Presque Isle State Park and Lake Erie

Presque Isle State Park in Erie features several beaches open for swimming.

A significant part of summer for Pennsylvanians is not spending summer in Pennsylvania.

That's not meant to be a dig at my wonderful state. After all, I've dedicated this blog to it and all the amazing attractions it has to offer.

Perhaps the greatest one of all time was a replica of the bike used in "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" on display at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh.

But many Pennsylvanians seek an escape from the blistering heat, and what better place to do that than the beach?

With the exception of last year, I've gone to the shore with my parents every year since I was 6 months old. Just like my family, thousands of other Pennsylvanians take time each summer to drive several hours to places like Cape May, New Jersey; Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; Ocean City, Maryland; Virginia Beach, Virginia; and the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

We do this because, in Pennsylvania, we don't have much of a choice. Pennsylvania has the misfortune of being a landlocked commonwealth surrounded by several coastal states. In many parts of Pa., there are state parks such as Hickory Run, Canoe Creek and Shawnee with lakes that have small sand beaches on them. These act as a nice retreat on sweltering summer days, but they don't have the same feel as a coastal beach.

When Cassidy and I moved to central Pennsylvania a few years ago, we looked at different places we could visit in the western portion of the state. Looking at a map, I realized I never visited the Erie region before. I love fishing and boating, and Lake Erie seems like one of the best locations to do both of those things in Pa., but my family never made the trip out there because it's about a five-hour drive. In that amount of time, we could go to Rehoboth Beach, which was our preferred vacation destination for the first half of my existence. Mom and Dad didn't feel the need to travel that far for a lake when you could have the entire ocean instead.

As for Cassidy and I, we found out there was a state park in Erie that had swimming beaches on it. We figured if we were to journey that far out, at least we could swim for a bit. It would only take us about 3.5 hours to drive there, as well, so we settled on Lake Erie for a trip.

I say "settled," which makes it sound like the trip was more of an obligation than an adventure, but we never "settle" for Erie anymore: We try to find every damn excuse to get back there.

We had to settle for a sandy beach, bath-warm water and few tourists. It was horrid.

Cassidy and I fell in love with the area the second we arrived, including Presque Isle State Park. The park is a 3,200-acre sandy peninsula that hovers over the City of Erie, according to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Presque Isle, which is French for "almost an island," has about a dozen beaches, ponds, trees and shaded trails, which all seem out of place when you look across the water and see the rows of buildings and roads that make up Erie.

Image courtesy of DCNR / This image shows how close Presque Isle State Park is to the City of Erie, but only one road connects the two areas.

You can't look at that map of Presque Isle State Park and not ask yourself, "Where the hell did that come from?" There are two explanations for its existence -- one is a Native American tale, and the other is a scientific theory.

The former tells the story of how the Great Spirit led the Eriez Indian nation toward the shore of the lake because of its abundant food, fresh water, and health-giving breezes, according to presqueisle.org. One day, the Eriez went into Lake Erie to find where the sun sank into the water, according to DCNR. This action upset the lake spirits, so they conspired against the Eriez by causing a horrible storm. The Great Spirit saw what was happening and wanted to protect the Eriez, so he stretched out his left arm into the lake to save them from the storm, according to DCNR. A large sand bar appeared in the area where his arm rested. This led to the creation of Presque Isle, which served as a barrier to protect the Eriez people from any dangers near the lake.

Then there's the scientific explanation. Presque Isle is a moraine, which is a ridge of sediment left behind by glaciers, according to presqueisle.org. The glacier that created Presque Isle was part of a larger ice sheet over Pennsylvania between 13,000 and 14,000 years ago, the website says. Presque Isle marks where the glacier stopped and melted about 11,000 years ago, leaving clay, sand and gravel in its place.

Whichever theory you believe, both explanations make Presque Isle's creation sound majestic. It's perhaps one of the most unique places in Pennsylvania.

Tourism websites promote Presque Isle State Park as the state's only shoreline. That might seem absurd to many people because it's on a lake. But as I mentioned earlier, Presque Isle has about a dozen beaches on it -- most of them are connected together to form one long, continuous shoreline. Despite the Erie region being associated with its harsh winters, its summers are hot, and the lake's water tends to be warm. I was surprised when I first set foot in the water at Presque Isle and realized that the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware is colder than Lake Erie.

