Beaver Meadows Hiking Trail & Day Use Area

Area Status: Open

The terrain around the lake is gentle, offering a leisurely hike. Opportunities to view wildlife are plentiful.

Beaver Meadows Loop - This 3.0 mile loop is marked with off-white diamonds. South of the lake, the trail passes through a grassy savannah dotted with spruce and pine trees. As the trail nears the headwaters of the lake, look for the small fenced areas that protect blueberry plants from deer browsing. The trail then passes over the lake on a floating boardwalk. North of the lake, the trail climbs to a forest of black cherry and red maple.
Seldom Seen Trail - This trail is 1.2 miles long and is marked with blue diamonds. It passes through a mature forest of black cherry, red maple, beech and red pine. The highlight of the trail is the half-acre blueberry patch. Enjoy the blueberries in late July and August.
Salmon Creek Loop - This loop trail is 1.3 miles long, and is marked with blue diamonds. It is dominated by a peaceful red pine and spruce forest. Several beavers make their home in Salmon Creek. If you are quiet, you may be able to see one.

Penoke Path - This trail is 1.1 miles long and is marked with blue diamonds. As it follows Penoke Run, it passes through a grassy savannah on an old railroad grade. The large old stumps in the savannah are the remnants of a forest that was cut at the turn of the century.

Lakeside Loop - This short 0.5 mile trail is marked with blue diamonds. It takes you closer to the lake to enjoy the scenery, view wildlife, or fish.

View/Print Trail Brochure - pdf

At a Glance

Current Conditions:	Restrooms close 11/01
Fees:	No fee
Permit Info:	No permit required
Open Season:	January - December
Usage:	Light
Restrictions:	As a visitor to the National Forest, you are asked to follow certain rules designed to protect the Forest, natural resources and to provide for public safety of visitors. These rules are available to you on-line or at any office of the Allegheny National Forest. Please take time to read and understand them. General Topic orders apply across the Forest. Applicable Orders for this Site: Beaver Meadows Recreation Area Forest Supervisor Closure Orders prohibit the use of mountain bikes and saddle, pack or draft animals.
Closest Towns:	Marienville, PA
Restroom:	Vault
Operated By:	Forest Service
Information Center:	Marienville Ranger District *Address:* 131 Smokey Lane Marienville, PA 16239 *Phone:* 1-814-927-6628 Email: sm.fs.anf@usda.gov

General Information

Directions:

From Marienville

Head northeast on PA-66 N
Turn left onto N. Forest St.
Travel north on N. Forest St. for .2 miles
N. Forest Road becomes Beaver Meadows Road/T358
Travel on Beaver Meadows Road for 3.7 miles
The entrance road is located on the right.

Recreation Map

Map showing recreational areas. Map Information

Activities

Day Hiking

This system consists of five interconnecting trails, totaling 7.1 miles that wind through the forested hills around Beaver Meadows Lake. This trail begins are Beaver Meadows Recreation Area.

No pack or saddle animals off of designated roadways.

Fire Information	Campfires are permitted if maintained in a fire ring, and completely extinguished.
Difficulty Level:	Difficult

Viewing Wildlife

The forest is rich with wildlife, from birds to mammals to fish and other amphibeous life. The impoundment at Beaver Meadows Lake serves as a waterfowl refuge. It is the home of many herons, ducks and geese. Beavers also live in and around the lake. A system of interconnecting loop trails serves the area, offering views of a wide variety of natural habitats. A boardwalk crossing at the upper end of Beaver Meadows Lake is a highlight of the trails.

For information on species common to Pennsylvania, and the Allegheny National Forest visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission website for game and nongame species information.

When you see wildlife, please remember:

never feed wildlife
don't interfere with mating, predation or other natural behaviors.
keep a respectful distance
preserve habitat by following "leave no trace" principles.
leave young wildlife where you find them.

If you think you've found a sick or injured animal please call the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Viewing Plants

Beaver Meadows Loop - This 3.0 mile loop is marked with off-white diamonds. South of the lake, the trail passes through a grassy savannah dotted with spruce and pine trees. As the trail nears the headwaters of the lake, look for the small fenced areas that protect blueberry plants from deer browsing. The trail then passes over the lake on a floating boardwalk. North of the lake, the trail climbs to a forest of black cherry and red maple.

Many native plants can be found throughout the Allegheny National Forest.

For more information about the types of plants and trees you may see on the Allegheny:

Difficulty Level:	Intermediate

Viewing Scenery

Difficulty Level:	Intermediate

Geocaching & Letterboxing

Geo-caching is a permissible dispersed recreation activity on most areas of the Allegheny National Forest.

Areas where geo-cacheing is not permitted include:

Hickory Creek Wilderness,
Tionesta Scenic and Research Natural Areas,
Hearts Content Scenic Area and
all developed recreation sites.

What You Need to Know About GeoCaching:

No soil disturbance is permitted for any geo-cache placement on the Forest.
Caches should be covered with leaves or woody debris if the geo-cacher chooses to screen the cache at the site.
We ask all geo-cachers to remove their cache if the site receives a large number of visits by others as evidenced by a well-worn trail or path.
We ask that all caches be removed after one year regardless of site activity and moved to a new location or removed from the National Forest.