Beartown Rocks in the Clear Creek State Forest features an exceptional scenic overlook perched high atop a “rock city” dating back to the last Ice Age!
Some of the individual boulders that make up this rock city are the size small houses.
And like Bilger’s Rocks in Clearfield County, oftentimes billed as “Pennsylvania’s Best Rock Outcropping”, Beartown Rocks is essentially a roadside attraction, meaning you can park right next to it and take a leisurely stroll through this “rock city” in Jefferson County.
How to Find Beartown Rocks in the Clear Creek State Forest
Beartown Rocks is located just off of Corbett Road, a dirt State Forest road in Jefferson County.
Turn off of Corbett Road at the Beartown Rocks sign and proceed to the parking area just a few hundred yards ahead.
If navigating by GPS, use coordinates 41.30137, -79.05823 to find the parking area next to Beartown Rocks.
Exploring Beartown Rocks
To visit the boulder formations and scenic overlook at Beartown Rocks, follow the “overlook” trail to the right (between the two benches in picture below) from the back corner of the parking area.
There is no “official” trail through the boulder formations, you can simply make your way through the rock city as you see fit.
The passageways between the boulders at Beartown Rocks are fairly wide, making it easy to explore even for those who don’t enjoy the claustrophobic sensations some boulder mazes can give you.
Compare that to the narrow crevasses at another of the PA’s finest rock formations, the rock city along the Fred Woods Trail in Cameron County!
Beartown Rocks Overlook
The Beartown Rocks Overlook is close to the parking area, and reached by a set of wooden stairs.
The view from the Beartown Rocks Overlook is of the Clarion River valley, stretched out for what seems like a hundred miles before your eyes.
The fall foliage views from the Beartown Rocks Overlook are spectacular!
From the back edge of the overlook, you can look straight down into one of the crevasses below.
Hiking Through Beartown Rocks
As mentioned earlier, the passageways between the boulders at Beartown Rocks are wide and relatively flat, meaning this is a fairly easy hike for all ages.
Not that you couldn’t injure yourself if you tried to climb some of the larger boulders (don’t do that), but compared to other “rock cities” in PA, Beartown Rocks is pretty tame.
In addition to the boulders, the trees grow in some interesting ways, between and around the massive rock formations.
This entire area was clear-cut during the late 1800s timber boom, so it’s a blessing to be able to enjoy it as a forested recreational area in our current times.
And come October, the fall foliage at Beartown Rocks is truly magical.
So if you’re looking for an easy-to-reach, easy-to-navigate “rock city” to explore, either by yourself or with young children, I can’t recommend Beartown Rocks in Jefferson County highly enough!
Nearby Attractions
Cook Forest State Park covers an 8,500-acre expanse across portions of Clarion, Jefferson, and Forest counties.
Doolittle Station in DuBois is an eclectic mix of restaurants, museums, a brewery, and a bed and breakfast, all housed in historic train cars!
The Presidential Train Car Bed and Breakfast at Doolittle Station in DuBois is your chance to spend the night on a perfectly-preserved tain car built for early 1900s railroad tycoons!
Logan Falls is tucked away in the heart of the Allegheny National Forest in neighboring Forest County.
The Sherman Memorial Lighthouse in Forest County serves no navigational purpose, but at 75 feet tall, it’s the tallest functional lighthouse in Pennsylvania!
Rapp Run Falls is an almost-roadside waterfall in neighboring Clarion County.
Brady’s Bend Overlook in Clarion County is one of the finest roadside vistas in Pennsylvania!
8 Must-See Attractions in Elk County is your guide to the best things to see and do in Jefferson County’s neighbor to the north.
Bilger’s Rocks, billed as “Pennsylvania’s Best Rock Outcropping”, is a 300 million year-old natural “rock city” in neighboring Clearfield County.
The Fred Woods Trail in Cameron County is one of the most scenic hikes in the PA Wilds, leading to two excellent vistas as well as its own “rock city”.
Kinzua Bridge State Park in McKean County is home to what was once the longest and tallest railway bridge in the entire world – The Kinzua Viaduct.
Partially destroyed by a tornado in 2003, the State repurposed the remaining, still-standing 600 feet of bridge and built the Kinzua Skywalk (a pedestrian walkway/overlook), which opened in 2011.
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