Because of the lake's size, it makes it feel as though you're looking out over the Atlantic from a Delaware or Maryland beach. Even on a clear, sunny day, visitors can't see land over the horizon despite the fact that our amiable, maple syrup- and hockey-loving neighbor Canada sits just on the other side. That's remarkable, eh?

If you squint hard, you might be able to see a Tim Hortons.

If I showed you the above picture without any context, would you have guessed this beach was in Pennsylvania? I'm going to assume you wouldn't, because I've had pictures of Presque Isle as my computer's background at work, and people will ask: "Wow, that's a beautiful picture. Where was that taken?" When they learn it's Lake Erie, they always have a look of surprise on their faces. I think it's because people don't believe Pennsylvania could have a beach, or at least one that resembles a coastal shoreline so much.

You have to realize, however, that even though Lake Erie is one of the smaller Great Lakes, it's still a massive body of water. It's so large that it was used for shipping, and at least one war was fought on it. Lake Erie's water can be so dangerous that Congress felt the need to fund the construction of lighthouses along Pennsylvania's coast with the lake.

That's right: Pennsylvania has a shoreline, and it also has lighthouses -- three of them are on Lake Erie. In fact, one of them is considered one of the first American lighthouses on the Great Lakes: the Erie Land Lighthouse.

The Erie Land Lighthouse as it appears today.

The tower pictured above is the "third" Erie Land Lighthouse. The original lighthouse first shone in 1818 but was later dismantled because it was settling into the ground, according to lighthousefriends.com. Another tower was constructed around 1858 in its place, but that one also began to sink into the earth. The builders of the third lighthouse moved the site further away and made the foundation larger to better distribute the tower's weight, according to lighthousefriends.com. That lighthouse, which went into operation in 1867, still stands today. I guess the builders of the third tower didn't want to "settle" for a mediocre lighthouse?

Even my father didn't approve of that "dad joke."

The Erie Land Lighthouse, as it is today, sits in a children's park in Erie on a bluff overlooking the lake. I think there are tours available on certain occasions, but they seem random, so don't plan on climbing the lighthouse if you make the trip to it. You can still get a few pictures, though.

The other two Pennsylvania Lake Erie lighthouses reside in Presque Isle State Park. The one is coincidentally named the Presque Isle Lighthouse.

Possibly true historical fact: It took the builders seven months to come up with the name for the Presque Isle Lighthouse.

The Presque Isle Lighthouse stands not too far from the water in a grove of trees near Goddard Beach. Unlike the Erie Land Lighthouse, the Presque Isle Light is the original tower that was first lit in July 1873, according to presqueislelighthouse.org. There were some modifications along the way, such as an additional 17 feet added to the tower and the white paint, but other than that, the Presque Isle Lighthouse resembles what it looked like decades ago.

Until about 2014, the lighthouse's property was private, so guests could not climb the tower or visit the neighboring keeper's house. An organization now maintains the property and offers tours to guests Thursday through Monday between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.

If you take a tour, you can follow up with a swim, picnic or walk on a nearby beach. This was my favorite spot on Presque Isle, so if you're going to visit the state park, I highly recommend you take a few minutes to stop there.

To see the most current hours and rates for Presque Isle Lighthouse tours, visit the organization's official website here: http://presqueislelighthouse.org/

The third lighthouse in the area is the Presque Isle North Pierhead Lighthouse, which, despite the name, is located on Presque Isle and at the head of North Pier. I don't think the name does it justice.

Try to say "Presque Isle North Pierhead Lighthouse" five times fast.

The smallest of the three Pennsylvania Lake Erie lighthouses, the North Pierhead Light has relocated several times as the pier and area changed. The original tower was built in 1830, according to presqueislelighthouse.org.

The current tower first shone in 1857 or 1867 (depending which website you consult) and resembled a wooden fire tower. The black and white steel plates were added in 1940, according to lighthousefriends.com. The lighthouse marks the entrance to the channel that lets watercraft enter Presque Isle and Misery bays. You can't climb the North Pierhead Lighthouse, but visitors can walk up to it and fish from the pier.

