Rachel Carson Trail

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Rachel Carson Trail
View of the Freeport Bridge from Rachel Carson Trail
Length	45.7 mi (73.5 km)
Location	Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Established	February 1975
Use	Hiking
Hiking details
Trail difficulty	Moderate
Sights	Streams
Hazards	Severe Weather, Hazardous Terrain

The Rachel Carson Trail is a 45.7-mile (73.5 km) hiking trail in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The trail stretches along a meandering path from Harrison Hills Park to North Park, crossing through a variety of dense woodlands, open meadows, streams, steep bluffs, power line clearings, as well as skirting the boundaries of local farms and suburban areas.^[1] There are no camps or shelters along the way, meaning the trail is intended for day-hiking. The trail contains hazardous terrain^[2] and is steep, rising 8,151 feet and dropping 8,214 feet.^[3] Few bridges have been built, causing hikers to cross waterways.^[4]

Because the trail passes close by the birthplace in Springdale of Rachel Carson, one of the early ecologists, the trail was dedicated in her name.^[5] Some offshoot spurs from the trail offer alternative routes to Hartwood Acres Park and the Rachel Carson Homestead.

Every year since 1996, the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy hosts a "Rachel Carson Trail Challenge". Participants attempt a 34-mile long, one-day, sunrise to sunset endurance hike along the trail.^[6]^[7] The stated challenge is simply to finish the entire stretch before sunset, or approximately 15 hours. Two shorter challenge routes of 18 miles and 8 miles are offered, as well.^[8] The trail has also been part of the 100 Mile Quest, a challenge to hike 100 miles in one year.^[9]

Points of interest[]

References[]

^ "Rachel Carson Trail, North Park | Hiking Project". Hiking Project. Retrieved 2017-05-26.
^ Hayes, Liz (March 16, 2009). "Children rescued after Rachel Carson Trail fall". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
^ Aupperlee, Aaron (August 14, 2017). "Lyme disease and the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge: Why I wasn't going to give up". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
^ "Rachel Carson Trail hike offers challenge". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
^ "Rachel Carson Trail". Rachelcarsontrails.org. Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
^ "Rachel Carson Trail Challenge — Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy". www.rachelcarsontrails.org. Retrieved 2017-05-26.
^ "Rachel Carson Trail Challenge marks its 20th year". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2017-05-26.
^ Ban, Charlie (May 31, 2009). "Family finds bond in hiking Rachel Carson Trail Challenge". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
^ "Hike 100 miles ... but take your time". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2017-10-06.

v t Hiking trails in Pennsylvania
Appalachian Baker Black Forest Bucktail Path Central Mountains Shared Use Conestoga Darlington Donut Hole Eastern Continental Glacier Ridge Golden Eagle Great Eastern Horse-Shoe John P. Saylor Jonathan Eshenour Memorial Laurel Highlands Loyalsock Mason-Dixon Mid State North Country Old Loggers Path Pinchot Potomac Heritage Quehanna Rachel Carson Standing Stone Susquehannock Tanbark Thunder Swamp Tuscarora West Rim Wissahickon

Protected areas of Pennsylvania

Federal

NPS National Historical Parks & National Historic Sites	Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS Edgar Allan Poe NHS Eisenhower NHS First State NHP Friendship Hill NHS Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church NHS Hopewell Furnace NHS Independence NHP Steamtown NHS Valley Forge NHP
National Memorials	Benjamin Franklin Flight 93 Johnstown Flood Thaddeus Kosciuszko
National Battlefields and National Military Parks	Fort Necessity NB Gettysburg NMP
National Trails	Appalachian Trail
Other protected areas	Allegheny National Recreation Area Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area Middle Delaware National Scenic River Susquehanna National Heritage Area Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River
National Forests	Allegheny
USFS National Historic Sites	Grey Towers
National Wildlife Refuges	Cherry Valley Erie John Heinz Ohio River Islands

