Between Pittsburgh And Buffalo Is A Rustic Pennsylvania Escape With Wildlife Watching And ATV Adventures

For travelers who love exploring the outdoors, there's nowhere like Pennsylvania. From a small Pocono Mountains community and the endlessly scenic Lehigh Valley to a Lake Erie village with peaceful retreats, the Keystone State offers plenty of opportunities for hiking, kayaking, bird-watching, and more. And if you're into rustic getaways, don't let the charming town of Marienville fly under your radar. Located between Pittsburgh and Buffalo, Marienville is an excellent spot for an outdoorsy vacation, complete with adrenaline-pumping ATV adventures and relaxed wildlife watching.

With a population of around 3,200 people, Marienville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Jenks Township and Forest County. Marienville is located in the northwest part of the state, bordering the Allegheny National Forest. You'll need a car to reach Marienville: It's about a two-hour drive from Pittsburgh and about a 2.5-hour drive from Buffalo, New York.

Locally, Marienville may be best known as the site of the annual Forest County Bigfoot Festival, in which Bigfoot believers gather to discuss their theories, dress up in costumes, and search for the cryptid. But if you visit outside of the festival (held annually in mid-June), you'll find plenty of outdoor activities to keep you busy.

Thanks to its proximity to the Allegheny National Forest, Marienville offers plenty of outdoor adventures. Pennsylvania's state tourism site even calls Marienville "the gateway to the Allegheny National Forest." From Marienville, you can access hundreds of miles of trails for ATV, snowmobiling, horseback riding, mountain biking, and hiking through the forest. A popular choice is Beaver Meadows Loop, a 5.7-mile hike that shows off the variety of Marienville's surroundings — not only will you see dense forests, but also serene wetlands and fields teeming with tallgrass.

ATVs are particularly popular. Twice a year, in May and October, Marienville Volunteer Fire Company hosts the Tour de Forest, an organized ATV ride that brings nearly 1,000 visitors. It's a leisurely ride with a low difficulty level, so beginners are welcome. While the Tour de Forest explores areas that are normally closed to the public, you can still have an ATV (or snowmobile) adventure from May to September and December to April thanks to the Marienville ATV Trail, which loops into an interconnecting trail system with 76 miles of trail in the Allegheny National Forest and the communities of Marienville, Penoke, and Timberline.

Wildlife watchers won't want to miss the Buzzard Swamp Wildlife Management Area, a 1,122-acre site with 15 ponds and 11.2 miles of trails. Hiking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, mountain biking, kayaking, hunting, and fishing are allowed in the area, but motorized vehicles such as ATVs are prohibited. Buzzard Swamp is a designated Watchable Wildlife Area and Important Birding Area. You might spot animals such as coyotes, black bears, beavers, and rabbits. Birders might see bald eagles, bobolinks, and mourning warblers. Hike the 1.5-mile self-guided nature trail called the Songbird Sojourn Interpretive Trail to learn about bird migratory patterns (pamphlets are available at the trailhead and ranger station). Buzzard Swamp is an important part of the Atlantic flyway, and in the spring, you can see up to 25 different species of birds.

Most of all, take the time to enjoy nature. "This is the kind of place that whispers to you when you hike through," wrote Peggy Smith Eppig, an environmental historian with a doctorate in Environmental Studies. "To not stand still and listen to the chorus of meadow insects and the whirrrr of dragonflies over the ponds is a mistake. Take the time to stop and do nothing else but listen."