During a trip to Lake Erie in 2015, I took a rod and my camera to the pier at sunrise and tried my hand at fishing. I'm a better amateur photographer than an angler, so I caught more pictures of sunsets than fish that day. You should be thankful I suck at fishing, because otherwise I couldn't share these photos with you:

If you want to learn more about Pennsylvania's Lake Erie lighthouses, you can read my post about them here: http://manifestdestinypa.blogspot.com/2016/08/pennsylvanias-lake-erie-lighthouses.html

So Presque Isle State Park has sand beaches and lighthouses. Does it sound like a trip to the shore yet? If you need more persuasion, you can find stone jetties in the water just like at some New Jersey and Delaware beaches. Depending on the day, many swimmers will also encounter small waves that are enough to simulate a shore setting but not too large where you will end up with ears filled with salt water and a concussion if you're not careful.

Grab your surfboard!

You can also go boating and fishing on the lake. I've seen groups of people anchoring their boats close to shore and jumping into the water for a swim. You'll also notice people fishing from boats, piers or any location near water. I've failed to catch anything at Lake Erie, but I remember being outdone by an older woman who caught a catfish on North Pier.

For just being caught, this fish looks unusually happy.

A typical day of fishing for me: catching nothing.

A fishing boat makes its way past North Pier into Lake Erie.

To top all this off, Presque Isle even has shorebirds including gulls and whatever these things are:

Bald eagles?

I hope you get the idea at this point. The beaches at Presque Isle State Park offer almost all the amenities a Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey or Virginia shore would provide. A few exceptions include a large boardwalk, bundles of shops selling useless crap mass produced in a foreign sweatshop, and overly priced, heart attack-inducing food. Mind you, I love all those things about the beach, as well; however, Presque Isle, in my own opinion, resembles the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in the Outer Banks.

Compare this picture taken in Avon, Outer Banks, North Carolina, to the one at the beginning of this post.

What they both have in common is they're less congested with tourists, and they're also more natural. Boardwalks and shops are tons of fun, but sometimes the best beach escape is when you have a grove of trees or miles of sand dunes behind you. Presque Isle has the occasional snack stand, but for the most part, you go on a beach there for the sake of sticking your feet in the sand and cooling off in the water, not to max out a few credit cards on novelty clothing or to ride a roller coaster constructed with so much neglect that it is unsafer than a Ford Pinto.

I've spent a majority of this post trying to convince you why Presque Isle should be your next beach destination. There are people, though, who dislike beaches. I think these people are monsters because I have a difficult time understanding how anyone can hate a beach, but I'll play devil's advocate.

Presque Isle is a state park, so there is much more to do there than just acquiring a horrible sunburn from lounging in a beach chair all day. I mentioned fishing earlier. Presque Isle hosts a series of ponds, bays and of course, Lake Erie, all which feature various fish including perch, bass, walleye, trout, steelhead, panfish, muskellunge, northern pike, crappies and smelt, according to DCNR. Keep in mind that you need a Pennsylvania fishing license, and in some locations around Lake Erie, a special Lake Erie stamp is required. Check out the Fish & Boat Commission website for more details: http://fishandboat.com/

You can spend days fishing around Presque Isle, and if you're like me, you won't catch anything. If that's the case, you can wallow in self pity while walking, hiking or running on one of many natural trails on Presque Isle. There are 11 miles of natural trails, in addition to the Karl Boyes Multi-purpose National Recreation Trail, which is a 14-mile paved walkway, according to DCNR. Many people use the latter for walking, running and bike riding. Despite my love of walking, I have yet to go on any of the trails at Presque Isle, mostly because I spend the majority of my time on the beaches. I can say from observation, however, that all the trails are well shaded by Presque Isle's numerous trees, and since the peninsula is flat, you need not worry about having to scale large hills or mountains.

If you're not into walking or running or just hate land altogether, you can give boating or paddling a chance. Presque Isle offers ample water space to take a boat out on the lake and enjoy a few hours away from the crowds. The state park also lets people rent canoes, kayaks, small motorboats and pontoon boats at certain locations on the peninsula.

Lake Erie's size allows boaters to drive at high speeds.

Most of these are summer activities, and even though I hate winter, I understand some people embrace the cold. Presque Isle has some wintertime opportunities, including ice fishing, cross-country skiing and ice skating. Lake Erie is the perfect place to do these sports most of the time because of its lake-effect weather.

Maybe you're not into nature, in which case I'm not sure why you're in a state park. But hey, we all do things to break the routine.

