Ice Accumulates

The constant trickling of water slowly adds the buildup of ice at Buttermilk Falls.

Under the Falls Panorama

Winter has returned to Buttermilk Falls and with it the changing conditions at the falls. If you visit the falls in the winter please exercise extra caution while navigating the steps and platforms in snowy and icy conditions.

Mudpuppy Gills

Mudpuppies retain their external gills their entire life and as referred to as the "Peter Pan" of salamanders because "they never grow up". The gills also serve as the host site for the larvae of the Salamander Mussel, its the only mussel that uses another animal as its host.

Mudpuppy

One of the most unique salamander species that lives in Indiana County is the Common Mudpuppy. This adult was about 12 inches in length. Mudpuppies have more DNA in their cells than any living organism on Earth, a truly unique species that is worth protecting for that reason alone.

Trusal Covered Bridge

An old photo of the Trusal Covered Bridge on this interpretive panel shows that prior to the mid-1960s the covered bridge was not painted.

Witch Hazel in Bloom

By November Witch Hazel is in bloom, adding some color to our woods at a time of year when most trees have lost their fall colors.

Sycamore Allee

At the West Penn Trail, east of Saltsburg, a row of Sycamore trees, in garden terms an allee, lines the path. The West Penn Trail is operated by the Conemaugh Valley Conservancy. The trail follows the path of the former Pennsylvania Canal in many places.

November Sunshine at Hemlock Lake

First Snow of 2018

Northern portions of Indiana County received their first snowfall dusting of the winter on November 10, 2018. This scene is from Hemlock Lake.

Changing Scene at Buttermilk Falls

A fall scene at Buttermilk Falls.

Stone Arch Bridge at Tunnelview

Swimming Upstream

Although Blue Spruce Lake is stocked with trout sometimes the trout move upstream to the small Getty Run stream that feeds the lake.

November Sunset at Trusal Covered Bridge

Foggy Conemaugh Gap

A view of the Conemaugh Gap taken from Oneida Road just outside of Dilltown, PA. The gap is one of the deepest gorges in the eastern U.S.

Eliza Furnace Historic Site

Ghost Town Trail Scene - October 31, 2018

Fall 2018 at the Ghost Town Trail

The Ghost Town Trail follows Blacklick Creek for most of its length. The trail now totals 42 miles in Indiana and Cambria County, PA.

Beula - Early Welsh Settlement

This marker on the Ghost Town Trail highlights the history of the former town of Beula, an early Welsh settlement established in the 1790s. The selection of Ebensburg as the County Seat in 1805 doomed the town's survival.

Coal Miner's Daughter

Along the Ghost Town Trail in Vintondale, PA you will find this memorial to the miners who worked in the Vinton Colliery Company mines.

Path to the Falls

Fallis a great time to take a stroll at Buttermilk Falls.

Buena Vista Furnace

Yellow Creek Scene

A photo of Yellow Creek taken near Ferrier Run Road. This portion of the stream is a popular location for trout fishing.

October Sunset at Blue Spruce Park

To the Falls

Hoodlebug Trail Connector

The Hoodlebug Trail connector is how you go from the Hoodlebug Trail to the Ghost Town Trail. The connector follows Two Lick Creek for a short distance and goes underneath Route 119 before heading to Saylor Park in Black Lick, PA.

Flowing Waters at Tom's Run

A Season of Fungi

A rainy 2018 has produced an abundance of mushrooms and other fungi.