and surface, not hills.
A dirt access road runs beside the asphalt for much of the trail and is the route for horses.
The trail is open to cross-country skiing in winter and is not groomed by any published schedule; the shaded middle miles hold snow longest.

-Cory

Trivia

The Allegheny Valley Railroad was built to serve the oil industry and reached Oil City in 1868.
The railroad joined the Pennsylvania Railroad system in 1910, later passed to Conrail, and saw its last service in 1984.
Ruins of the gate to River Ridge Farm stand beside the trail; the estate belonged to Joseph C. Sibley, a five term member of the United States House of Representatives.
Sibley built his mansion in 1913 with money from Galena Oil, a formula he developed for refining crude into lubricant for railroad engines.
The trail's visitor center occupies a saltbox house built in 1844.
The trail is part of the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail, a planned corridor of connected trails estimated at 270 miles.
The Allegheny Valley Trails Association that built the trail is an all volunteer group founded in 1990, and by 2008 it had taken title to 55 miles of abandoned railway.
The Allegheny here carries a federal Wild and Scenic River designation, and the trail runs beside it the whole way.

Climate

Excellent biking days per month, 2011-2025 climatology

In a typical year the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail has about 105 to 152 days of excellent weather for popular activities such as hiking, dog walking, e-biking, running, biking, birding, and walking, with May, September, and October the best months.

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Hourly comfort scores for the next 15 days of weather, tuned to your activity and your own thresholds.

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Enjoy the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail!

Peak Fall Color Climatology

Calendar of the typical peak fall color window along this trail

In half of past years, color along the Samuel Justus Recreation Trail peaks October 14 to 23, typically around October 18. The trail has 57% deciduous coverage, with the majority being red maple, black cherry, and northern red oak.

History

The Allegheny Valley Railroad laid its rails into Oil City in 1868 to carry crude out of the oil fields. Colonel Edwin Drake had drilled the first successful oil well a few miles up Oil Creek in 1859, and within a decade the river towns of Oil City and Franklin were refining and shipping oil in volume. The railroad ran along the southeastern bank of the Allegheny between the two towns, past refinery works at Reno and the estate that Joseph C. Sibley later built with his Galena Oil fortune. In 1910 the Allegheny Valley became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. Under the Pennsylvania Railroad and then Conrail the line faded with the oil trade it was built for, and service ended in 1984. The Allegheny Valley Trails Association formed in 1990 to buy abandoned railways in the Allegheny watershed and turn them into non-motorized trails. The Oil City to Franklin section of its Allegheny River Trail was named the Samuel Justus Recreational Trail, an eight foot asphalt strip on the old grade with a dirt access road beside it. By 2008 the association had taken title to 55 miles of former railway and finished the 30 mile Allegheny River Trail south to Emlenton, of which this trail is the northern end. Today the trail is also a link in the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail and carries National Recreation Trail status.

Trailheads

Oil City MarinaMILE 0Directions
Osborne Street TrailheadMILE 1.2Directions
Samuel Justus Trail Visitor CenterMILE 7Directions

Connects To

Allegheny River Trail: NorthOil City Trail

Managed By

Allegheny Valley Trails Association

Nearby trails

Sandy Creek Trail

12 mi·PA

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Allegheny River Trail: North

27 mi·PA

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Oil Creek State Park Trail

9.5 mi·PA

Explore Forecast

RailTrailWx TIPS

Samuel Justus Recreation Trail

Your comfort. Prognosticated.

The trail is well shaded for most of its length, with the deepest shade near Reno and the Franklin end, so it stays cooler on a hot afternoon.

For most of the way the corridor hugs the foot of a north facing slope above the river. That slope keeps the trail in shade for much of the day.

The Allegheny River runs beside the trail the whole way, so expect river fog in the mornings, especially in late summer and fall when the water is warmer than the air.

The corridor runs east northeast to west southwest along the river. A wind from the east or northeast is a headwind toward Oil City and a tailwind toward Franklin; a southwest wind does the reverse. The valley wall blocks much of any crosswind.

This is a true rail grade with only a few feet of climb end to end, so pace is set by wind and surface, not hills.

A dirt access road runs beside the asphalt for much of the trail and is the route for horses.

The trail is open to cross-country skiing in winter and is not groomed by any published schedule; the shaded middle miles hold snow longest.

-Cory

Trail Facts

Activities

About This Trail

RailTrailWx TIPS

Trivia

Climate

RailTrailWx Comfort Scores, for your activity.

Peak Fall Color Climatology

History

Trailheads

Connects To

Managed By

Further Reading

Nearby trails

Trail Facts

Activities

About This Trail

RailTrailWx TIPS

Trivia

Climate

RailTrailWx Comfort Scores, for your activity.

Peak Fall Color Climatology

History

Trailheads

Connects To

Managed By

Further Reading

Nearby trails