There are some places where you can go sightseeing on the peninsula. I mentioned the lighthouses before. The new tours at the Presque Isle lighthouse are a good way to burn time and to learn more about the tower's history and its prominence in Lake Erie's maritime history. Even though you can't climb the North Pierhead Light, its still neat to see in person.

Another interesting site is the Perry Monument, a tall concrete pillar commemorating the accomplishments of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and his crew.

The Perry Monument sits near Misery Bay.

Perry is known for winning a key battle against the British on Lake Erie near Sandusky, Ohio, during the War of 1812. A few of his ships were built in Presque Isle Bay, and after returning from his battle, Perry had his ships worked on in Little and Presque Isle bays. During the winters in 1812-14, however, Perry's men experienced harsh weather conditions and an alleged smallpox outbreak, which resulted in several deaths, according to DCNR and presqueisle.org. It's rumored that the bodies were placed in a pond neighboring Little Bay. That pond now carries the alluring name "Graveyard Pond," and Little Bay later became known as "Misery Bay" because of Perry's crew's struggles. And you thought this post was going to be all sunshine and rainbows.

In reality, there's sunshine and rainbows with undertones of death and British aggression.

 If you wander off Presque Isle State Park, you can continue your sightseeing tour in the nearby City of Erie. I mentioned the Erie Land Lighthouse as a tourist stop before, but there's another tower not too far away that's worth looking at. The Bicentennial Tower, which stands over the southside of Presque Isle Bay, is a 187-foot-tall structure built to recognize Erie's 200-year anniversary in 1996, according to Port Erie's website.

The Bicentennial Tower can be seen from across the bay on Presque Isle State Park.

For a small fee, you can take an elevator to an observation deck that not only gives you a glimpse of Presque Isle Bay, but of the City of Erie, as well. It's taller than any of the three lighthouses in the area, so it provides the best aerial view around.

The view of the City of Erie from the top deck of the Bicentennial Tower.

Not far from the Bicentennial Tower is the Flagship Niagara & Maritime Museum, which houses a replica of Commodore Perry's ship of the same name. Cassidy and I wanted to visit the museum but found out it was closed the day we stopped by.

Another educational trip is the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, named after our former governor. The center highlights the environmental aspects of Presque Isle State Park and its importance to many species of animals.

Speaking of animals, you should consider a trip to the Erie Zoo. It's about 15 minutes from Presque Isle State Park, but the zoo houses many of the animals you would see at major zoos in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. Some of the animals are quite entertaining, including a giraffe that loves licking fences and a river otter that enjoys making faces at guests.

The giraffe did this for about 15 minutes while we were at the zoo.

Maybe the exhibits at the Erie Zoo are made out of sugar glass?

After you spend a day on the beach or sightseeing around town, you can decompress by going shopping at one of the many stores in Erie, or you can grab some food and a beer or two at several restaurants. If your day was more stressful than it should have been, you have the option of choosing from a few microbreweries or wineries around town. Maybe you want to relax but don't like alcohol. A sober and family-friendly option is Waldameer Water World, an amusement park within earshot of Presque Isle State Park.

I'm sure there are more things to do that I forgot to mention, but this should be a good starting point for your Lake Erie trip. I can't imagine anyone visiting and not finding at least one thing that interests them. I've never seen a state park and its surroundings with such a diversity of activities in Pennsylvania -- with the one possible exception being Point State Park. But the City of Erie is only a fraction the size of Pittsburgh, yet it manages to pack so much recreation into such a small area.

I know I explore Pa. "so you don't have to," but I recommend you make the trip to Lake Erie, even if it's only for once in your lifetime. If you're not satisfied, I won't give you your money back because I'm poor as hell, but I will give you the opportunity to say "I told you so." I don't give those out too often, so take it if you get the chance. I'm confident this won't happen, though. The combination of Presque Isle State Park and Lake Erie is perhaps my favorite destination in Pennsylvania. It's at a close tie with Pittsburgh, but even that doesn't have a beach. Go see for yourself and help me settle the tiebreaker.

Note: These organizations and their websites provided me with much of the information for this blog post. I thank them for making my research and life much easier:

• The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/presqueisle/
• The Presque Isle tourism website: http://www.presqueisle.org/
• Lighthouse Friends: http://lighthousefriends.com/
• The Presque Isle Lighthouse organization: http://presqueislelighthouse.org/
• Port Erie Authority:  http://www.porterie.org/

Point State Park

Let's start this post off differently. Consider the following question: What do you visualize when you think of Pennsylvania state parks?

