Hiking trails on and off the beaten path
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Western Pennsylvania's hiking trails are ideal for exploring the region's history and natural beauty. With so much off-limits in and around Downtown due to G-20 summit restrictions, it's an ideal time for strolling trails in more serene settings. Unruly demonstrators, take a hike.
For more than 5,000 years, until the arrival of European settlers, a succession of Indian tribes wore a path from settlements on the Monongahela River to Flint Ridge in what is now Ohio, an important source of supplies where they collected flint for arrow and spear points and traded with other tribes. The present-day hiking trail stretches across the southwest corner of Pennsylvania and the West Virginia panhandle, from the Monongahela River at Greensboro, Greene County, Pa., to the Ohio River south of Moundsville, W.Va. Traversing a ridgetop 5 to 6 miles north of the Mason-Dixon Line, the trail is unusual in that it crosses no creeks. Well-marked with yellow blazes and red mileposts, it has three Adirondack shelters for overnight stays. Entirely on private property, the trail is maintained by volunteers.
The Rachel Carson Trail passes near the Springdale birthplace of the influential conservationist through mostly private land in suburbs north of Pittsburgh. Marked with yellow blazes, the trail is unusually rugged for a path so near to a metropolitan area. It skirts around farms and housing developments, crossing several small streams (no footbridges) from North Park to Harrison Hills Park. More information at www.rachelcarsonhomestead.org.
Following the former route of the Allegheny River Railroad, the trail stretches through Armstrong and Clarion counties and is mostly a lightly graded unimproved railway bed of cinder, suitable for biking and hiking. It's an easy walk, offering great vistas of the river. The Web site www.armstrongtrail.org offers recommended access points and a map to help you get started.
Thousands of years ago, a raging torrent from draining glacial lakes ripped a hole in what is now Lawrence County, leaving the steep, rock-strewn Slippery Rock Gorge. Located in the 2,529-acre McConnells Mill State Park, the trail is rated "moderate to difficult" and passes rocky outcrops, patches of rare wildflowers, old-growth trees and cascading waterfalls. More information: www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateParks/parks/mcconnellsmill/mcconnellsmill_trails.aspx.
Not a "trail" so much as a recently connected circuitous walking route through undeveloped woodlands and hillsides totally within Pittsburgh city limits. Pick any section for a look at the city's natural geography, urban neighborhoods, architecture, side streets, stairways and walkways. For recommended stops and access points: www.geocities.com/ pittsburghtrail/.
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First Published September 23, 2009 12:40 am
