ABOUT THE PARK:
Gifford Pinchot State Park - Pennsylvania DCNR
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.068329, -76.909027
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| Boat Mooring 1 Parking |
TRAIL MAP:
Gifford Pinchot State Park Trail Map - Pennsylvania DCNR
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HIKE DISTANCE: 9.4 miles
THE HIKE:
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| Cross the street and take either the gated woods road or the actual trail just before the guardrail; they will meet up in a very short distance. |
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| Although I never saw any signs saying this is the Mason-Dixon Trail, the blue blazes indicate it is as it follows park trails with other names, starting out aligned with the Lakeside Trail. |
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| A glimpse of Pinchot Lake. |
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| Numbered posts at intersections make it easy to reference to the map but even easier, no matter the name of the trail, simply following the blue blazes keeps you on the Mason-Dixon Trail. |
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| A cedar waxwing ... |
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| ... with the family and a random American Bluebird lower left. |
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| The stretch of trail around the main park area becomes much busier with walkers. Passing through Boat Mooring 3 parking. |
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| For now the Lakeside/Mason-Dixon Trail follows closely along Pinchot Lake with lots of lake views. |
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| A walk out on the dam and back. |
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| After the dam everyone else turns right and heads back but we continued left. |
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| The trail comes out on Alpine Road ... |
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| ... where it turns left over the bridge... |
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| ... over Beaver Creek ... |
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| ... then immediately over the guardrail ... |
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| ... and down steps to the trail below the road. |
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| At the clearing the other side of the dam, the blue-blazed Mason-Dixon Trail leaves the park to the right; we kept straight ... |
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| ... continuing on the Lakeside Trail the rest of the way. |
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| The yellow blazes are not unique to the Lakeside Trail, rather the color indicates permitted usage so intersecting trails are also blazed yellow. |
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| Some more views of Pinchot Lake along the way. |
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| Passing through Boat Mooring 2. |
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| The trail becomes paved through the beach area ... |
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| ... then crosses a picnic area ... |
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| ... back into the woods. |
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| Back at Route 177 a left turn ... |
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| ... over the bridge back to parking on the right. |
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| After 320 more miles of driving to the motel in West Virginia, dinner, a snack ... |
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| ... and bedtime. |