Maybe you hear the roar of the waterfalls at Ricketts Glen State Park.

Or you picture something unusual like the Balanced Rock in Trough Creek State Park.

Perhaps you feel the sensation of sand between your toes as you stand on a beach at Presque Isle State Park.

Now, what about this?

Is it behind one of those really tall buildings?

It looks deceiving, but that last picture does in fact show a state park -- possibly the only one in Pennsylvania where you're minutes away from hotels, Starbucks and two sports stadiums.

This is Point State Park, a 36-acre piece of land at the tip of downtown Pittsburgh that acts as the meeting point of three rivers: the Allegheny and the Monongahela, which both form the Ohio. The park as it is today features walkways, a fountain, a museum, a cafe and a field, but much of this is fairly recent. The area has come a long way since Point State Park was completed and dedicated in 1974.

The first parcel of land for the future park was purchased in 1946, according to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Before that, a plan was drafted for a park on the tip of Pittsburgh's "Golden Triangle" in 1945. The city was likely looking for a way to revitalize the area because it was considered, in DCNR's words, a "commercial slum" in the 1940s, compared to the busy industrial zone it once was.

And long before the first skyscrapers graced Pittsburgh's skyline, "the Point" served as a strategic area around the time of the French and Indian War. Because of tensions between several entities, a series of forts cropped up during the span of a few decades. The first would be Fort Prince George.

The Ohio Company, with help from militiamen from colonial Virginia, started building Fort Prince George (known as "Trent's Fort" at the time) in early 1754 under the supervision of company agent William Trent, according to ExplorePAhistory.com. Trent's Fort lasted about as long as the Pirates' spring training, however, after a large French army arrived at the area in April and forced the Virginians to surrender. The French began work on its defenses with the construction of Fort Duquense and proceeded to burn down Trent's Fort in July.

Fort Duquesne became a place of interest for British forces. The latter made attempts at taking the fort, including two expeditions led by George Washington (summer 1754) and Gen. Edward Braddock (1755), according to ExplorePAhistory.com. Both efforts ended in failure, and one of them would result in Braddock losing his life after succumbing to injuries suffered in battle.

Fort Duquesne remained under French control for about another three years until a large-scale operation led by British Gen. John Forbes scared the French off in November 1758 -- but not before going out with a "bang." The French blew up the fort with enough force that the explosion could be heard by British forces from nearly 10 miles away, according to ExplorePAhistory.com. Other sources say the fort was burnt down instead, but Michael Bay has convinced us explosions are always the way to go, so we'll go with his logic instead.

Although no original parts of it remain, Fort Duquesne lives on in the form of a granite outline in Point State Park's field today.

Visitors to Point State Park can see the "outline" of Fort Duquesne in the park's field.

Forbes failed to take Fort Duquesne, but he got the better prize -- British control over "the Forks" (the common name for "the Point" back then). The Brits then took it upon themselves to follow in the footsteps of the Forks' previous inhabitants and create their own defensive structure -- Fort Pitt.

Forbes named the fort after British Prime Minister William Pitt and decided to call the area surrounding it "Pittsburgh," according to ExplorePAhistory.com. He might have just intended this as a nice gesture to the crown across the pond, but Forbes helped lay down the groundwork for the sports-loving, Primantis-eating, yinz-sayin' city that all of western Pennsylvania loves today.

Nothing is more British than the NFL.

The construction of Fort Pitt occurred between 1759 and 1761, according to the Fort Pitt Blockhouse website. Before work began, the British erected a temporary structure named Fort Mercer to protect the Forks during the building of Fort Pitt, according to the Heinz History Center.

Like the former Fort Duquesne, Fort Pitt had its share of enemies. During the summer of 1763, a force of Native Americans attacked the structure during Pontiac's War, according to the Fort Pitt Blockhouse website. The battle went on for about two months and became known as the Siege of Fort Pitt, which ended in August 1763.

In addition to Native Americans, Mother Nature didn't favor the fort, either. According to the Fort Pitt Blockhouse website, by 1772, flooding had caused extensive damage to the structure, which made its keepers decide to decommission it and start selling off parts in what was likely Pittsburgh's first yard sale.

