Discover Jones Mills

Jones Mills brings together several reasons to visit: the Indian Creek Valley Trail runs through the Laurel Highlands, a former railroad line plays a role in the town’s history, and Living Treasures Animal Park offers interactive exhibits. This gives you the flexibility to choose different focuses for your stay—from active days outdoors to discoveries for the whole family.

Explore the Indian Creek Valley Trail

The Indian Creek Valley Trail is a 19-mile hiking and biking trail in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands. It is open year-round for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. ATVs are not allowed. These usage rules can help you choose the trail for the activities you have planned and keep in mind when planning your trip that it is not intended for motorized ATV riding.

The trail follows the former Indian Creek Valley Railroad line. By 1910, 19 miles of this railroad had been completed from Jones Mills to the Youghiogheny River. The trail combines outdoor activity with a tangible connection to the past: where you can hike or bike today, the railroad once ran.

Fishing on Indian Creek

Fishing is another possible focus for your time in the Jones Mills area. Near town, a 1.6-mile section of Indian Creek is designated as delayed harvest fishing water. The Blair Brothers Trail provides access to fishing on the upper Indian Creek. It runs north from the Jones Mills area along Indian Creek to Hunter’s Lane. If you enjoy hiking and fishing, you can consider these details as two distinct options when planning your trip.

Interactive experiences and railroad history

Living Treasures Animal Park is located at 288 PA-711, Jones Mills, Pennsylvania 15646. Its offerings include interactive exhibits. The Animal Education Adventure Program also provides an outdoor classroom experience. This means the park appeals not only to visitors who want to explore exhibits, but also to families interested in an educational outdoor activity. The combination of exhibits and learning opportunities complements the trail activities with a different reason to visit, focused more on animals and education.

Road routes through the region

Two sections of the Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway are relevant for getting around by car. It includes PA 31 between Jones Mills and Donegal and also follows PA 381 from the West Virginia state line to Jones Mills. The two road sections have different endpoints and can be considered separately when planning your route. If you want to combine your stay with drives through the region, you can use these routes as a guide for your own plans.

When looking for a vacation rental in Jones Mills, consider which activities matter to your group: hiking, biking, or winter sports on the trail; a visit to the Animal Park; fishing on Indian Creek; or exploring the railroad history. This can help you connect the location you want with the experiences you’d like to include in your stay.

Discover more places

For more travel ideas, explore Hyde Park, Donegal, Ligonier, Irwin, New Florence, Adamsburg, New Kensington, and Scottdale.

For the broader travel overview: Westmoreland.