State College is close to three iconic trails and trail systems: Mount Nittany, Colyer Lake, and Shingletown Gap. Each offers their own level of challenge and different strokes of beauty, including shorelines, vistas and rugged state forest.
One of the most magical things about Happy Valley is the abundance of opportunities to enjoy every season. Even better, there is a big variety of fun and affordable activities that are perfect for families with kids of all ages.
When Tanya Campbell was a little girl, her grandmother walked her dogs on Charcoal Flats, a trail in Shingletown. Tanya, her mother, and her daughter also enjoyed hiking along this same trail. The trail, just past Pine Grove Mills near the small town of Shingletown, is known for its series of four charcoal flats — large, circular flat areas where logs would be piled and allowed to smolder to create and one that was used to make iron ore. Or, in the words of little girl Tanya, it’s a place that is “rocky and awesome.”