Also, remember those Virginians that got chased away by the French during the construction of Fort Prince George in 1754? Apparently they were excellent at holding a grudge. The Virginians took over Fort Pitt in 1774 during Dunmore's War, according to the Fort Pitt Blockhouse website, which was Virginia's attempt to regain the land in the Ohio Valley it lost nearly two decades earlier. The Virginians renamed Fort Pitt "Fort Dunmore" during this time, according to the Heinz History Center.

Dunmore's War was shortlived, however, since the colonies had a bigger issue on the horizon known as the Revolutionary War. The Continental Army took over control of the fort, which became known as Fort Pitt again, and made it the western headquarters for the militia, according to the Fort Pitt Blockhouse website.

Fort Pitt continued operations until 1792, when the completion of nearby Fort Fayette made the former obsolete, according to the Fort Pitt Blockhouse website. Instead of going up in flames or being exploeded to tinder, Fort Pitt was sold off, and locals used pieces of its corpse to build nearby houses, according to the Heinz History Center. One piece of Fort Pitt -- its blockhouse -- remains today and is considered the oldest authenticated structure in western Pennsylvania, according to the Heinz History Center. A replica of one of the five bastions of the structure serves as the Fort Pitt museum, as well.

The Fort Pitt Blockhouse is the only remaining portion of Fort Pitt still in existence. It is also recognized as the oldest structure in western Pennsylvania.

The Fort Pitt Museum as seen in Point State Park.

I know I spent a lot of time discussing forts, but one of the main reasons Point State Park came to be is because of the land's history during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. The numerous fights for possession of the Point between the British, French, Native Americans and Virginians shows how important the area was to each party. And without Forbes, western Pennsylvanians would likely have French-Canadian accents, eat french fries on their sandwiches and be obsessed with hockey -- well, I guess at least two of those things happened anyway.

Long live Lord Lemieux!

Getting back to the present, the Point continues to bustle with activity -- minus the numerous battles and forts. Many people visit Point State Park to walk, jog or relax by the waterfront or on the nearby field. The park always seems to be busiest around dusk, when the sun sets below the rivers and the fountain comes to life.

Visitors sit around the fountain at the tip of Point State Park.

Point State Park's fountain lights up at night and changes colors, making for a beautiful show.

During the day, bikers, walkers, joggers and runners converge at the Point because it links some of the largest trails in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania. One of these footpaths is the Three Rivers Heritage Trail -- a nearly 25-mile system of trails that runs parallel to many of the riverfronts on the Allegheny, Ohio and Monongahela rivers.

While Cassidy and I haven't actively sought the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, we usually end up on it somehow. It runs through Point State Park, Station Square, North Shore, South Shore and the Strip District, so as long as you're by a river in Pittsburgh, you've probably been on it without even knowing. If you're interested in venturing the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, you can see an interactive map here.

The other large footpath in Pittsburgh is the Great Allegheny Passage, a 150-mile rail-trail that starts at Point State Park and heads southeast all the way to Cumberland, Maryland, where it then connects with the nearly 185-mile Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath Trail that extends to Washington, D.C. The Great Allegheny Passage is considered one of the best rail-trails in the country by numerous cyclists. If you want to learn more about the GAP and the C&O trails, you can read my previous entry about them here.

Point State Park is a wonderful place to be while on land, but there are also many great things to do on the water surrounding it. People who enjoy kayaking, paddleboarding and canoeing can take advantage of the Three Rivers Water Trail, which includes about two dozen access points on the three rivers by the Point and one on the Youghiogheny River. The access points are free of charge (except for sites maintained by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission) and include amenities like storage racks, restrooms and picnic areas, according to the Three Rivers Water Trail website. You can download PDF versions of the map here. If you need to reach an access point while on the water, just look for a signs shaped like red paddles. Those are the markers for the water trail.

Cassidy and I once went kayaking on the Allegheny River by PNC Park and had a blast. The Allegheny is wide, so boaters and kayakers can share the water easily. The rivers also provide scenic views of the city, and you have a decent chance of seeing wildlife like waterfowl. We rented a tandem kayak from a paddlecraft rental shop by PNC Park under the Roberto Clemente Bridge. If you want to experience Pittsburgh on the water, you should try there first.

Cassidy and I paddle in a tandem kayak on the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh.

These Canada geese weren't afraid to get close to our kayak.

