Every year, millions of people take part in experiencing Mount Nittany, a Centre County landmark, by biking or driving it, but volunteers at the Mount Nittany Conservancy say the best experience comes by hiking it.
Mount Nittany looms over Happy Valley, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding community for residents, tourists, Penn State students and alums.
The Mount Nittany Conservancy is a volunteer based organization that preserves more than 800 acres of the mountain and its features. Mount Nittany has two trails for nature lovers to choose to hike.
Bob Andronici, a chair member of the conservancy says, “if you’re heading up the white trail, it’s a pretty much dominantly traveled dirt rock. If you head up the blue trail, which is on the other side, it’s very rocky.”
Eric Loop, another Mount Nittany conservancy volunteer, adds, “The hardest part of the trip is getting to the top and the second hardest is coming back down.”
It’s a difficult task offering a beautiful payoff along the way.
Loop advises, “Make a point of not only exploring the one iconic spot on the mountain, the Mike Lynch Outlook, but take advantage of that trail system to explore some of the other parts of the mountain that really offer some fantastic views of the Centre region.”
Mount Nittany stands more than 2,000 feet above sea level. Volunteers say the hike can take anywhere between 18 to 30 minutes.
Advise from the experts? Loops says, “make sure you’re dressed appropriately and that you’re sufficiently fit for a fairly rigorous hike.” Andronici says, “we always suggest people wear real hiking boots as opposed to even sneakers.”