Must see attractions within two hour drive from Altoona, PA: Our travel notes

 

Toby meeting a friend at Hawn’s Overlook, PA

During the month of August, our slow travels took us to central Pennsylvania, to Altoona.  During our stay, we got to enjoy our cozy trailer home rental that was refurbished with modern 'decor, and best of all, had a covered porch, which we really loved.

We got to explore nearby area attractions like the World Famous Horseshoe Curve, Headache Hill Scenic View and Fort Roberdeau.  We were happy to revisit several parks near the town of Hollidaysburg, which we had visited during our month long stay in the town of Claysburg, back in April.  

It almost felt like a homecoming when we revisited places like Chimney Rocks Park and Natureworks Park.  We felt nostalgic and felt good coming back.  After covering all these places though, we wanted to find other destinations that were within a two hour drive from Altoona, so we can be back before dinner time.

I did plenty of research on where we should see and came up with these three must see attractions that are within a two hour drive from Altoona, PA.  

• Hawn’s Overlook/Ridenour Overlook

I had heard about Hawn’s Overlook/Ridenour Overlook while I lived near Philadelphia, PA, and I always wanted to visit both of these overlooks.  My wishes came true thanks to our month long stay in Altoona.

The drive to Hawn’s Overlook/Ridenour Overlook is about 40 miles and it takes about an hour.  Both of these are located in the town of Hesston, PA and these overlooks are within a short walk from each other.  Perched high above the Raystown Lake, these scenic overlooks are perhaps one of the most beautiful in the state of Pennsylvania.  

We left around 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning, enjoying the beautiful scenic roads on our way over to the overlooks.  The roads took us over mountains, with views of the farms and fully bloomed foliage everywhere.  Traffic was light, and we made good use of that to arrive within an hour of our departure.

We parked our car at the parking lot and decided to stop by the Ridenour Overlook first, as it was the nearer of the two overlooks.  

Just arrived!

Overlooking the Raystown Lake

Steps to the Ridenour Overlook

Another view!

We looked at the signage at the entrance to the Ridenour Overlook, then made our way up the short stairs to the overlook.  It was such a magnificent sight!  We could see miles out into the distant hills and down at the Raystown Lake.  

We lifted Toby up to the top of the stone wall so he can get a better view of the overlook.  I could see he was taking in the awesome scenery opening up before him.

We saw birds of prey as well as many other birds riding the thermals, enjoying their day.  We stopped and took some deep breaths to take in the surroundings.  The air was so fresh from trees everywhere.  We saw a boat carelessly floating on the lake and slowly drifting towards no particular destination at all.

It was a perfect day to be outdoors!

After finishing with Ridenour Overlook, we made our way over to Hawn’s Overlook which was a short walk away.  We were immediately greeted by a nature path cut in between the trees.  We couldn’t help but notice the fragrant smells of trees all around the trail.  

Trail leading towards Hawn’s Overlook 

We arrived at the Hawn’s Overlook within about 5 minutes.  The overlook area was even smaller than Ridenour Overlook, and already we can see plenty of visitors gawking at the views.

We saw a couple with a cute and friendly dog who really wanted to greet Toby.  As usual, Toby wasn’t very friendly, but he was tolerating the situation.  He let the other dog sniff him and make eye contact (see photo on top!).  I was lucky to take that cute photo of them meeting and greeting each other.

We gawked at the incredible views ourselves.  It was perhaps one of the greatest views we’ve seen in all of Pennsylvania.  Compared to Ridenour Overlook, the views were more expansive.  We can really see farther out compared to Ridenour Overlook.

We stood still, smelling the crisp air, the fragrant air spewed out by surrounding trees, and by the magnificent sights in front of us.  We were so happy we were finally visiting these overlooks!

Believe it or not, both of these photos were taken within minutes of each other

Wow!

• Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center

Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center is located between State College and Huntingdon, PA.  This is part of the Penn State Experimental Forest, and it encompasses over 7,000 acres, with Lake Perez taking up around 72 acres.  The center features an amphitheater, classrooms, welcome center, herb/flower gardens, hiking trails, and picnic areas.  

From Altoona, it is under 50 miles to the center, which should take no more than an hour to an hour and a half drive time.  We left our temporary home in Altoona around 9 a.m. to get to Shaver’s Creek.

Drive up to the center was practically a destination itself.  The central Pennsylvania near Altoona feature tons of mountains everywhere you look, and we absolutely loved driving in and around the area.  

We arrived at the center greeted by a giant gate into the center, with a paved driveway that is about a half mile long before arriving at the welcome center.  We noticed the small parking lot near the welcome center was already full by the time we arrived, so we parked bit further down.

