Happy Valley / State College, PA
Launching Aug 7th at Boal City Brewing and getting dropped off at 75+ area bike shops this week... read on for more information.
INTRODUCTION
Central Pennsylvania’s hallmark, striking landscape, is what makes Happy Valley a prime Mid-Atlantic gravel-bike destination. Centre County, home to Happy Valley, is bisected by the Allegheny Front. This natural escarpment separates the Appalachian Plateau from the Ridge and Valley Province of the Appalachian Mountains.
Within the northern half, you’ll find gravel routes that meander through the plateau’s forests, valleys, and fast-moving streams. Even though the region’s rugged foothills have desirable natural resources like timber and coal, the topography has limited settlement and development, creating a boon for gravel cyclists.
Southeast of the front, the Ridge and Valley consists of forested sandstone ridges complemented by gently rolling limestone valleys that connect cyclists to Happy Valley’s agricultural heritage. This history includes Penn State University, which was chartered as the Farmers’ High School in 1855.
Rounding out a gravel adventure through Central Pennsylvania is the abundant wildlife, including black bear, bobcat, coyote, and deer, along with muskrat, beaver, porcupine, turkey, a variety of reptiles and amphibians, and the endangered Allegheny woodrat. Mountain Laurel, the state flower, can be found throughout Happy Valley.
WELCOME
The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau (HVAB) is thrilled to welcome off-road-cycling enthusiasts to the gravel riding in the Centre of Adventure in Pennsylvania. Surrounding Happy Valley are 750,000 acres of public lands that offer curious individuals the chance to experience some of the most idyllic gravel-riding conditions in Pennsylvania.
State College is an economic hub and population center, with spokes connecting to the surrounding vibrant, up-and-coming, historic, and quaint communities of Happy Valley, Pennsylvania. The strong cycling culture, in one of America’s best college towns, encourages adventure riders to explore Happy Valley’s gravel with confidence and enthusiasm.
The routes in this Happy Valley Gravel Adventure Field Guide highlight the mixed terrain options available. Recognized as a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists, State College boasts an extensive network of off-road and urban cycling trails.
Thank You To Our Partners:
ROAD ORIGINS
Happy Valley and the Progression of Roads
The foundations for road development in Happy Valley can be traced back to the first people who lived in the region. Here, Native American tribes, including the Susquehannock, Delaware, Shawnee, and Iroquois, subsisted by planting corn and squash and hunting on mountainous ridges. Their trail networks through the valleys and water gaps, integrated with the Susquehanna and the Allegheny river systems, are reflected today in many of Happy Valley’s place names: The legend of Princess Nita-Nee contributed to Nittany Valley and Nittany Mountain; Bald Eagle Creek and Bald Eagle Mountain were a result of Chief Bald Eagle’s camp near present-day Milesburg. The paths developed by Native Americans allowed early settlers to move east and west into the region.
It wasn’t until 1771 that the first road into Happy Valley was built by a Philadelphia land speculator named Reuben Haines. It stretched from the Northumberland Bridge on the Susquehanna River to connect with Penns Valley around present-day Spring Mills. This fostered early community development along the route, as these locales became stopping points for settlers and travelers seeking farmland and economic opportunity.
The discovery of iron ore in 1784 increased pressure, from then into the early nineteenth century, for road construction as Pennsylvania’s “gold” brought more people to Happy Valley. Transporting iron products to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore was challenging due to the terrain—the iron could only be moved on land using slow-moving and expensive caravans of pack horses on difficult-to-travel paths, or by water using arks, flat-bottomed boats. Increased levels of commerce necessitated the expansion of roads.
Turnpikes, privately funded toll roads, took root in the early 1800s, significantly aiding the development of the more isolated parts of Pennsylvania. The first turnpike into Happy Valley was the Bellefonte and Philipsburg Turnpike, whose company was chartered by the Pennsylvania legislature in 1807.
While the road itself was built between 1810 and 1820. The turnpike served to connect Bellefonte, an emerging center of iron production and county government, with Philipsburg and Moshannon Valley to the west. The road’s design was relatively direct and followed older Native American and pioneer trails over Snow Shoe Mountain through heavily forested areas.
As more of western Happy Valley opened up, a major road-building boom in Pennsylvania fueled further economic growth. The high cost of building and maintaining paved roads, however, meant that the majority of roads remained dirt.
By the 1850s, the turnpike had become instrumental for the movement of bituminous coal from Philipsburg to eastern markets in Pennsylvania and beyond. It also contributed to the development of the towns of Milesburg and Unionville.