State

State Parks	Allegheny Islands Archbald Pothole Bald Eagle Beltzville Bendigo Benjamin Rush Big Pocono Big Spring Black Moshannon Blue Knob Boyd Big Tree Buchanan's Birthplace Bucktail Caledonia Canoe Creek Chapman Cherry Springs Clear Creek Codorus Colonel Denning Colton Point Cook Forest Cowans Gap Delaware Canal Denton Hill Elk Erie Bluffs Evansburg Fort Washington Fowlers Hollow Frances Slocum French Creek Gifford Pinchot Gouldsboro Greenwood Furnace Hickory Run Hillman Hills Creek Hyner Run Hyner View Jacobsburg Jennings Joseph E. Ibberson Kettle Creek Keystone Kings Gap Kinzua Bridge Kooser Lackawanna Laurel Hill Laurel Mountain Laurel Ridge Laurel Summit Lehigh Gorge Leonard Harrison Linn Run Little Buffalo Little Pine Locust Lake Lyman Run Marsh Creek Maurice K. Goddard McCalls Dam McConnells Mill Memorial Lake Milton Mont Alto Moraine Mt. Pisgah Nescopeck Neshaminy Nockamixon Nolde Forest Norristown Farm Ohiopyle Oil Creek Ole Bull Parker Dam Patterson Penn-Roosevelt Pine Grove Furnace Poe Paddy Poe Valley Point Presque Isle Prince Gallitzin Promised Land Prompton Prouty Place Pymatuning R. B. Winter Raccoon Creek Ralph Stover Ravensburg Reeds Gap Ricketts Glen Ridley Creek Ryerson Station S. B. Elliott Salt Springs Samuel S. Lewis Sand Bridge Shawnee Shikellamy Sinnemahoning Sizerville Susquehanna Susquehannock Swatara Tobyhanna Trough Creek Tuscarora Tyler Upper Pine Bottom Varden Warriors Path Washington Crossing Whipple Dam White Clay Creek Worlds End Yellow Creek
State Forests	Bald Eagle Buchanan Clear Creek Cornplanter Delaware Elk Forbes Gallitzin Loyalsock Michaux Moshannon Pinchot Rothrock Sproul Susquehannock Tiadaghton Tioga Tuscarora Weiser William Penn
Scenic Rivers	Bear Run French Creek Lehigh River LeTort Spring Run Lick Run Lower Brandywine Octoraro Creek Pine Creek Schuylkill River Stony Creek Tucquan Creek Tulpehocken Creek Yellow Breeches Creek
State Game Lands	12 13 14 24 25 26 28 29 30 31 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 47 48 49 51 52 55 58 60 73 80 97 104 105 106 108 110 115 118 137 147 148 158 166 173 182 189 203 226 247 249 256 259 261 274 280 285 287 314 315 324 329
Wild areas	Hammersley Quebec Run Quehanna White Mountain

Other

Other	Anders Run Natural Area Forrest H. Duttlinger Natural Area Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area Johnson Run Natural Area Stone Valley Recreation Area Trexler Nature Preserve Wykoff Run Natural Area
Hiking trails	Appalachian Baker Black Forest Central Mountains Shared Use Darlington Eastern Continental Five Star Glacier Ridge Great Eastern Greene River Horse-Shoe Indian Creek Valley Loyalsock Mid State Standing Stone Mason-Dixon North Country Ohio River Old Loggers Path Pinchot Potomac Heritage Quehanna Rachel Carson Sheepskin Susquehannock Thunder Swamp Tuscarora Valley Forge Historical West Rim Wissahickon Youghiogheny River
Rail trails	Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Beaver River East Coast Greenway Five Star Ghost Town Great Allegheny Passage Great Shamokin Path Greene River Indian Creek Valley Lebanon Valley Lehigh Gorge Liberty Bell Lower Montour Ohio River Palmer Bikeway Panhandle Perkiomen Pine Creek Plainfield Township Schuylkill River Sheepskin Struble Susquehanna Warrior Switchback Three Rivers Heritage York Country Heritage Youghiogheny River
Nature centers	Abernathy Field Station Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve Churchville Nature Center John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum Great Valley Nature Center Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center Jennings Environmental Education Center Kings Gap Environmental Education and Training Center Lacawac Lehigh Gap Nature Center Nescopeck State Park Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center Nurture Nature Center Shaver's Creek Environmental Center Tom Ridge Environmental Center Tyler Arboretum Welkinweir Whites' Woods Nature Center

Category
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Commons

Coordinates: 40°39′44″N 79°41′57″W / 40.662127°N 79.699203°W / 40.662127; -79.699203

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