Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the Planet
crosscountry skiing on the allegheny front trail

Cross county skiing along the Allegheny Front trail · Photo by Gary Thornbloom

walkin jim trailside

Walkin’ Jim visiting the Rainbow Trail · Photo by Gary Thornbloom

Juniata River trip · Photo by Helena Kotala

Overnight hike and bike

Some hiking, biking, and nature outings include camping · Photo by Heidi Johnson

Moshannon Group Outings

All outings are open to the public as well as Moshannon Group members.

If you have ideas for places you would like visit with the Moshannon Group or if you want to lead a trip yourself, contact Outings Co-Chair Helena Kotala by email or at 814-502-7967.

Upcoming Outings: Mark Your Calendars

2009 Outings

Sunday, November 22 — MID STATE TRAIL: 4-mile long hike on the Mid State Trail, from Colerain Road to the Little Juniata Natural Area. Meet at the Little Juniata Natural Area parking lot at noon. DIFFICULT HIKE. Contact Stan Kotala by email or at 814-946-8840 for more details.

Saturday, December 19 — ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT: Spend the day in the field and enjoy fellowship at the Hoyer’s for a covered dish supper and bird count for the day. Contact Coordinator Steve Bonta by email or call 814-684-1175. Please call Marge Hoyer 814-684-7376 to coordinate dishes.

2010 Outings

Saturday, January 23 — HIKE THE MOORE’S HILL TRAIL AT CANOE CREEK STATE PARK: 4-mile long hike, moderate difficulty. Meet at the Canoe Creek Environmental Education Center at 1 p.m. Contact Stan Kotala by email or at 814-946-8840 for more details.

Saturday, February 20 — RAYSTOWN EAGLES: Raystown Lake is home to as many as 18 bald eagles over the winter months because of open water and abundance of food. We will visit the dam area to observe eagles and take a short walk along a nature trail, weather permitting. Meet McDonald’s, Huntingdon, PA at 9 a.m. Bring snacks and drinks. Lunch afterwards. Contact Terry Wentz at 814-693-6563 for details.

Saturday, March 6 — MIDDLE CREEK WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA: Van trip to see up to 200,000 snow geese, tundra swans, and other waterfowl at this famous stopover in Lebanon/Lancaster Counties. Meet at Unkel Joe’s Woodshed at 8 a.m. Bring a bagged lunch, snacks, and drinks. Restaurant stop on the way home. Contact Terry Wentz at 814-693-6563 for details.

Sunday, April 3 — IRONSTONE TRAIL SHUTTLE HIKE: 5-mile downhill hike from the top of Tussey Mountain, along Shaver’s Creek to the Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center grounds. Meet at Jo Hays Vista on Rt 26 at the top of Tussey Mountain at noon. Contact Helena Kotala by email or at 814-502-7967 for details.

Saturday, April 10 — TIMBERDOODLES AT CANOE CREEK STATE PARK: The park has a variety of wetlands and old fields that provide ideal habitat for woodcock. Observe the fascinating and unique flight of the timberdoodle. Meet at Canoe Creek Pavilion 1 at 7:30 p.m. Contact Stan Kotala by email or at 814-946-8840 for more details.

Sunday, May 2 — ROCKY RIDGE NATURAL AREA: 4-mile long hike in this geologically and botanically rich area along the Standing Stone Trail north of Huntingdon. Meet at McDondald’s in Huntingdon at noon.Contact Stan Kotala by email or at 814-946-8840 for more details.

Saturday, May 8 — INTERNATIONAL MIGRATORY BIRD DAY: Annual favorite to see as many as 100 bird species during the peak of spring migration. Meet at the Canoe Creek Visitor Center at 8 a.m. Contact Stan Kotala by email or at 814-946-8840 for more details.

A Guide to the Allegheny Front Trail

Ben Cramer, freelance writer and outdoor enthusiast, has released his new Guide to the Allegheny Front Trail online (1.7MB PDF). Cramer is the editor of Pennsylvania Hiking Trails, 13th ed. (Stackpole Books, 2008) and contributes to Moshannon Group’s On the Trail columns.

Outings News

Attention McKean and Elk Counties!

For all our friends in the Moshannon Group’s north country, more Sierra Club outings may be coming to your area.

The Lake Erie Group, which borders the Moshannon Group to the northwest, often holds outings and events in Allegheny National Forest. Members and Friends of Moshannon Group are welcome to participate.

Moshannon Group also hosts occasional outings in this area, with a focus on the issues faced by Allegheny National Forest. Watch this page for details.

WINTER OUTINGS

Cross-Country Skiiers and Snowshoers

Moshannon Group Chair Gary Thornbloom maintains a contact list for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. When conditions are right, trips may be planned with only a few days notice.

To join the cross-country skiing list, contact Gary Thornbloom via email or at 814-353-3466.

NOTICE: Spring Creek Canyon

Please Note: There has been some confusion about Moshannon Group outings that have been scheduled in Spring Creek Canyon between Bellefonte and State College in Centre County.

We have hosted outings there, but this area is NOT open to the public, because it is under the ownership of Rockview SCI (State Correctional Institute).

Anyone using this area is required to receive advance permission from the landowners, so any use of the creek or canyon should be scheduled through organized groups, such as Sierra Club.

The preservation of Spring Creek Canyon is one of Moshannon Group’s principal conservation efforts — please see our Issues page for details.

Some outings include a service element to maintain trails in Moshannon Country Service outings help maintain trails in Moshannon Country · Photo by Gary Thornbloom

About Service Outings

Service outings can range from trail maintenance with needs for chainsaws to remove downed limbs and paintbrushes to freshen trail blazes to creekside (and sometines in-creek) debris removal. A Spring Creek cleanup is usually run in conjuction with Earth Day.

We typically place notices about service outings on both the Events and Outings pages of this site.

Spring Creek Service outing 2008 Spring Creek Cleanup Day · Photo by Heidi Johnson