What’s so special about the Trails at Jakes Rocks?

Location - Design - Construction

Location – The Allegheny National Forest (ANF) Established in 1923, is Pennsylvania’s only National Forest. Situated in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, the ANF is composed of plateau tops with elevations up to approximately 2,300 feet and valleys down to approximately 1,000 feet above sea level. The forest is approximately 517,000 acres and includes land in Elk, Forest, McKean and Warren counties in the northwestern corner of the state.

Design - TAJR was conceived by a group of students of the Leadership Warren County initiative as one element of enhancement on the ANF. Recognizing the lack of any mountain bike specific trail system on the forest, the group engaged Trail Solutions, the International Mountain Bike Association trail design affiliate to design the trail system within the Jakes Rocks area of the forest. The total trail system design includes 47 miles of trail.

Construction – TAJR has been constructed primarily by professional trail builders using the latest proven techniques and practices, utilizing a combination of machine and handmade effort with materials available within the build area (except for wooden puncheon materials required for stream and wetland crossings). Several short trail segments were hand-built by members of the Northern Allegheny Mountain Bike Association (NAMBA) with supervision and oversight provided by our professional trail builders. The trails were developed under the direction of the WCDA and the US Forest Service, Allegheny National Forest leadership. Maintenance of the trails is provided through a collaborative relationship between WCDA, ANF and NAMBA.