On a Sunday afternoon, what could be better than a few hours with your family? If you live anywhere within driving distance of Mercer County, PA, there is this remarkable place called Hell's Hollow Wilderness Trail that is a surefire way to spend a wonderful day with your loved ones.
Getting there from the Sharon/Sharpsville/Hermitage area is simple. Jump on Rt. 62 towards Mercer, and before you know it you'll see Bestwick St. on your right. It is about a 20 minute drive from the Sharon area. Bestwick is right outside of Mercer, before you get to town. Spring Valley Golf Course is right there, so when you see that, your turn is visible.
There is an option to walk or bike ride through the trail, but we chose to ride trail carts. Rental is $25 per cart for two hours. It took us a little over and hour & a half to do the four mile trail, and we took our time. We got off and explored on foot several times, as well as taking photos, and climbing a lookout tower.
The trail is four wonderful miles of WILDERNESS! There are indian camp areas (authentic), an iron ore furnace, waterfalls, streams, beaver dams, wildlife, all kinds of flora, swamps, ponds, and other interesting things to observe.
The trail is fun with all its hills, twists and turns. Some of the hills were frightening because they were steep and curved around with dropoffs. Go too fast, and you might drop down a loooong way! We were constantly yelling back to our kids to make sure they 'braked' as they descended.
A few times, we got carried away and took the hills pretty fast, and I have to admit--it was FUN! Kind of a roller coaster sensation.
I saw dozens of butterflies along the way, John saw a frog or toad, and Therese and I spotted a very large deer romping in the forest. There were also lots of birds and dragonflies.
The canopy of trees provided natural 'air conditioning' so the entire ride was quite comfortable. It was beautiful and lush--ferns, tall trees, brush, berry bushes...just gorgeous and wild.
I highly recommend a trip to this place if you long to get away from civilization for a little while. When we got back to the rental area, the owner told us that if you go early in the morning, or later in the evening, the deer are easier to spot--often up to a dozen in a trip. We only saw one, but we were there mid afternoon.
XXXoooAnnie
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