R M Baumbach Photography

Biking the Bellefonte Central Rail to Trail

The new Bellefonte Central Rail to Trail is at present a very short 1.3 mile trail in State College. It runs through the site of the Penn State Arboretum and connects the McKee Street Bike Path to an developed path that leads to the Toftrees Development. For more information about the trail go to The Bellefonte Central Rail to Trail. Enjoy the photographs which were taken in late summer 2005 and 2006. Below the pictures is an essay I wrote about the trail. Enjoy!

An Essay on The Bellefonte Central Rail to Trail by Bob Baumbach

   The Bellefonte Central Rail Trail is a pleasant escape from the nearby campus community and the hectic urban sprawl littered with new apartment clusters, family homes and dotted with commercial adventures along North Atherton Street. Early in March and again in April I traveled the short path through Big Hollow terrain. The sun was warm, as an early spring temperature reprise brought creatures out of their hiding places. I especially noted the abundance of bird life along the trail.
   Immediately into my walk I observed no less than six blue birds working through the roadside thickets and vine covered trees. I paused to view the brightly colored birds for at least five minutes. Moving on I next encountered cardinals, blue jays and a tufted titmouse. As I walked through the glen a red tailed hawk soared like a cruise missile at low altitude straight as an arrow through the ravine.
   Remnants of the once pastoral scenery dot the area. A bovine water station rusts near the path and the crumbled foundation of building, which I could imagine to be a turn of the century farmhouse, is hidden in the brush near a fallen shade tree. Gates still mounted to their main posts linger in the former path of the pastures. Fencing no longer connects the gate to its purpose of containing domesticated creatures.
   On a bike ride through the path in late April the principle attraction was a Rufus Sided Towhee, which I watched for a leisurely period of time. His perch was no more than ten feet from my leaning post on the fence that lines the trail. Horses were grazing peacefully near the trail and a groundhog or two could be observed standing straight and tall observing their surroundings.
   The Bellefonte Central Rail Trail connects to the bike path between Overlook Heights and McKee Street in College Heights. It ends near the 322 Bypass. A rough trail continues to edge along the bypass and Toftrees all the way to Waddle Road. It would be easy to imagine the continuation of the trail through this area and my hope is that someday this could come to fruition. Information about the trail and a map for the future expansion of the trail can be found www.arboretum.psu.edu/planning/rail.html.

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