My friends and I decided that we wanted to go on a fall hiking trip in the United States. When I took a look at a map of North America, I noticed a huge green area in Pennsylvania called Allegheny National Forest and it was only 3 hours away from where we live in Ontario. I started Googling “Allegheny National Forest in the fall” and it looked absolutely beautiful.
The Allegheny National Forest exceeded all of my expectations. The scenery on the drive from southern Ontario to the forest was breath-taking. We were in awe of the rolling hills filled with trees all around us. The drives through the Allegheny Forest were even better! I am so glad that we visited in the fall so that we could admire all of the different colours of the leaves. If you are a fan of hiking and the outdoors, I highly recommend visiting the Allegheny National Forest. We had the BEST time!
WHERE TO STAY
Choosing accommodation for a visit to the Allegheny National Forest can be tricky. The forest is HUGE so it’s important to base yourself in a location close to the hiking trails or activities you’ll be doing.
We decided to book an Airbnb since there would be four of us and we needed a kitchen to pack our lunches each day. We found a great Airbnb in Kane, a small town just outside the center of the Allegheny National Forest. Andrea’s property was exactly what we needed. It was spacious, clean, and in the perfect location for exploring the forest.
The town of Kane is a little run down and kind of creepy around Halloween time but we still felt safe. Our Airbnb was even across the street from an abandoned school built in 1907 – so cool.
If you’re interested in booking Andrea’s Airbnb in Kane, click here.
For more info on accommodation options in/near the Allegheny National Forest, click here.
WHAT TO DO
We came to the Allegheny National Forest to hike and admire the fall colours. There are tons of hiking trails throughout the forest so I made sure to research the most popular trails. Unfortunately, I underestimated how long each trail would take to hike so we did not get to experience all of the trails that I wanted to.
Here are the trails that I wanted to hike:
- Morrison Trail
- Minister Creek Trail
- Tracy Ridge Trail System
- Beaver Meadows Area Trail System
We managed to hike part of Morrison Trail and Minister Creek Trail. Our favourite was the Rimrock loop on the Morrison Trail, it was absolutely beautiful! I hope to return someday to hike more of the wonderful trails.
There are also several amazing attractions and lookouts to visit in the forest. To read my blog post, “Must-See Attractions in the Allegheny National Forest,” click here.
WHERE TO EAT
If you are staying in Kane, the charming main street has a few popular and yummy restaurants. We had dinner at Table 105, which was awesome. We also had great takeout pizza from Pepe’s Pizzeria one night.
Some other highly rated restaurants in Kane are:
- Szymanski Bar & Restaurant
- Roma Gardens
- Grandma Blair’s
- Texas Hot Lunch / 4 Sons
- Peking Wok
For restaurants in the Allegheny National Forest, Bob’s Trading Post and Westline Inn are very popular with locals and tourists.
I hope you enjoyed this guide to visiting the Allegheny National Forest!
To read my blog post, “Must-See Attractions in the Allegheny National Forest,” click here.