After parking, our pack (myself, my wife, and our Pomeranian dog Toby) took the pedestrian walkway that was right next to the road and the parking lot.  The walkway was a beautiful dirt path lined by fragrant trees.  

We wanted to get a map from the welcome center, so we stopped by.  The information desk had a trail map of the center which we took before heading out on our walk.  After making a quick pit stop at the welcome center restroom, we headed out to check out Lake Perez.  

The Boardwalk trail already had several visitors coming back from their hike.  We happily stepped into the trail ourselves, our senses alert and ready for new stimuli!

Toby, being that it was a hot and humid day in August, wasn’t in the mood to walk.  We each took turns carrying our little fur ball prince!  We already liked what we saw when we entered the trail.

It was like walking into a jungle full of trees and brushes, but with a clearly marked trail markers and trails.  The dirt trail we were on was a bit muddy thanks to the rain the previous day.  We slowly made our way to the boardwalk area fully engaged with our senses.

When we got near the boardwalk, we could hear loud insects as well as birds of all shapes and forms.  We stopped at the boardwalk to enjoy the scenery.

Just arrived!

I just love boardwalks cut into marshes or woods!

Great place to take deep breaths and to contemplate!

There was a cacophony of sounds everywhere while we sat down to enjoy nature.  There were the birds calling each other, insects humming and chirping, and trees rustling…We absolutely loved the lake and the marsh area.

After wrapping up our contemplation for the day, we headed out of the boardwalk area to explore other trails.  By then, we were hot and humid ourselves, so we decided to put Toby in my wife’s backpack to carry him.  We weren’t so sure he enjoyed being stuck in the backpack, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.  

This was my favorite part of the Environmental Center 

Toby stuck inside the backpack!

Marshland view

We backtracked to the welcome center to check out another hiking trail deep into the woods.  We took the Lake trail then onto the Ironstone trail.  The further we got on these trails, the muddier it got.  We made a decision to head back as we weren’t prepared ourselves with our sneakers and not hiking boots!

Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center has lots of things it offers, from the beautiful welcome center, the gardens in front of the same welcome center, and miles of trails.  The added bonus of welcoming driveway  that makes it appear as if we’re some rich nobility arriving at our stately home certainly helped!

• Canoe Creek State Park 

Located about 12 miles from Altoona in the town of Hollidaysburg, Canoe Creek State Park is an oasis near the city.  It feels as if we drove several hours to arrive, yet it’s only about a 20-30 minute drive.  

Canoe Creek State Park features miles of hiking trails, a beautiful lake with a refreshment stand, a beach area, picnic tables, and most importantly, one of the most impressive sceneries in all of Pennsylvania.

Knowing the park was only about a half hour drive, we didn’t pack anything except water and treats for Toby.  We arrived at the park around 10:00 a.m. and found only few people visiting at that time of the day.

We walked slowly near the beach area and the refreshment stand.  Toby seemed to be enjoying the park as much as we were.  He was looking for some treats, so we obliged.

We arrived to see fog enveloping the mountains!

Beach area

Marsh area near the beach

We stood still for few minutes while watching the incredible scenery all around us.  We saw mountains that were shrouded in fog, almost making the scenery out of some fairy tale or fantasy set in ancient times…

The lake and the surrounding mountains were just mesmerizing.  Birds and water fowl were smoothly flying inches over the lake while insects were heard and seen everywhere.  As we stood still, the fog slowly dissipated, revealing more of the mountains.  We were so glad we got to see the park with fog and without fog.

We started to walk around the park after several minutes, making our way over to the kayak rental shed.  While taking in the views, we met a friendly mother/daughter who were exercising in the morning.  They were locals who visit the park often, and we can tell they were really proud of this park.  It was awesome to see.

We chatted few minutes about Toby, and of our travels in central Pennsylvania.  We’ve said it before many times, our travels wouldn’t be as much fun if it weren’t for the people we meet along the way.  This encounter was exactly that…

View from the kayak rental area

Cute little bench that reminded me of a Japanese gate

As we headed back to our car, we found a covered group picnic area near the parking lot.  We couldn’t resist hanging out there for few more minutes to relax and to enjoy the magnificent scenery for one last time.  We breathed deep, and we looked real hard, trying our best to remember this wonderful park.

In conclusion:

We found so many things to do near Altoona.  Besides the usual attractions within the city limits, these three attractions are well worth exploring, even if they’re a bit outside the city.

The natural beauty found in the central Pennsylvania made an impression on us on our first trip to Claysburg.  Our returning trip to nearby Altoona, felt like a homecoming.  We were happy we got to see the wonderful scenery yet again!

Thank you all for reading!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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