The next hike I will be discussing on my blog is a hike I took this summer while vacationing at Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Trough Creek State Park is a gorge that now empties into Raystown Lake (Trough Creek State Park, 2021). There were lots to see at Trough Creek State Park. My friend and I hiked the several trails, but we began at Copperas Rock Trail. The trailhead can be found directly across from Copperas Rock. Before beginning our hike, we ate a quick snack at the picnic area at Copperas Rock. This rock is a large overhang, known for its yellow color due to the weathering of the iron in the rocks (Cheney, 2021). The yellow color is what gives Copperas Rock its name as it looks as if the rocks are filled with copper and gold (Cheney, 2021).
The Copperas Rock Trail begins at a steep incline, but nothing compared to the incline discussed in my Mount Nittany post. The trail takes you deep within the oak trees of Trough Creek (Trough Creek State Park, 2021). The trail levels out towards the top where it turns into the Ledges Trail. We took the Ledges Trail to the Overlook on this trail. The overlook provides a beautiful view of the adjacent mountains within Trough Creek State Park (Cheney, 2021). We looped the Ledges Trail by taking the connected trail, Abbot Run. The Abbot Run Trail led us to the infamous Balanced Rock of Trough Creek State Park and Rainbow Falls.
The Balanced Rock is probably the most well-known part of Trough Creek State Park, and a very impressive natural phenomenon. Balanced Rock looks as if it is to fall off the side of the mountain at any point, but it’s said to have sat there for all the park’s history (Cheney, 2021). Rainbow Falls can be found right below the trail up to Balanced Rock. It seemed to be just a trickle when we visited, but it was a very nice view of the way the rocks laid naturally.
To get back to the Copperas Rock Trail, we took the Rhododendron Trail that reconnects not far from the Ledges Trail. Our adventures did end there. Just a short drive, or walk, down the road you will see what is known as the Ice Mine. This was a very neat oddity to see, even though there wasn’t much to look at. It wasn’t a mine at all, just a way for the cold air to escape the mountain (Cheney, 2021). On a hot summer day, it was incredible to feel the 50-degree temperature below grown compared to the 90 degrees while hiking. It was a great way to cool down after a long hike!
Though, we didn’t quite know if we were headed in the right direction at first, this hike was very beautiful and a great way to take in the beauty of the nature surrounding our vacation spot! If you’re ever in Huntingdon County, I recommend a visit to this very, unique state park, #hikingbeauty.
Citations:
Cheney, J. (2021, March 15). 7 Awesome Things to Do in Trough Creek State Park. Uncovering PA. https://uncoveringpa.com/things-to-do-trough-creek-state-park
Trough Creek State Park. (2021). Hiking at Trough Creek State Park. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources. https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/TroughCreekStatePark/Pages/Hiking.aspx