-title photo by Edward Stoddard

The great thing about a base camp… in the Centre of Adventure in Pennsylvania, you’ve got a familiar place to unwind at the end of the day with all the amenities you’ll ever need. Maybe the only thing better about a base camp is the exploring you’ll do during the day and the adventures that await. Happy Valley offers it all to you — comfortable and convenient “in-town” accommodations surrounded by more than 750,000 acres of adventure. 

You’ll find hiking, biking, fishing, and birding in each of Happy Valley’s local state forests; depending on your passion, give these locales a try.

Starting at the town nearest to the geographic center of the Commonwealth, take up residence in Bellefonte, home to the historical charm of many a bed & breakfast, and some new major brand hotels. Put on your hiking boots and head north for about an hour to Pennsylvania’s largest state forest, Sproul. Known for its 307,000 acres of rugged landscape and multi-day hikes, you can hop on the 50-mile Chuck Keiper Trail or the 90-mile Donut Hole Trail, but just for a day, don’t miss the 2.5-mile round-trip hike to see the county’s only waterfall: Yost Run Falls. (Just down the trail a little further in Clinton County is Kyler Fork Falls.) Start at the trailhead of the Keiper trail along Rt.144 just south of the Two Rock Run Vista and take the Yost Run Trail Loop downhill first to the county’s tallest, Yost Run Falls, and then on to Kyler Fork Falls a bit downstream. It’s not a long hike, downhill on the way in and uphill on the way out, but it's a bit rugged, so proper footwear is required.

If you’re more comfortable on a mountain bike, Rothrock State Forest is your best bet. Base camp at one of the many lodging properties in State College or Boalsburg, and hit the 290 trail miles in the forest south of town. The choices are endless, and you could spend the week here, but for the day, check out Lower Shingletown Gap Trail, a mere 15 minutes from State College. Easier than its rocky counterpart, Shingletown Gap, it’s excellent for beginners. For more of a challenge, give Cooper’s Gap a try. It’s one of the International Mountain Biking Association’s 53 Epic rides and offers 27 networked miles of ridge tops, technical riding, flow sections, and solid climbs.

If gravel bike riding on state forest roads is more your thing, you should snag a copy of the new Happy Valley Gravel Adventure Guide, available for free at The Happy Valley Store, 204 West Beaver Avenue, State College, PA. The guide has routes to help you explore short or long Happy Valley gravel-riding adventures.

Packing your fishing rod? All our state forests have excellent trout fishing – Sproul has hundreds of miles of trout streams, and Rothrock is home to some excellent Class A waters, but if you’re looking for variety, set up a Phillipsburg base camp and in a half hour you can be fishing Moshannon State Forest for a little bit of everything. The 250-acre Black Moshannon Lake, located in its namesake state park, offers warmwater species. You’ll most likely land a largemouth bass or chain pickerel, but you could also find a northern pike or bowfin at the end of the line. The lake is shallow, boggy, and filled with lily pads at certain times of year, but the creek that flows out of it, Black Moshannon Creek, offers wild and stocked trout. The wilds of Happy Valley’s Moshannon State Forest feature 24 miles of Class A and 15 miles of Wilderness trout streams, home to the brook trout, our state fish. In the west, Black Bear Run, a designated Wilderness trout stream, is one of the prettiest you’ll find; a little farther south, Six Mile Run is an excellent cold-water fishery, offering summer opportunities if the water levels hold. Be sure to check the regulations and have your license and trout stamp with you before heading out.

Birds, of course, are everywhere, and you’ll find them at any of the aforementioned biking, hiking, or fishing spots. But you can tip the odds in your favor by heading to the “Bald Eagles.” Relax at the Nature Inn in Bald Eagle State Park and explore the habitat right outside your door. In addition to our majestic national symbol, the park's lakes, fields, and forests offer year-round opportunities for resident birds and those winging their way through on spring and fall migrations. For some peaceful relaxation, head west to the 194,000-acre Bald Eagle State Forest, hugging the county’s southeastern border, and book one of the excellent vacation rental properties. There are over 300 miles of trails, but you’ll want to concentrate on the “birdy” areas. A quick look at eBird lists generated by birders who have gone before shows the Penns Creek Rail Trail, a relatively flat 3-mile portion of the larger Mid-State Trail, as a hotspot, along with Poe Paddy and Poe Valley state parks, which are wholly located within Bald Eagle State Forest. 

You really can’t go wrong with any of the state forests surrounding Happy Valley for any of these activities, and regardless of how you spend your day, return to that comfortable base camp, grab a bite to eat at any of the fine eateries, and rest up! You’ve got another day of adventure tomorrow.

Find your happy place in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania!