A lot of people go to an area fitness center to take advantage of its extensive equipment and wide variety of classes, but they may be missing out on a less obvious attraction.

 

What’s inside the Northern Blair Recreation Center is a major draw for residents, but you don’t have to walk through the door to benefit.

 

Like some seniors did this week, you can set out on the nature trail around the building. The gravel path, to the right of the facility, leads into a wooded area, where a trail was cut with the help of a $5,000 start-up grant from the Blair County Recreation Commission. A local developer chipped in supplies and staffers, and that all was combined with more community donations and volunteers.

 

On Monday, Northern Blair Rec hosted a Senior Stroll for older residents, but the trail is open to everyone . Center Director Richard Bishop says, “we kept everything as natural as we could. That’s why it’s a little bit turny here and there,  but we did come up with 1.3 miles. We have a section where you have to cross the water that does stand, so we actually built a natural bridge that goes across that water area.”