Beginning in the 1890s, farmers and their representatives began lobbying for the government to take a more active role in road development. In 1903, the Pennsylvania Assembly passed the Sproul-Roberts Act, which created the state’s Department of Public Highways. This agency identified its most significant challenge in 1909: “It is upon the dirt road that we must largely depend to market our farm products. How to improve the dirt road is the vital road question for us today.” Once passed in 1911, the Sproul Road Act saw the state
finance the construction and maintenance of rural roads, including the macadamized roads that connected (and still connect) Happy Valley to other towns, county seats, and cities.
In response to a demand from farmers to improve Pennsylvania’s dirt roads, Governor Martin Brumbaugh
authorized the first statewide “Good Roads Day” in 1915. On that day, 70,000 farmers and 11,000 teams of horses worked on nearly 5,000 miles of dirt roads, including in Happy Valley. Subsequently, Good Roads Days improved the quality of earthen roads, as more than 65 percent of Pennsylvania farmers lived along such tracks.
Communities
Diverse communities invite exploration through rich culture, scenic landscapes, and small-town charm
The communities of Happy Valley represent a mix of college- town, rural, and historic flavors. Each borough, village, and township varies in population and offers a unique character within the region, shaped by geographical, industrial, and cultural influences. Here, it’s easy to find yourself immersed in the local events, attractions, and natural wonders, all of which add to the Happy Valley gravel-adventure experience.
State College offers the vibrancy of Pennsylvania State University, featuring college-town staples like restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and bike shops. Meanwhile, Boalsburg counters with a quaint village atmosphere that holds historic significance. Bellefonte pairs rich nineteenth-century architecture with community revitalization through the arts. Philipsburg speaks directly to Happy Valley’s industrial past, rooted in mining and the railroad. And Millheim reminds us of the pastoral farm life that attracted generations of people to the area.
State College
Pennsylvania’s largest borough, State College, comprises six municipalities—including College Township—that make up Happy Valley. The Susquehannock, Delaware, Iroquois, and Shawnee peoples were the first to call this area home.
In 1855, the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania was created on 400 acres of land, with 200 acres donated by the U.S. Congressman James Irvin of Bellefonte. The school was renamed the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania and designated the state’s sole land-grant college. By 1874, it had become Pennsylvania State College.
In 1882, the school’s president, George Atherton, expanded the school’s curriculum beyond agriculture by adding engineering studies. The twentieth century saw an increase in enrollment, with the school adding more acreage to accommodate growth. In 1953, the college’s then-president, Milton S. Eisenhower, achieved the designation of Penn State University.
The area likely earned the Happy Valley nickname during the Great Depression, due to Penn State University's economic impact in helping to insulate the region from the larger national economic downturn. It was believed that the stability offered by the university, combined with Happy Valley’s natural beauty and agricultural heritage, provided a positive state of mind for residents and visitors alike.
Bellefonte
Settled in 1795, Bellefonte sits in the Nittany Valley, within the Ridge and Valley region of Happy Valley. It lies twelve miles from State College and is the county seat. The town is noted for its Victorian architecture and the natural spring, “la belle fonte,” which was reputedly named by the French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord while he was visiting Central Pennsylvania on a land speculation trip in 1790. The spring continues to supply the town with water today. The population grew in tandem with the iron industry, making Bellefonte the most influential town between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.
Bellefonte's buildings and homes have been architecturally preserved, highlighting its unique history. Styles featured include Georgian, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Classical Revival. Singular to Bellefonte is the fact that it is the hometown of Pennsylvania’s first registered female architect, Anna Keichline, who ran her lifelong practice in the community. The Plaza Theater honors her legacy with a state historical marker.
Bellefonte also boasts a rich art and cultural heritage. The late-nineteenth-century Garman Opera House was a stop on the Vaudeville circuit, hosting performances by Harry Houdini, George Burns and Gracie Allen, and Tom Mix. This heritage is reflected in the town's open and friendly atmosphere, which makes it a great place to visit during a Happy Valley gravel adventure.
Another notable feature of Bellefonte’s history is the Bellefonte Airfield, which is now the home of Bellefonte High School. The airfield was the first stop on the inaugural 1918 westbound airmail flight by Leo D. Smith and provided vital service as the first airmail refueling stop in the United States. Bellefonte was even the first and last stop on Amelia Earhart’s round-trip transcontinental flight from New York to California and back.
Bellefonte is the headquarters of the American Philatelic Society (APS). With 44,000-plus members from 110 countries, the APS is the world’s largest nonprofit organization for stamp collectors. It is dedicated to serving collectors, educators, postal historians, and the general public.
