Big Elk Creek State Park, PA and Fair Hill NRMA, MD

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Big Elk Creek State Park - Pennsylvania DCNR

Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area - Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Fair Hill NRMA Architectural Survey File - Detailed information about ruins encountered on the hike

        Search for    CE-717     (Alexander Ruins)

                            CE-1519   (McCloskey Ruins)

                            CE-238     (Big Elk Covered Bridge)

Fair Hill is a Hidden-Gem State Park Brimming with Pastoral Beauty - Baltimore Magazine

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 39.73097, -75.83579

Strickersville Road Parking

TRAIL MAPS:

Big Elk Creek State Park - Pennsylvania DCNR (map does not show trails from this parking lot but there are trails)

Fair Hill NRMA Map and Brochure - Maryland Department of Natural Resources

HIKE DISTANCE: 12.1 miles

THE HIKE: 

I hiked a different section from Big Elk Creek State Park to Fair Hill NRMA in November 2024.  With 80 miles of trails in Fair Hill it is worth the 2-hour drive to go back for trails not previously hiked.

From the parking lot a mowed path leads over rolling hills towards the woods.

Some creek crossings have bridges ...

... others don't.

I did not know it at the time but to the right the path will follow the creek.  We went left ...

... along an upper level.

To the right is the lower level trail along the creek which converges back with the upper trail.

Big Elk Creek comes into view.

Leaving Big Elk Creek State Park in PA and entering Fair Hill NRMA in MD.  The sign up ahead ...

... after turning around to read it.  We headed towards Fair Hill which would have been a left turn coming from PA.

This was a surprise!  The tree had working lights.

Crossing over this gravel path ...

... towards some massive Osage orange trees ...

... to the very impressive McCloskey ruins.

With these trails being heavily used by horses, there is horse poop everywhere.  It's a nice reprieve coming across trails with those brown signs that state the trail is not appropriate for horses.  A break from dodging horse poop and screaming DROP IT when you-know-who snarfs down a mouthful.  Yuk.

Coming up on the Strahorn ruins.

The Alexander ruins but there is no information posted.

The remaining barn walls are massive.

The kitchen sink is still there.

Coming up on this gravel road (where a car will pass every so often) it's either turn right and road walk or take that trail just before the road on the right.

The trail is quite nice!  So much better than the road.

When the trail descends back to the road we headed towards the intersection ...

... and turned left just before the bridge.

This trail follows along Big Elk Creek.

... to the Big Elk Covered Bridge.

It's closed to traffic but you can walk on over.

Heading towards the Fair Hill Nature Center.

Looking back at the Big Elk Bridge.

Fair Hill Nature Center Trail

So the weather forecast was for partly cloudy skies all day long.  It was quite disappointing to find dark and dreary instead.  But seeing this part of the sky it dawned on me.  They meant that part of the sky would be COMPLETELY cloudy and the other part not cloudy at all.  We were just under the wrong "part."

This is an old road that crosses over Big Elk Creek with Route 273 to the right.

There is a path under Route 273 that leads to the other side.  That is for another time.

We only encountered one other hiker the entire day.  He is heading up the old road; we needed to cross the bridge that he is going under.

A trail to the right swings up and around right to that old horse bridge.

It very steep and has a rough concrete surface so the horses can climb up.

The path down below.

Steeply down the other side.

Might we be heading to the sunny side?

Not yet.

Now we are heading into the sunny side but it was crazy windy all along this full exposure part.

A red-tailed hawk.

Veering to the right on the mowed path leaving Maryland and entering Pennsylvania but there is no sign. 

Ruins on the Pennsylvania side.

Back at the parking lot.