OHIO RIVER TRAIL COUNCIL

Oil Creek State Park Trail — Oil City, PA to Titusville, PA

Erie to Pittsburgh Trail 20-Mile Bike Ride

Come out for a ride! This is part of a trail ride series sponsored by the Ohio River Trail Council (ORTC) intended to bring awareness to the wonderful trails in our quad-state region (Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia). All cyclists are welcome for this rails-to-trails, moderate-paced ride.

Join the Ohio River Trail Council Cycling Club as we visit the Oil Creek State Park Trail for a 20-mile round-trip through Oil Creek Gorge. The ride begins near the Petroleum Centre Train Station Visitor Center and follows Oil Creek to the Drake Well Museum in Titusville, PA.

Do not forget your camera!

Trailhead

Petroleum Centre Trailhead - Russell Corners Road, Oil City, PA 16301

GPS: 41.515918, -79.682146

Features and Points of Interest:

The Oil Creek State Park Trail offers a special combination of natural beauty and historical significance. The scenic 10-mile asphalt trail follows the historic railroad grade, which runs parallel to Oil Creek through wooded parkland where a variety of wildlife can be seen like groundhogs, bald eagles, ducks, deer and blue heron. The scenic Oil Creek carves a valley of deep hollows, steep hillsides and wetlands.

The Drake Well Museum located at the northern terminus of the trail is the site of the first commercial oil well in the United States and includes a replica of the Drake Wellas well as relics of the early industry. There is also interpretive signs along the trail. The museum is located at 202 Museum Lane, Titusville, PA 16354-7658

Also Pithole City, a ghost town in Cornplanter Township, Venango County is about 6 miles from Oil Creek State Park. Pithole was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 featuring a visitor center containing exhibits pertaining to the history of one of the most famous oil boomtowns in the United States. The Pithole Visitor Center is located at 14118 Pithole Rd., Pleasantville, PA 16341-1314.

The Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad (OC&T RR) provides a three hour excursion through Pennsylvania Oil Country. In addition, the railroad can pick you and your bicycle up at Petroleum Centre, Rynd Farm Station, or Drake Well Station if you want to shorten your trip.