Ridgway Township owns Sandy Beach Park which has land on both sides of Laurel Mill Rd. and is next to the Allegheny National Forest. The park has 4 pavilions, a softball field, baseball field, fenced dog park, volleyball courts, fishing stream, two playgrounds and about a mile of walking trails. From Ridgway head west on Main St. which will turn into Laurel Mill Rd. The park is on the left, about 3 miles from downtown Ridgway. There is a large sign and there are three entrances so don't panic if you miss the one at the sign. 6712 Laurel Mill Rd. usually works in a GPS.
We are working with Ridgway Township to develop The Laurel Mill Mountain Bike Trails. These trails will be across the road from the main park, using the hilly terrain and will complement the other activities in the park. Our creation of these trails was the catalyst that led to the 2025 Forest Service decision to allow biking on the north side trail at Laurel Mill. Plans are in the works to build a bridge over Mill Creek to connect Sandy Beach Park's trails to the ANF Laurel Mill Trails creating a large network!
The site of the park was once a sawmill and small boomtown when the area was logged in the 1800's and that's why the area is known today as Laurel Mill. Working with the Lumber Heritage Region of Pennsylvania we have received a $30,000 grant to assist in the development of the mountain bike trails as part of their Lumber Heritage Trails program. The trails will include interpretive signs with information about the area's logging history and we plan to have displays as well, perhaps incorporating old mill equipment into the terrain of the trail.
Ridgway Township developed the parking area for the trailhead in March of 2024. We built an information kiosk in the same style of the one at Laurel Mill in April of 2024. An engineering firm was selected to create a master plan in the fall of 2024 and they completed the field work in May of 2025. The master plan was completed in the summer of 2025 and the first phase of construction went out to bid in the fall of 2025. A contractor was chosen and work on phase one will start in the spring of 2026!
The Ridgway Township Road Crew helps us put the roof on the kiosk . . .
Pavilions can be reserved by contacting the Ridgway Township office at (814) 773-5625.
There will be a series of loops, ranging from easy to difficult. A switchback trail will drop down into the valley and eventually cross Big Mill Creek and join the Laurel Mill Trails in the Allegheny National Forest.