Philipsburg
Originally named “Mushannon Town,” meaning “black water,” Philipsburg was founded in 1797 by Henry Philips, who purchased 350,000 acres on the western slope of the Allegheny Mountains for $173,000. The town has since experienced boom-and-bust cycles in relation to the lumber and coal industries.
Early settlers were attracted to the community by cheap land—auctioned on the streets of Philadelphia for only 2 cents an acre—but also by false advertising, induced to come by promoters “extolling in an exaggerated manner the advantages of the site.” This included being told that Moshannon Creek was a “navigable stream wherein sloops could sail right up to their town” and that provisions were “cheap and plentiful, which proved to the very reverse.”
Upon arriving in Philipsburg and learning that the advertised conditions were not true, discontent set in among the settlers: “There was some terrible cursing and swearing done.” However, those who stuck it out were swayed by the “dogged attempts to plant the Industrial Revolution in the wilds of central Pennsylvania” by Hardman Philips, brother of Henry. The seeds for Philipsburg's survival and longevity had been sown.
Since 2019, Philipsburg’s historic commerce district has seen more than half a dozen new business ventures set up shop. On par with a national trend for small towns, Philipsburg is being infused with fresh, enterprising spirits seeking a high quality of life and opportunities for business growth, including the local-favorite outdoor-gear brands Organic Climbing and Nittany Mountain Works.
Visiting gravel cyclists are invited to attend the Philipsburg Heritage Days. Held annually, this week-long festival attracts approximately 12,000 people and showcases the revitalized downtown area.
Millheim
Situated along Elk Creek, Millheim is another community closely tied to Happy Valley’s industrial past. The town was officially established in 1879, its name a reflection of Pennsylvania’s German-immigrant heritage dating back to 1771. An ironmaster, Reuben Haines, cut a road from the Susquehanna River to Penns Valley, allowing settlers to build the first two mills that initiated Millheim’s economic development. The millrace (water channel) still runs through town, reminding visitors of the role mills held in powering the industries that have attracted and retained generations of residents. The Millheim Knitting Mill, for example, employed 300 workers in the 1940s. After the mill closed in 1969, Millheim settled into a quiet phase until the 1990s, when a group of concerned citizens sought to revitalize the community.
Millheim has seen new, tourist-focused businesses move into downtown in recent years. Establishments like the Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks, Pisano Winery, The Meandering Mallard Coffee House, and Trail2Creek Bike Shop have all contributed to Millheim’s appeal and its ability to call itself “a small town, with a little bit of everything.”
Take a Cave Tour During Your Journey
Woodward Cave
Woodward Cave
Woodward Cave
Penn's Cave
Woodward Cave
Woodward Cave
Lands Stewardship
Air, Land, and Water Conservation Through Cooperation
A critical element to having exceptional gravel adventuring in Pennsylvania is access to public lands. This has by no means been achieved by happenstance. The opportunity exists due to vision, advocacy, policy, funding, land donations, and the sweat equity of generations of dedicated individuals, state agencies, and philanthropists.
A leading organization in public land access and stewardship is the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC). Founded in 1970, the PEC holds as its mission is to protect and restore Pennsylvania’s natural and built environments through innovation, collaboration, education, and advocacy. PEC believes that a lifelong commitment to stewardship begins with formative outdoor experiences, which PEC works to create and enhance for all Pennsylvanians. Through its trails and outdoor-recreation programs, PEC nurtures regional and local partnerships, provides technical support and organizational capacity where needed, advocates for responsible recreation and nature-based economic development, and encourages everyone to explore the outdoors.
Through its work in convening stakeholders on the topic of gravel cycling, PEC has helped improve coordination among route creators, event promoters, land managers, and riders, resulting in better informational resources about high-quality mixed-surface routes across the state. PEC hosts its own gravel-cycling event, called the Public Lands Ride, at Black Moshannon State Park each September. Some routes from the event can be found on page 32.
ClearWater Conservancy, whose mission is to conserve and restore natural resources through land conservation, water-resources stewardship, and environmental outreach across Central Pennsylvania, is also a trusted partner in working to nurture a healthy environment and thriving communities in the heart of Pennsylvania. Their work includes protecting critical lands and wildlife corridors, supporting healthy watersheds, and promoting inclusive access to nature through their community-outreach program, Centred Outdoors. A new ClearWater initiative, the Rothrock Trail Alliance (RTA), is advancing trail infrastructure and promoting positive experiences for all trail users. RTA has already broken ground on new multi-use trails in Rothrock State Forest, with plans to raise funds for additional projects.
