Trailhead: | N 41° 20.74' W 79° 13.06' |
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Total Elevation: | 1544' |
Trail Length: | 2.9 miles |
Hike Time: | 2 hours |
Hike Type: | Loop |
Difficulty Rating: | 60 |
Near: | Cook Forest State Park |
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The trailhead for this hike is located within Cook Forest State Park. From the east, take Exit 78 off of Interstate route I80, then route PA36 north directly to the park in Cooksburg, approximately 15 miles from the exit. Coming from the west, take Exit 60 off of Interstate route I80, then take route PA66 north to Leeper. From the town of Leeper, turn right onto route PA36 and follow it approximately 7 miles south to the park. Once in the park, look for Forest Road. This is just past the bridge over the Clarion River (if heading north on route PA36, just prior to the bridge if heading south). From here drive almost a mile and you will see a large parking area to the right of the road. Pull in here as this is the trailhead for this hike.
This was to be our first hike on a weekend of hiking. However when we visited the park on Saturday and turned out that they were having some sort of bike (pedal) rally or race or something. So we decided to avoid the crowds and come back on Monday morning. As we pulled into the parking lot for the start of the hike there wasn't another car to be seen. Looks like we made the right call on this one.
We started the hike by finding where the Baker Trail crossed the road. When blazed trails are routed through frequented areas of state parks, and particularly around parking areas, sometimes it is a bit difficult to figure out exactly where they go. With a quick look at the map we found the trail in the northeast corner of the lot. Soon we were hiking on a well groomed trail, wide enough for Shari and I to walk side-by-side.
We came across our first point of interest just a bit over a tenth of a mile into our hike. It was the Memorial Fountain located just along the left side of the trail. Built in 1950, the fountain was dedicated to the original Cook Forest Association. The Association was instrumental in raising additional funds needed to purchase the land from A. Cook Sons Company. We spent a few minutes here taking pictures and enjoying the sounds of falling water before we continued on with our hike.
Our first trail junction was at 0.3 miles. Bearing off to the right was the Ancient Forest Trail. Shari wanted to take this trail but I told her we needed to hike to the top of the ridge before heading south. I assured her that we would return on the Ancient Forest Trail.
We now had a bit of an ascent but the going was made pretty easy as the trail was terraced into steps. At 0.6 miles we came to another junction. This time the Baker Trail continued to the right but we continued straight as we followed the Indian Trail across the ridge top. It was very peaceful hiking on this trail. The sun was just starting to break through the clouds and early morning fog and the trees here were large and tall. Shari and I enjoyed the sights, smells and sounds of the forest, as we hiked through the Forest Cathedral.
At 1.1 miles the trail began to descend from the ridge top as we followed an abandoned forest road. We continued the descent on the Indian Trail until we came upon the edge of the State Park lands. The trail straight ahed was blocked with a "No Trespassing" sign. However the Indian Trail made a switchback to the right and we headed towards the cabin area and park office. At 1.6 miles we were off the ridge and found ourselves standing alongside a small fishing pond at the entrance to a cul-de-sac where the cabin rentals at Cook Forest were located.
A quick look at the map again showed us a trail leading north at the far end of the cul-de-sac and we were now hiking on Rhododendron Trail. We were only on this trail for a short while until we turned right onto the Tom's Run Trail. At this intersection there is a swinging bridge over Tom's Run and Shari and I walked out onto it to enjoy the view of the stream.
Once back on Tom's Run Trail we hiked north for about 0.2 miles when we once again encountered the Baker Trail. We turned right and started another climb up the east ridge. The climb wasn't nearly as steep or as long as our first climb. The Baker Trail was now wandering through the heart of the Forest Cathedral and we saw many large white pines and hemlocks, with a few large oaks throw in for good measure.
At 2.2 miles into the hike we came across the Ancient Forest Trail bearing off to the left of the Baker Trail. We left the blue and yellow blazed Baker Trail to take a short cut on the Ancient Forest Trail. Again we were hiking through some very old, large and tall pine trees. The trail lived up to it's namesake.
At 2.6 miles we emerged back on the Baker Trail, just a short distance above the Memorial Fountain. We retraced our steps on the Baker Trail and after 2.9 miles of hiking we were back at our car.
