Sunday Drive: Benezette to Warren
Bob and I went for a drive on Sunday. We were gone all day and covered a little more than 200 miles. We drove along the Clarion River; through Brookville, DuBois and Reynoldsville; saw elk in Benezette and ate an early dinner in St. Marys before heading back home.
In yesterday’s blog post I shared photographs taken during our drive from Warren to Benezette. The portion of our drive from Benezette and back to Warren is highlighted in the following map.
Today’s blog post shares photographs taken while in Benezette.
Upon arriving in Benezette, we continued to drive on Rt. 555 to Grant Hill Road. Grant Hill Road eventually turns into Winslow Hill Road. I noticed a sign that read chains were required for travel on Grant Hill Road. Chains were not needed on Sunday, as the road was clear of snow and ice. I can see, though, where chains would be needed when the road is covered with snow and ice. Grant Hill Road is very steep!
Our first stop in Benezette was at the Dents Run Elk Viewing Area along Winslow Hill Road. We didn’t see any elk in this area; however, we did enjoy the view.
MacDarvey Castle is visible from the
Dents Run Elk Viewing Area.
Our next stop was on Dewey Road, at Elk Viewing Area #348. We didn’t see any elk, at first.
There were blue signs posted all along Dewey Road.
I was reading one of the signs, when Bob said “there they are!”. I looked in the direction in which Bob pointed.
An elk herd was resting near the top of a hill.
We returned to Winslow Hill Road and had just passed by the Winslow Hill Elk Viewing Area, when we spotted another elk herd!
Elk Seen on Hillside just past Winslow Hill Elk Viewing Area
Bob took a picture of me photographing this elk herd.
We continued our drive down Winslow Hill Road to the Elk Country Visitor Center.
This was the only elk that we saw at the visitor center.
After our stop at the Elk Country Visitor Center, we made one other stop before leaving Benezette. We turned onto Gray Hill Road from Rt. 555. Gray Hill Road becomes Mt. Zion Street, along which is a field on which stands a wooden cross. You will not be able to see the cross from the road. Watch for “the cross” signs on both sides of Mt. Zion Street. There is no parking lot, so you have to pull off on the side of the road as best as you can in order to park. You will walk across a field to reach the cross.
There is a sweeping view of the countryside from the cross.
The Cross
We returned to our vehicle and continued driving on Mt. Zion Street to Rt. 255. We followed Rt. 255 into St. Marys, where we enjoyed steak dinners at Hoss’s Steak and Sea House. After dinner, we departed St. Marys and made our way back home to Warren. It was a beautiful day for a drive. The morning started out cloudy and cold; however, by afternoon bright sunshine made the temperature bearable and brightened the day considerably.
The Beauty Around Us 
3 Responses to “Sunday Drive: Benezette to Warren”
Wow, that is an awesome herd of elk.. Lovely scenery and photos, Linda!
Beautiful pictures of the elk Linda but your travelogue is fascinating. Great day today.
Greetings, Helma
Excellent photos from the elk range!