Proving Ground
Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies
There is a unique program in Pennsylvania that funds road- improvement projects on the state’s network of ~20,000 miles of public unpaved roads. The goal of the Dirt, Gravel, and Low Volume Road Maintenance Program is to implement Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance Practices to reduce the environmental impacts of public roads while also reducing long-term maintenance costs. The program’s practices create a more sustainable rural road network by reducing erosion and sediment pollution. This program is administered through the PA State Conservation Commission and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
One of the distinctive aspects of the program that any gravel cyclist can appreciate, since it directly impacts the ride experience, is the development and use of Driving Surface Aggregate (DSA). DSA is a mixture of crushed rock specifically designed to compact very densely and resist erosion and wear from traffic, weather, and maintenance activities. As a bonus for cyclists, this means a smoother ride experience from the ~200,000 tons of DSA placed on the public roads by the program each year.
There is also a unique educational asset at Penn State University that supports this program. The Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies provides education, outreach, and technical assistance to local public-road-owning entities across the state. The center also conducts various research efforts related to sediment reductions, dust measurement, and improved maintenance practices. Young gravel cyclists pursuing different educational opportunities may consider the special topics course offered at Penn State University. With the center’s Environmental Sensitive Maintenance practices as a foundation, the coursework prepares the next generation to properly control road drainage, thereby protecting the environment by keeping runoff and road materials out of adjacent surface waters and the surrounding landscape. Coursework also addresses the fundamentals of hydrology, geology, soils, and erosion processes in relation to roads and streams. This upper-level course is designed for students majoring in Forestry, Agriculture, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Land Use Planning, and Environmental Studies.
PA Gravel Cartography
A Local Outdoor-Recreation Pioneer—Purple Lizard Maps
There is no greater feeling than holding a real map, with detailed information, in your hand when seeking an outdoor-recreation experience. This is what the Purple Lizard Maps founder and Happy Valley local, Mike Hermann, set out to accomplish with his beautifully designed and thoughtfully crafted maps, printed on durable, waterproof paper. Hermann’s maps stand out for being highly curated around an outdoor-recreation focus, including trails with use types clearly defined, as well as for how they distinguish between paved, gravel, and 4x4 roads.
Hermann seeks to showcase public lands in a given area, highlighting their activities of interest. Whether these activities are hiking, mountain biking, gravel biking, or even paddling, the maps use a big-picture approach to point people to where (and how) they can adventure. They help users understand landscapes, not just follow a route. This includes featuring private lands with recreational access within valleys and communities surrounding public land, or showcasing covered bridges, historical buildings, or interesting natural features a cyclist might ride through within the landscape.
All Purple Lizard Maps include a number of unlabeled purple- lizard icons that indicate special spots worth checking out, such as views, swimming holes, or other quirky landmarks. Each map also includes unique details, from local lore to historical context, that help users connect more deeply with the landscape.
Happy Valley Women’s Cycling
At the heart of the gravel-cycling movement in Centre County is the Happy Valley Women’s Cycling (HVWC) club, a community-driven organization dedicated to supporting women cyclists and promoting health and wellness through cycling. HVWC aims to encourage women of all skill levels to take up cycling and participate in community events, while fostering a vision to see more women on bikes recreationally and competitively.
HVWC stands on five pillars: Strength, Inspiration, Mindfulness, Community, and Perseverance.
Since its founding in 2018, HVWC has created a welcoming space where women of all backgrounds and skill levels can come together to ride, race, and grow on and off the bike. Happy Valley Women’s Cycling is committed to empowering women through cycling.
With the support of sponsors and all four local bike shops, HVWC has been able to expand its offerings to include women’s rides, youth-development programs, and retreats that promote health, confidence, and camaraderie through cycling.
Community-focused programs include weekly women’s mountain-bike and gravel group rides, which build skills and foster friendships; Girls Rock, a youth development program for riders aged 10–13; and GRIP, a women’s cycling retreat focused on Growth, Renewal, Inspiration, and Purpose.
HVWC is also a proud partner of the Seasons of Rothrock Adventures race series, where inclusivity is more than a goal; it’s a standard. At Rothrock GRIT, the series’ keystone event, 50 percent of race spots are reserved for women, helping reshape what equitable participation in competitive cycling looks like.
HVWC isn’t just about racing; it’s about building a stronger, more connected community. Gravel cycling offers a unique opportunity to foster resilience, confidence, and joy through exploration and shared experiences. Whether you’re a seasoned racer or just starting out in cycling, we invite you to be part of a movement that celebrates encouragement and inclusivity.
Together, we ride. Together, we grow. hvwcycling.com.