Trailhead: | N 40° 40.42' W 79° 27.49' |
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Total Elevation: | 658' |
Trail Length: | 2.6 miles |
Hike Time: | 1.5 hours |
Hike Type: | Out and Back |
Difficulty Rating: | 35 |
Near: | Crooked Creek Lake Park, Armstrong County. |
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The Baker Trail extends from its southern terminus near Freeport on the Allegheny River to the northern terminus just outside the Allegheny National Forest. It is a hiking trail in places and in other places it follows dirt roads as it meanders through woods and fields. In Armstrong County, the trail follows the banks of streams and lakes, and meanders through the woods within Crooked Creek Lake Park.
The trailhead for this hike is along route PA359. To get to this trailhead you will need to get on route US422, heading west. You'll drive past Indiana, Pennsylvania and once you cross the Indiana / Armstrong County line, the next town you will enter is called Elderton. There are two traffic lights in Elderton. After you pass through the second light drive for 3.25 miles. The road crosses Cherry Run at this point and you will want to turn left here. From route US422 drive 1.2 miles and make a left at this intersection. Continue straight as the road parallels Cherry Run. At 3.7 miles you cross a bridge as the road then begins to climb. Continue on another 0.9 miles and you will come to an intersection of sorts, with the main road branching to the left. Continue on this main road for another mile when you enter the very small village of Brick Church. There is a brick church here, and my guess is that is how the name was derived. This is the intersection with route PA359. Turn left here and drive for a bit over 0.8 miles. You will see a bridge ahead of you as the road crosses over the upper reaches of Crooked Creek. Just prior to the bridge the Baker Trail crosses route PA359. You will see ample parking on the left side of the road at the point where the trail crosses. Park here as this is the trailhead for this hike.
As I mentioned earlier, this was the turn about point of my hike back in February and at that time I thought this would be a good point to continue the hike on the Baker Trail near Crooked Creek Lake Park. From the trailhead, Shari and I headed north with a gentle climb as we followed an old road bed. Soon the road bed became narrow and more typical of a single track trail.
At about a quarter of a mile we came upon a spring emerging from the bank along the north side of the trail. The spring was labeled the Coal Mine Spring, which was understandable from the amount of acid mine drainage in the region. Just a few hundred feet past this spring we came upon the one and only vista of the entire hike. It was a nice view, looking over Crooked Creek, but it was the only view of the hike, and I was a bit disappointed in that.
At 0.4 miles the trail scrambled up a small hill as it turned away from the creek. We were now hiking on what looked to be an old access road. Off to our left was a field that looked like it may have been farmed at one point in time. A short hike across this small ridge top had us hooking up with a gravel road at 0.6 miles. We turned left here and followed the gravel road north-west.
We followed the gravel road for about a half mile. It was relatively flat hiking. We did pass one house, located off the road quite a bit to our left. It looked to be a farm at one point in time as the barn was still standing but the looks of the land around the house and barn indicated that it was no longer an active farm.
At 1.1 miles we beared left off the gravel road onto an old gas well access road. We had to step over a chain stretched across this road as we gradually descended into a wooded area. At 1.2 miles the blazed trail head to the right, off the access road, and on a traditional hiking trail. I was happy to see this and began to feel good about the decision to hike this trail on National Trail Day. We were now hiking in a single track in the middle of the woods without the presence of gravel roads or farm land.
Almost a quarter of mile along, at 1.4 miles, we came across an impediment in our hike. The trail was following east bank of Pine Run, which was running swiftly and was wide and deep in places. There was a large tree between to trail and the creek that fell across the trail. As we approached the tree I could hear and see the large number of honey bees that apparently had a hive in the fallen tree. The trail was in the middle of a thicket and we couldn't make our way to the left around the tree and the stream was on the right.
We spent a number of minutes trying to find a way across the stream. There was a place we could cross but we were going to get wet. Before making the decision to cross I wanted to see where the trail went on the other side of the stream. That was when I noticed that there weren't any blazes on the far side of the stream. Perhaps the trail didn't cross the stream, so we followed the bank downstream for a short distance, but we couldn't find any yellow blazes here.
After a good 20 minutes of searching for the trail we decided to give up, turn around, and head back the way we came. I was disappointed that Shari and I spent National Trails Day hiking this section of the Baker Trail. I hope that someone clears out the fallen tree or reroutes the trail around it. And if there is a stream crossing here, it would also be nice if the trail on the far side of the stream was blazed well enough so that you could tell that the trail continues on the far side. I will probably try another hike on the Baker Trail sometime in the future, but I think I am done hiking it in the Crooked Creek Lake Park area.
