ROUTE 6 BIKING: Looking for a way to enjoy the outdoors while traveling this summer?
“PA Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has designated PA Route 6 as a touring bicycle route, named Bike Route Y,” The PA Route 6 Alliance announced. “Many who pedal their way across the state each year will testify to the route’s challenging hills, sweeping landscapes and charming towns.”
Biking allows travelers to be a little closer to the landscape along the historic route than travel in automobiles. Route 6 crosses Pennsylvania horizontally, cutting through several counties including McKean and Potter.
According to the alliance, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently announced it will develop a Master Bicycle Plan for Route 6 — aka Bike Route Y.
“The trip across Route 6 will only improve in the next few years,” said Terri Dennison, executive director of the PA Route 6 Alliance. “We are excited about the potential. By making the ride safer, connecting with other bike trails and offering more access points, this plan will open up more opportunities for our small businesses and towns.”
According to bikepa.com, the 409-mile Bike Route Y is the second-longest BicyclePA Route.
Dennison offered a few other local bike trails near Route 6, too, including McKean County’s own three-mile Crook Farm Trail. The trails vary in length and difficulty.
Other trails include the five-mile Ernst Bike Trail in Crawford County, the 7.5-mile Corry Junction Greenway Trail in Erie County, the 62-mile Pine Creek Rail Trail in Tioga County, the Delaware and Hudson Trail in Lackawanna County and the McDade Recreational Trail in Pike County, which can be between a half-mile and five miles, depending on when riders stop.
“It should be noted that mountain biking is permitted on the forest roads within the Allegheny National Forest and state forests that stretch across Route 6,” the alliance stated. “For more information on these and other trails, consult the PA Route 6 website at www.paroute6.com or the Explore PA Trails at www.explorepatrails.com.”
