A ceremony was held at the Trails at Jakes Rocks trailhead to celebrate the system as Pennsylvania’s 2024 Trail of the Year.

“(Warren is a) community that really has its act together,” Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Dunn said the development of the Trails at Jakes Rocks is being used as a model as the state tries to develop more “stacked loop systems” in the Commonwealth.

She outlined how the state’s plans for trails across the Commonwealth is a “network of all kinds of trails.

Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn speaks during Friday’s Trail of the Year ceremony held at the Trails at Jakes Rocks trailhead.

“Trails like this really add to the economic (and) quality of life and are really special and we aim to (build) more of them.”

“It’s a gem in our system and it stands out in so many ways for us.”

“This is a trail system that a lot of folks contributed to,” Rich Hatfield, Bradford District Ranger for the Allegheny National Forest, said. “Jakes Rocks exists because a local community group saw potential for this part of the forest.”

He outlined how the concept combined an “unmet need” — mountain biking tails — and an area that had fallen into “disuse” on the forest.

“They saw something the Forest Service was probably never going to see.”

Congressman Glenn Thompson, right, presents a certificate of recognition to WCCBI President/CEO Jim Decker during Friday’s event.

Hatfield said the project required “close collaboration” — a willingness by the Forest Service to give up some control of the site and “take a bit of a risk” along with the community showing “patience and trust” as the project worked through the federal bureaucracy.

He said that working on the project was a “highlight of my career.”

So what’s next?

“Take some time to celebrate the success,” Hatfield said.

He then outlined that officials are “starting to see the maintenance needs of the system” and are looking at building an account to help address some of those issues moving forward.

He said the trails would not exist without Jim Decker “and his tireless efforts.”

Congressman Glenn Thompson cast the trails in a broader perspective.

“I take a lot of pride in having the best National Forest in the country in my district,” he said. “Today is sort of icing on the cake.”

“Our fast-paced, tech world, it’s easy to overlook simply the joy of spending time outdoors,” Thompson asserted. “There is something therapeutic about just walking in the woods, something healing about it.

“What you have built here inspires people to get outdoors. There’s a healing effect in being outdoors. The Trails at Jakes Rocks is a beacon calling visitors of all expertise to get outside.”

He said that he’d be speaking on the Trail of the Year designation on the House floor once Congress is back in session next week.

“To see this project come to a real life adventure here right in Warren County, a lot of that credit belongs to the WCCBI,” State Rep. Kathy Rapp said. “This community has pulled together not just on this project but on many others.

“It takes the people that live here … the ideas come from the local people that are willing to work hard.”

“This began a long time ago with some thoughtfulness of a few folks,” Warren County Commissioner Dan Flotz said. “This has been a group effort.

Casey Ferry, executive director of the Warren County Visitors Bureau, called the designation as Trail of the Year a tool they can utilize in marketing the trails, which she added are a “great asset not many places have.”

Andy Georgakis, one of the key volunteers on the project and a member of the Northern Allegheny Mountain Bike Association, said he’s been blown away by the impact the trails have had for people and that the recognition as Trail of the Year is an “amazing feeling.”

“(I’m) at a loss for words. I’m so grateful for what this has become.”