Jones Mills

For trip planning in Jones Mills, three topics can be clearly distinguished: the Indian Creek Valley Trail, Living Treasures Animal Park, and the history of the former Indian Creek Valley Railroad. If you are looking for a hotel in Jones Mills, this distinction can help you plan your stay around your actual interests. The trail is associated with hiking, cycling, and explicitly mentioned winter activities; the animal park with interactive exhibits and an outdoor program; and the railroad with a historical connection. This makes it clear which activity or history is the focus in each case.

The Indian Creek Valley Trail

The Indian Creek Valley Trail is a 19-mile hiking and cycling trail in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands. It is open year-round for hiking, cycling, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing; ATVs are not permitted. These four listed uses show that the trail is not limited to walking and cycling: cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are also included. When planning, you can therefore distinguish between these activities without assigning the trail to just one season.

Living Treasures Animal Park

Living Treasures Animal Park is located at 288 PA-711, Jones Mills, Pennsylvania 15646. The park offers interactive exhibits and, through its Animal Education Adventure Program, an outdoor classroom experience. The outdoor classroom approach highlights the program’s educational character, while the interactive exhibits offer a distinct aspect of a visit. If you are weighing a visit to the park against activities on the trail, they offer different focuses: exhibits and an educational program on one hand, and a 19-mile route with several types of use on the other.

Railroad and trail history

By 1910, 19 miles of the Indian Creek Valley Railroad, from Jones Mills to the Youghiogheny River, had been completed. The Indian Creek Valley Trail follows the former railroad route. The same length refers to two different things: for the trail, it describes the hiking and cycling route; for the railroad, it refers to the section completed by 1910 between the places mentioned. This connects the trail’s present-day use with a specific part of railroad history.

Fishing on Indian Creek

Near Jones Mills, Indian Creek has a 1.6-mile delayed-harvest fishing section. The Blair Brothers Trail provides access to fishing on the upper Indian Creek and runs north along the creek from the Jones Mills area to Hunter’s Lane. These offer different points of reference for your planning: the first is a specifically designated stretch of water, while the second concerns the trail route and access to the upper Indian Creek. Fishing regulations and access conditions can change, so check them before your visit.

Road sections of the Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway

The Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway includes PA 31 between Jones Mills and Donegal. It also follows PA 381 from the West Virginia state line to Jones Mills. On PA 31, Jones Mills is mentioned on the section toward Donegal; on PA 381, it is the endpoint when coming from the West Virginia state line. Thus, the two routes associated with Jones Mills differ in their course and the endpoints listed for each.

Discover more destinations: North Belle Vernon, Greensburg, Ligonier, Adamsburg, New Florence, Acme, Hyde Park, Scottdale.

For the broader travel overview: Westmoreland.