Kennerdell, Clear Creek State Forest

          This is the Allegheny River as seen from the remote "scenic overlook" in the Kennerdell Tract of Clear Creek State Forest.  Most local people don't know about the overlook because it can only be accessed by climbing 480 feet up the steep valley wall from the riverbank.  And the climb can only be made on foot.

           The Kennerdell Tract of the Clear Creek State Forest is a longtime favorite of mine.  It's in Venango County, my birthplace.  Up in those parts, I've always heard the name pronounced "Kennerdale."  (But this is by the same folks--in my wife's family--who call the "KwikFill" gas station "Quickville.")  I feel a deep sense of rootedness when I come here, especially looking out over the river of my life, seeing it from above.

           Of course, it's a long way from Pittsburgh.  The nearest town of any size is Franklin.  But my wife's dad was having his Easter holiday a week late, and I took advantage of the proximity to visit an old haunt.  I always forget just how beautiful this place is.

          Kennerdell itself is a noisy little hamlet of vacation homes, hunting camps, and barking dogs.  The village stands across the wide river from the state forest, and the water carries and amplifies all of its sounds, a chainsaw, a radio playing classic rock, a lawnmower.  And the Kennerdell Tract is heavily used by hikers, rugged campers, and fishers.  Still, it carries a profound sense of Home for me.  There are good trails, one of which passes through a long, dark railroad tunnel.  There are well-maintained footbridges, too.  But I didn't take the trails up to the overlook.  I bushwhacked more than 400 feet up an incredibly steep grade.  The view from the top was worth it, but it was really unwise to scramble through the dead leaves on the forest floor.  I ended up with two deeply embedded deer ticks...in really unpleasant spots.

         To get to the trailheads, find the bridge that crosses the river into Kennerdell, and go to the west bank (opposite the village).  Right at the end of the bridge, there's a parking area with a gated forest road.  Park your car and follow this road on foot.  It runs along the Allegheny River and leads to several very nice trails.