The Trails at Jakes Rocks, commonly called “Jakes Rocks” for short, has just been selected as Pennsylvania’s 2024 “Trail of the Year.” The 33-mile trail system near the town of Warren in northwestern Pennsylvania was professionally built from the ground up “to address a notable gap in Warren County’s recreational landscape: high-quality mountain bike trails,” according to a press release.
Jakes Rocks attracts 25,000 visitors per year, most of whom are mountain bikers. According to a recent economic study, the popular trail system now generates $9 million annually for the local economy. We ran the math for you, and that’s an average of $360 per person.
Having ridden the Trails at Jakes Rocks myself, I can attest to the incredible quality of this trail system. It’s immediately evident how well-designed and constructed the trails are. Since Dirt Artisans began with a blank canvas, they were able to sculpt an artfully-crafted stacked-loop trail system so that beginner, intermediate, and advanced riders alike can easily access trails they’ll enjoy. For example, the beginner loop, located on top of the mountain, is mostly flat and is easily accessible from a trailhead off a forest road.
In fact, the trail system is so well-built that even mountain bikers of different disciplines will find themselves thoroughly enjoying the trails — just in different ways. Riders who just want to get sendy and don’t want to pedal far can crank out fast laps on the Black Snake and Devil’s Drop jump trails, which are located right next to the paved road for easy access. Endurance-oriented riders can pedal the longer loops, with a more up-and-down trail character. Trails like Elijah, Longhouse, and Bent Run can be combined to create a lengthy ride making the most of the network’s 35 miles.
And for those wondering: yes, the Trails at Jakes Rocks are open to Class 1 e-bikes.
The State of Pennsylvania has been investing heavily in their outdoor economy, creating “the Pennsylvania Office of Outdoor Recreation in 2023 and an Outdoor Business Alliance in 2024,” according to the release. “To improve public lands, the budget builds on the success of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps with a $5 million investment in an effort to diversify and strengthen conservation career and workforce pathways for young people and protect our natural resources.”
Pennsylvania currently boasts over 12,000 miles of trails, but it is unlikely that all 12,000 miles are singletrack. Still, the state is working to make trail access equitable to all residents, and to do so, they are “focusing on closing priority trail gaps and prioritizing strategic investments in trails across the Commonwealth.” The map of trail gaps is overwhelming, so it will be fascinating to see how Pennsylvania continues to invest in trail development and fill these gaps.