Pittsburgh's rivers also feature several different types of fish for anglers, including sauger, walleye, catfish, panfish and bass, according to DCNR.

Point State Park also features events and festivals throughout the year, if you keep an eye on Pittsburgh's many events websites. It's also worth mentioning that Point State Park is within walking, driving or biking distance of Pittsburgh's several district and attractions, including the Strip District, Market Square, North Shore, South Shore, Station Square, PNC Field, Heinz Field, the Carnegie Science Center and so on.

My point: No matter who you are, you WILL find something to do at or near Point State Park. If not, then I cannot help you, my friend.

Standing Stone Trail named Pa.'s 'trail of the year'

Editor's note: This story appeared in the April 25 edition of the Altoona Mirror.

By Brian Yermal Jr.

byermal@altoonamirror.com

A trail that follows mountain ridges through portions of central and southern Pennsylvania has been named Pennsylvania’s “Trail of the Year.”

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Trails Advisory Committee designated the honor in March to the Standing Stone Trail – an 84-mile footpath that ranges from Cowans Gap State Park in Fulton County to the Detweiler Run Natural Area in Rothrock State Forest in Huntingdon County.

A portion of the trail includes the Thousand Steps, the stone staircase created by Harbison-Walker workers in 1936 as an easier way to climb Jacks Mountain to reach ganister quarries between Mapleton and Mount Union boroughs in Huntingdon County. Today, the steps serve as a local attraction for hiking enthusiasts and tourists.

“We know that there’s thousands of people that go up and down the Thousand Steps,” said Standing Stone Trail Club Vice President George Conrad.

For winning the award, the Standing Stone Trail will be featured on DCNR promotional posters statewide, according to a DCNR press release. In addition, the Standing Stone Trail Club will receive a grant “for educational programs to promote safety and environmental protection along the trail,” Conrad said. The trail club and DCNR are working on planning a ceremony in the future to commemorate the trail’s award, he said.

The Trail of the Year title for the Standing Stone Trail means a lot to its club, Conrad said.

“It’s a huge honor for our club because our club motto is to be the premier footpath of Pennsylvania,” he said, adding that the award will help promote the trail to more people across the state.

This is the third year DCNR and the committee honored a state trail. They awarded the title to the Heritage Rail Trail in York County in 2015 and to the Redbank Valley Trails in Armstrong, Clarion and Jefferson counties in 2014, according to DCNR’s website.

This year, the Standing Stone Trail beat almost two dozen other trails for the honor, said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn in a press release.

“Standing Stone was singled out for 2016 because of its quality, benefits to the region, tremendous dedicated volunteer network and a multitude of strong partnerships,” Dunn said.

The trail also offers many scenic vistas and opportunities for trail runners, hikers and rock climbers, Conrad said.

“It gives you a lot of time to reflect,” he said. “Our goal is to bring people out into nature to experience it,” he added.

The Standing Stone Trail acts as a link to other major trails in the area, as well.

One of them is the Mid State Trail, which starts at the Pennsylvania-Maryland border and ends at the New York border for a distance of more than 300 miles, according to the trail’s website. The Tuscarora Trail – another large footpath spanning nearly 250 miles – connects to the Standing Stone Trail, too, according to DCNR.

The Standing Stone Trail is also part of the 1,800-mile Great Eastern Trail, which spans from Alabama to the Finger Lakes Trail in New York, according to the Great Eastern Trail website.

Although the Standing Stone Trail might not be as large as some of its neighboring footpaths, it still requires many volunteers to keep it maintained, Conrad said.

The trail’s club consists of more than 100 volunteer members who assist in various ways, including cleaning the trail of debris; performing trail maintenance like building bridges and repainting trail markers; writing and designing brochures and newsletters; and assisting hikers’ questions on the club’s Facebook page, Conrad said. The group also hosts events where people can help clean the trail, including the upcoming “5-day Trail Care Event” being held May 17-22, according to the club’s Facebook page.

The organization continues to accept new volunteers. People interested in joining or supporting the Standing Stone Trail Club can fill out an application on its website.

For more information about the Standing Stone Trail, visit http://www.standingstonetrail.org/ or the club’s Facebook page: “Standing Stone Trail and the Thousand Steps.”

Mirror Staff Writer Brian Yermal Jr. can be reached at 946-7445.