The Rail 66 Country Trail has its own unique character.
Passing through the shady hardwood forests of the uplands, farm fields and pastures, beside groves of mature maple, oak and beech, along woodland margins filled with wildlife and wild flowers, near quiet villages and country neighborhoods. The hardwood forests in autumn blaze with color, the trail side in spring fills with flowers and young green. A summer ride or hike takes one from bright fields to cool shades and fragrant waysides. Its gentle slopes are excellent for cross country skiing through the winter landscape, when the quiet is most profound.
Many rail trails follow river valleys, and they have their charms. The Rail 66 Country Trail is a different experience. It stays on the ridges. The railroad builders stayed away from slopes and hollows, winding through the countryside to keep the grades as gentle as possible.
The trail is used by the people who live along it, and by those from elsewhere seeking serenity in rural landscapes. Cross country runners train, others take brisk walks for easy exercise. Families bicycle to visit neighbors. Neighbors might stroll from Lucinda to Snydersburg to visit, or bike from Leeper to Crown. Visitors come to experience the quiet, the nature, the ease of a country bike ride or a calm stroll through the countryside. Some were born here and come to remember, reconnect and recharge. Others come for new experiences – graceful whitetail deer crossing the trail or grazing in fields, a rush of wings from turkey or grouse, pastures and clover in the morning, new mown hay in the afternoon, cool shady quiet in the evening.
Rail 66 Country Trail is a non-motorized, 4-season trail that currently extends 20 miles through the scenic countryside of northern Clarion County near the Village of Lucinda on the historic Knox-Kane railroad bed. The 20 mile corridor of the Knox to Kane rail bed aka Rail 66 Country Trail starts at Clarion Junction (Rt 322) in Paint Township and stretches north along Rt 66 to the Clarion/Forest County line in the Village of Vowinckel. Beyond the county line it extends through Forest, Elk and McKean Counties.
The trail directly connects to the North Country National Scenic Trail, the Baker Trail and BicyclePA Route V. It’s located just a few miles from Cook Forest State Park, the Allegheny National Forest, State Game Lands, Clarion Highlands Trail and ultimately to the Sandy Creek Trail, the Allegheny River Trail and, the Redbank Valley Trail.
Rail 66 Country Trail a/k/a Rail 66, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, was created and now owns a permanent easement for 20.1 miles of the corridor in Clarion County. Our volunteers have invested many hours and local donors have given thousands of dollars for the effort. Rail 66 members use, maintain and support the trail.