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The Rail 66 Country Trail is a paved rail trail that runs about 26 miles from Marianne, at the US 322 junction in Clarion County, north through Lucinda, Snydersburg, Leeper, and Vowinckel to the Marienville Hub in Forest County. It follows the old Knox and Kane Railroad grade and stays close to PA Route 66 for most of its length. The grade is rail-flat, with a gentle climb toward Marienville that most riders will not notice. The setting alternates between woods and farm fields, with a restored station and caboose at Lucinda, a township park at Leeper, and a junction with the North Country National Scenic Trail near Vowinckel. Marianne, Leeper, and Marienville offer food, and Marienville has lodging.
Rail 66 Country Trail
Your comfort. Prognosticated.
-Cory
In a typical year the Rail 66 Country Trail has about 102 to 150 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.
Hourly comfort scores for the next 15 days of weather, tuned to your activity and your own thresholds.
Plan your visit to this trail. Get the best windows for a comfortable outing.
Enjoy the Rail 66 Country Trail!
In half of past years, color along the Rail 66 Country Trail peaks October 10 to 20, typically around October 15. The trail has 51% deciduous coverage, with the majority being red maple and black cherry.
Coal, lumber, and glass rode out of Clarion County on this grade for most of a century. The corridor started in the late 1800s as a three foot narrow gauge line, the Pittsburgh and Western, assembled from several smaller railroads. The Baltimore and Ohio absorbed it, widened it to standard gauge, and ran it as the Northern Division from Pittsburgh to Buffalo and Rochester. Those industries faded, and in 1982 the B&O gave up the line between Foxburg and Kane. The Knox and Kane Railroad bought it that year and ran freight between Knox and Mount Jewett. From August 1987 it also ran tourist trains from Marienville through Kane to the Kinzua Viaduct. A tornado knocked down much of the viaduct on July 21, 2003. Tourist trains ended in October 2004 and freight by 2006. The Kovalchick Corporation bought the railroad at auction in October 2008 and salvaged the rails and ties. Al Lander of Lucinda then leased four miles of the empty bed and paved it through Lucinda and Snydersburg for walking and bicycling. Neighbors formed a community group, and that group became Rail 66 Country Trail Inc., a volunteer nonprofit. The Clarion County corridor was railbanked and deeded to Rail 66 in fee simple. Paving pushed north to Leeper and then to the county line at Vowinckel. Jenks Township is building the Forest County miles into Marienville, where a hub and the old station anchor the north end.
North Country National Scenic TrailBaker TrailBicyclePA Route VKnox and Kane Rail Trail
