Oil Creek Trail
(Click to enlarge)
The Oil Creek Trail is located in Oil Creek State Park, north of Oil City, Pennsylvania. It is easily accessible from Rt. 8. Get directions from the DCNR website.
In the mid-1860's, an oil boom in the emerged from Titusville and resulted in the denuding of the Oil Creek valley as oilmen dotted the hillsides with wells and derricks. The ensuing lumber shortage meant a lack of wood for building barrels, so much of the oil flowed into Oil Creek unclaimed, fouling the water badly. The bare hillsides became mud pits in the wet weather, as the wells stood shoulder-to-shoulder along the valley.
Forests have long since reclaimed the hillsides, and Oil Creek once again flows clear. The valley is now the site of Oil Creek State Park, a recreational and historic area. The Oil Creek Trail is a beautiful and profoundly quiet stretch following Oil Creek through the park.
Historic sites hold down both ends of the trail - a small visitors center marking the former location of Petroleum Centre on the south, and the well-known Drake Museum on the north. Moving from the western trailhead, the trail passes a beaver pond, crosses a scenic bridge, and climbs through laurel-filled woodlands. Historic markers along the trail cite key features from the oil-boom days.
I would also say that I saw more chipmunks along this trail thank I've ever seen in my life!
- Completed Length: 9.7 miles
- Connecting Trails: No direct connections, but the 7-mile stretch of roads between the Oil Creek State Park and the Samuel Justice Trail is reasonably bikeable. Route 8 has wide paved shoulder the whole way, and the grade isn't bad. You may want to walk your bike over the first hill in the park though - I did!
- Surface: Asphalt
- Topography: 1070 ft MSL at Petroleum Centre (south); 1180 ft MSL at Titusville (north). Average rise: 12 ft/mile.
- Drake Museum
- Petroleum Centre visitors center
- Excursion train through the park
- Numerous hiking trails