The Lower Trail(rhymes with«flower») is a 16.5 mile rails-to-trails path connecting Frankstown, PA with Alexandria, PA. It’s built along the roadbed of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Petersburg Branch, which was abandoned in 1982. My husband Rick and I did a round-trip of the entire length of the trail, but we also biked an additional mile or so from the eastern trailhead into Alexandria. We did a good 35 miles that day. So let me be your tour guide! The Lower Trail parallels the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River. This was also the route of the Upper Juniata Division of the Pennsylvania Canal, part of the Mainline of Public Works. Many canal related features can be found along the Trail including canal locks, foundations of lock tenders’ houses and aqueduct stonework. We begin our ride at the western trailhead at Flowing Branch Station, located just east of Franksville, at the corner of Flowing Spring Road and Long Road. The first five or so miles between here and Williamsburg are a relatively new portion of the trail, built to give convenient access to US22. We’ll do a bit of a horseshoe curve(no Railfan Rick, not that Horseshoe Curve) thru the town of Williamsburg and here we’ll see Canal Lock #67 and the remnants of the lock tender’s house. Another short bend out of Williamsburg and we begin heading in a northeast direction. Just down the path about a mile or so we cross the Juniata River on the first of many old railroad bridges. As we pass Canal Lock # 63, we begin heading in a northerly direction. It’s through here that we see some scenic highpoints. Steep stone walls align the trail and we’ll see the empty canal channel. A little bit farther up the trail we’ll see remnants of the stone and quarrying industries. The rail company was built to serve these. Here we will see the large structures of the stone crushers and the remnants of a cement house. We’ll also see the site of the Juniata Limestone Company and the remnants of the company town of Carlim, PA. Further up the way, we’ll come up to Mount Etna Station. Mount Etna provides a connection to one of the local roads. A pavilion and rest rooms are located here, so it’s a good place for us to stop and take a break(and for your intrepid hostess to test her blood sugars). After we leave Mount Etna, the trail curves slightly to the northeast. The river does a short horseshoe bend here, but we continue on straight, so we’ll cross it a couple of more times on some railroad bridges. But as we cross the first railroad bridge, be sure to look for the remnants of a canal aqueduct. A few miles up the trail from the bridges, we’ll come up on the remnants of the Goodman Quarry and also Canal Lock #53. Another mile or so from there, we’ll see the site of Owens Quarry. Just before the end of the trail, we’ll duck under US22, which crosses us on twin highway spans. Just beyond that is the eastern trailhead at Alfarata Station, named for an early passenger depot. But as I said earlier, we’ll continue another mile or so down the highway into Alexandria for some refreshments. The Lower Trail is one of many rails-to-trails paths in Pennsylvania, but it’s also one of the most obscure. It’s the only Rail-Trail in the United States that is privately owned, free to the public and maintained totally by volunteers and is named for T. Dean Lower, a major donor in the early construction of the trail. It may not be one of the longest or most challenging, but it’s definitely a very scenic and enjoyable ride. At first the trail may seem a little hard to find, but it really isn’t. It’s just to the south of Canoe Lake State Park. To reach the western trailhead from either Altoona or Hollidaysburg, take US22 about 5 miles east out of Hollidaysburg. Go past Beaver Dam Road. US22 intersects with Flowing Spring Road twice. The second time, turn right on Flowing Spring Road and go south to Long Road. The trailhead is right here and you’ll find plenty of parking. As usual, don’t forget to bring a lunch or a snack and some water. There are places to obtain these in Hollidaysburg, Williamsburg and Alexandria, but none along the trail. The trail has a crushed limestone surface, so I recommend a good trail bike or mountain bike. And as always, don’t forget the other necessities – helmet, cell phone, tire repair kit, mini pump, and chain tool.
