Big Valley unfolds, rolling land dotted with family farms that stretch across the hills. Here, the landscape rises and falls in gentle waves, blanketed in fields of corn, alfalfa, and hay. Forested mountains frame the horizon, their dense canopies a deep green against the sky.

At the heart of it all are the farms, where life moves with the steady rhythm of the seasons. Mornings bring the clip-clop of Amish buggies on backroads, as families head to their chores. Teams of draft horses pull plows through the soil, turning furrows with a deliberate pace that seems lost to history. Beautiful barns stand sturdy amid the pastures, where cows, horses and sheep graze. Homesteads, with the morning’s laundry hung on the line are nestled into the contours of the land.

Climb Jacks Mountain near Belleville for a view that captures the essence: a patchwork of tilled earth, winding streams, and scattered communities below. The forested ridges frame you, alive with the calls of raptors – hawks, eagles, and more – soaring on updrafts. Up there, Jacks Mountain Hawk Watch tallies raptors, including hundreds of eagles among the 5,000 counted each year.

Reeds Gap State Park

Pine Ridge Cafe

Throughout Big Valley you’ll be greeted with warm hospitality, a friendly smile and flavors that are hard to forget, from the sizzle of smash burgers at a local grill to the variety of subs at local shops that have people lining up. Breakfast is served late, and the stacks of pancakes will melt in your mouth. Donut shops – both national chains and local gems, serve perfection. Butchers wrap steak for your own fire.

Award-winning wines from Brookmere Winery – one of Pennsylvania’s oldest – and Seven Mountains Wine Cellars pour in quiet tasting rooms. Both host weddings, showers, and banquets. Visit Makers Market, held every month at Brookmere, to peruse local artisans’ crafts and goods.