Pennsylvania names the Pine Creek Rail Trail its 2026 Trail of the Year
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources named the Pine Creek Rail Trail the state’s 2026 Trail of the Year. The Pennsylvania Trails Advisory Committee holds the designation. DCNR announced the selection on 19 February 2026 from Harrisburg.
DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn went to Wellsboro on 25 September 2026 to mark the designation with the Tioga County Planning Department. The Pennsylvania Wilds republished the department’s release on 9 October 2026, two weeks after the ceremony, under a guest byline.
What the secretary said in Wellsboro
Dunn tied the designation to the businesses along the route. “We’re honored to celebrate the Pine Creek Rail Trail as Pennsylvania’s 2026 Trail of the Year and to stand with the community leaders whose vision and commitment have shaped the trail into the remarkable destination it is today,” she said. “This recognition elevates the exceptional outdoor experiences found along this trail throughout the Pennsylvania Wilds, and helps bolster local businesses while delivering meaningful economic, environmental, and recreational benefits across the region.”
Tioga County Commissioners Marc Rice, Sam VanLoon and Shane Nickerson framed the award as a tourism opening. “Being named Pennsylvania’s Trail of the Year puts Tioga County on the map and gives us an exciting opportunity to showcase our community, grow tourism and bring new economic activity to our local businesses,” they said. They named the Tioga County Trail Authority as the body carrying the next phase of work.
The figures DCNR puts on the trail
DCNR reports more than 44,000 users a year. It attributes more than $5 million in annual local economic impact to the trail. Both figures appear unchanged in the February selection release, the September celebration release and the Pennsylvania Wilds copy of October.
The September release places the trail inside a state outdoor recreation industry valued at $20.4 billion and 2 per cent of gross domestic product. It reports growth of 21 per cent since Governor Josh Shapiro took office, more than 177,000 jobs supported, and $9.5 billion in wages and salaries, cited to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Pennsylvania counts more than 14,000 miles of trails.
A 65-mile route inside a 62-mile corridor
The 2026 releases describe the trail as a 65-mile scenic route through the Appalachian Mountains in Lycoming and Tioga counties. The same releases state that the corridor became a 62-mile non-motorized trail built between 1995 and 2007, from Jersey Shore to Wellsboro Junction.
DCNR’s own trail register lists the Pine Creek Rail Trail at 62.72 miles. The register separates the Wellsboro section from the main corridor, which is the arithmetic behind the two published numbers. Quote 62 miles for the corridor and 65 miles for the full 2026 route.
The corridor predates the trail. DCNR records it as first used by the Iroquois Nation and later developed as a railroad in the late 19th century. Rail service ended in 1988.
The Marsh Creek Greenway link to Wellsboro
The Pine Creek Rail Trail Extension, also called the Marsh Creek Greenway, closed a 3.2-mile gap between the trail’s former northern terminus and downtown Wellsboro. DCNR, PennDOT, Tioga County and volunteers delivered the project. The extension carries a new trailhead with a visitor centre and amenities, plus a walking and cycling connection into the borough.
DCNR marked the extension’s completion in a release dated 17 October 2025. That release said the visitor centre at the northern terminus was set to open that autumn with community displays, local business features, trail resources and local history. The September 2026 release describes the extension, the trailhead and the visitor centre as delivered.
Two discrepancies in DCNR’s own releases
Funding for the extension is stated two ways. The September 2026 release credits $3.1 million from DCNR. The October 2025 completion release and the February 2026 selection release both credit $3.5 million from DCNR. All three give $2.5 million from PennDOT, drawn from the state Multimodal Transportation Fund and federal Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside funding.
The Top 10 Trail Gap count also moves between releases. The October 2025 release records the extension as closing the fifth gap under the Shapiro Administration, and the Pennsylvania Wilds copy repeats that count. DCNR’s February 2026 and September 2026 releases now read third, and each carries an editor’s note that the release was updated to reflect that three Top 10 Trail Gaps have been closed.
What a group can ride, walk or book
The register describes the surface as hard-packed gravel over a relatively flat grade. The trail follows Pine Creek for 55 of its 62 miles. Horseback riding is permitted on portions, and equestrians use the hard-packed dirt path beside the trail between Ansonia and Tiadaghton, with parking at the Ansonia Trailhead.
Vehicle access points with parking sit south of Blackwell along Route 414. The Rattlesnake Rock lot serves canoe and bicycle shuttle operators. A second large lot sits at the southern end, just north of Waterville. The northern end now lands in downtown Wellsboro, which puts shops, restaurants and hotels within walking distance.
The route crosses Tioga and Tiadaghton state forest land. Ten state parks sit in the surrounding cluster, among them Leonard Harrison, Colton Point, Hills Creek, Hyner Run, Hyner View, Little Pine, Ole Bull, Ravensburg, Susquehanna and Upper Pine Bottom. The register notes the gorge is commonly called the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.
Three checks before quoting a group itinerary
Ask DCNR which extension figure it now uses, $3.1 million or $3.5 million. Ask whether the visitor centre is open to the public, since the completion release described an autumn 2025 opening. And check the state park count: the Pennsylvania Wilds boilerplate lists 121, the February 2026 release 124, and the September 2026 release 125, each against 2.2 million acres of state forestland.
For group bookings, confirm parking capacity and shuttle availability with the operator you use before you publish a meeting point to a group of 30 or more.