Altoona, PA · separated · mixed

Lower Trail

16.3 mi Out-and-back 256 ft gain

The Lower Trail is a 16.5-mile (26.6 km) rail trail that follows the Juniata River in West-Central Pennsylvania from Flowing Springs in Blair County to Alfarata in Huntingdon County. The Lower Trail is owned and maintained by Rails to Trails of Central Pennsylvania, a 501(c)(3) organization. The trail follows the path of the former Pennsylvania Railroad Petersburg Branch along the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River. It is open free of charge to the public, though donations are accepted at all trailheads.

Live · updated Jul 28, 1:51 PM ET

Today's verdict

Thunderstorms in the forecast — lightning and cyclists are a bad combination.

Thunderstorms — lightning and cyclists do not mix — get off the road before they arrive.
Pavement: wet — wet during the likely ride window — reduced braking, road spray, limited visibility to drivers.
NWS alert active — check the alert before rolling out.
29 mph wind — strong — plan for slow outbound if wind is against you.

0 /100

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0 Road

0 E-bike

Best for road cycling today

NWSSevere Thunderstorm Watch

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued July 28 at 12:53PM EDT until July 28 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS State College PA

In effect through Jul 29, 12:00 AM

NWSFlash Flood Warning

Flash Flood Warning issued July 28 at 12:46PM EDT until July 28 at 3:45PM EDT by NWS State College PA

In effect through Jul 28, 7:45 PM

Route map

Orange marker is the start. Click the map to enable scroll-zoom — the polyline is approximate; use Ride with GPS or Komoot for turn-by-turn.

Atmosphere

Air temp

73°F

Light Rain
Wind

29 mph

W
Rain

42%

Next 24h: 0.48"
Humidity

89%

Surface & daylight

Pavement

wet

mixed surface
Sunrise

6:05 AM
Sunset

8:32 PM

402 min remaining

Best time today

8 PM looks best — 72°F · 5 mph NW wind · partly cloudy.

2 PM

73°

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

5 mph SW

—

3 PM

73°

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

5 mph W

—

4 PM

74°

Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

5 mph W

—

5 PM

74°

Partly Sunny

3 mph NW

6 PM

74°

Mostly Cloudy

5 mph NW

7 PM

74°

Mostly Cloudy

5 mph NW

8 PM Best

72°

Partly Cloudy

5 mph NW

Wind on this route

29 mph headwind outbound — expect a 29 mph headwind on the return.

Currently 29 mph from the SW (230°). Relative to this ride's overall bearing, a quartering headwind.

Leg 1 Bearing 249° · headwind 1.0 mi
Leg 2 Bearing 203° · headwind 1.3 mi
Leg 3 Bearing 226° · headwind 1.4 mi
Leg 4 Bearing 182° · quartering headwind 1.4 mi
Leg 5 Bearing 173° · quartering headwind 1.3 mi
Leg 6 Bearing 214° · headwind 1.3 mi
Leg 7 Bearing 245° · headwind 1.0 mi
Leg 8 Bearing 277° · quartering headwind 0.5 mi

Elevation profile

2037 ft gain 1893 ft loss Max 1457' Min 755' 12.8 mi sampled

Score breakdown

73°F air Within comfort range, outside ideal

-3

−

29 mph wind Strong — plan for slow outbound if wind is against you.

-18

−

Quartering headwind 29 mph headwind outbound — expect a 29 mph headwind on the return.

-4

−

Thunderstorms Lightning and cyclists do not mix — get off the road before they arrive.

-45

−

Pavement: wet Wet during the likely ride window — reduced braking, road spray, limited visibility to drivers.

-32

−

NWS alert active Check the alert before rolling out.

-20

About this route

Distance: 16.3 mi one-way (double for round-trip)
Elevation gain: 256 ft
Surface: mixed
Shape: Out-and-back
Traffic exposure: separated
Activities: road cycling · e bike
Cycle network: LCN
Start: 40.5667, -78.1215
City hub: Altoona, PA
OSM: relation 5470479

Description sourced from the Wikipedia summary.