8 Amazing Things to do in Pennsylvania’s Trough Creek State Park
Trough Creek State Park is in the mountains of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. The park offers an incredible blend of beautiful geological features, cascading waterfalls, scenic trails, and an intriguing legend involving Edgar Allen Poe.
Located near Raystown Lake, just about in the middle of the Keystone State between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, this 554-acre park is little-known but very much worth a visit.
What to do in Trough Creek State Park
Whether planning a day trip or a weekend adventure, here are must-see sights at Trough Creek State Park.
Rainbow Falls
A visit to Rainbow Falls is often one of the biggest highlights for visitors. I know it has been for us each time we visited the park. Which is many, as I used to live nearby. The falls are particularly nice after a good rainfall when the water cascades beautifully over moss-covered rocks. The falls, named for the occasional rainbow that appears in the mist, are accessed via a scenic hike along the Laurel Run Trail.
The Suspension Bridge
To get to Rainbow Falls, you have to cross a suspension bridge over Great Trough Creek. I’d be a liar if I didn’t say crossing the swaying bridge is super fun. This is a part of the park that kids enjoy! Standing on the bridge provides a fantastic vantage point to admire the surrounding mountains and the flowing waters below.
Balanced Rock
One of the park’s most famous features is Balanced Rock. The massive gravity-defying sandstone boulder perched on the edge of a cliff above Great Trough Creek. It’s located a short distance, but it is a modestly steep hike, past Rainbow Falls.
Over time, erosion has carved away the rock below it, leaving this massive stone teetering. The views from Balanced Rock are incredible. The Balanced Rock Trail was created by the CCC in the 1930s.
Copperas Rock
This massive rock formation is stained with streaks of orange and yellow due to iron oxide deposits. Copperas Rock is an excellent example of the park’s unique geology and is easily accessible from the Copperas Rock Trail. The contrast between the rock’s vivid colors and the surrounding greenery makes for an impressive sight. This is also a great spot to cast a line if you enjoy fishing.
Ice Mine
A fascinating relic of the past, the Ice Mine is a small cave-like formation where cool air gets trapped, causing ice to form. Early settlers once used this natural refrigeration system to store food. While you can’t enter the mine, you can still feel the cool air coming out of the entrance. It was a refreshing surprise on the warm day we visited.
Paradise Furnace
Paradise Furnace is a relic from the area’s iron-producing days. It’s slowly crumbling today, but in the 1830s, it was a busy place. The ironworks operated in the area from the late eighteenth century into the mid-nineteenth century.
Located in a separate park area from most other attractions, Paradise Furnace is a fantastic remnant of the industry that once dominated the landscape in this corner of Pennsylvania.
Paradise Furnace was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990
Cemetery Trail
Starting at the Paradise Furnace parking lot, this trail crosses a small stream on a wooden bridge and begins a steady climb to the 17th-century Paradise Furnace Cemetery. It’s about a half-mile out-and-back roundtrip. My wife and I have a thing for visiting old cemeteries, so we particularly enjoyed this. Nature is slowly reclaiming the graveyard. Many of the headstones are weathered, worn, and challenging to read.
Raven Rock
Starting at the upper end of Abbot Run Trail, this trail intersects Balanced Rock Trail near the geologic wonder, Balanced Rock. The trail ends along Trough Creek at the base of Raven Rock, which used to be a favorite nesting site for ravens.
The hike is beautiful, but the local legend interests me the most. Learn more about Edgar Allen Poe and his most famous work’s possible connection to Trough Creek State Park.