Trailhead: | N 40° 40.85' W 79° 25.74' |
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Total Elevation: | 310' |
Trail Length: | 3.9 miles |
Hike Time: | 2 hours |
Hike Type: | Out and Back |
Difficulty Rating: | 45 |
Near: | Crooked Creek Lake Park, Armstrong County. |
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The trailhead that I used for this hike is found on a dirt road along Cherry Run. However there is an alternate trailhead that I would suggest using. It is along route PA359 where I turned around on my out-and-back hike. I plan on using this spot as a trailhead for my next hike on the Baker Trail as I continue west exploring more of the trail. For this hike's trailhead I found my way to route US422, heading west. You'll drive past Indiana, Pennsylvania and once you cross the Indiana / Armstrong County line, the next town you will enter is called Elderton. There are two traffic lights in Elderton. After you pass through the second light drive for 3.25 miles. The road crosses Cherry Run at this point and you will want to turn left here. From route US422 drive 1.2 miles and make a left at this intersection. Continue straight as the road parallels Cherry Run. At 3.7 miles from the turn off of route US422 you will see a road on your left, just prior to a bridge. Turn left here and you will now be on a dirt road and will enter the Crooked Creek Lake Park property. Drive for a half mile and as the dirt road turns to the left and begins an ascent you will see a parking area on your right. Park here as this is the trailhead for this hike.
After parking the car I got me gear together and started down a gated dirt road. The gate didn't look like it was doing the job it was intended as there was a wide ATV trail that by-passed the gate to the left. At less than a tenth of a mile the road turned to the left as it followed a small feeder stream. Hiking along this small stream for about 200 feet I then crossed over and began a gradual ascent on a dirt road.
About 0.3 miles into the hike the trail began a descent back towards the banks of Cherry Run. As I approached the stream I took notice to the width of it. I was wondering how the trail crossed this stream and was hoping that I wasn't going to get wet doing a ford. My questioned was answered as I came across the suspension bridge almost a half mile into the hike. The suspension bridge was well made, and aside for a bit of snow on the steps and the bridge itself, it was quite easy to cross with very little bouncing or swaying.
It was a short distance past the bridge that I noticed the heavy ATV use on the trail. The trail here was quite muddy and torn up by the passing of the ATVs. Luckily the ATV trail and the Baker Trail parted here and the Baker Trail made for a nice path to hike.
At about 0.9 miles into the hike the ATV trail which had been off to the left of the Baker Trail merged as Cherry Run approached the trail from the left. This section of the trail was the most disappointing part of the hike. The trail was torn up by the ATVs and quite muddy, with standing pools of muddy water. The going was slow on this section as I tried to keep out of the mud as I slipped once and almost fell into a brown pool of water. The only pleasurable thing about hiking on this muddy section of the trail was that I got to see my first fox on a hike. It was a red fox and his coat was very full and dark red. He crawled out of a den as I passed and ran off into the woods. I tried to get a picture of him but until I got my camera out and powered on he was a small speck bounding across the forest floor.
At about 1.2 miles the trail pulled up and away from Cherry Run. Even though the ATVs were still using this section of the trail, it was much drier and as such less muddy as well. At 1.5 miles into the hike I heard the sound of cars driving past. I was a little confused as I couldn't see any bridges or roads up ahead. After another tenth a mile of hiking I spied the road above me on the hillside to my right. This was router PA359 which the trail would soon cross.
At 1.9 miles the trail switchbacks on itself as it climbs the small hill to the road that I had been paralleling for the past quarter mile. I quick scamper up the steep hill and I found myself along the road. There was a bridge here at the intersection of Cherry Run and Crooked Creek. The Baker Trail crossed the road and climbed a bit as it followed the banks of Crooked Creek. I decided that I would turn around at this point and explore more of the Baker Trail on another outing. After a quick drink and a snack on one of the granola bars I had in my pack, I turned around and retraced my steps back to the trailhead.
Retracing my steps back to the trailhead had me crossing the muddy section of the trail once again. Just a short distance past this point, after the ATV and Baker Trail split, I heard the sound of falling water off to my right. I had not heard this on my hike past this point about an hour ago, but now it had piqued my interest. I had to brush whack through some thickets and then crossed the ATV trail before I reached the banks of Cherry Run. Directly across from me was a small stream that fell about 10 feet before it merged with Cherry Run. Not an impressive waterfall when compared to those found in North Central Pennsylvania or down around Ohiopyle in western PA, but it was an unexpected surprise. I enjoyed the view and sounds for a couple minutes and took a few snapshots of waterfall. I left the falls and was going to hike the ATV trail back to the intersection with the Baker Trail but after seeing how muddy it was I opted to walk back through the thick brush. Once back on the Baker Trail I followed it back to the trailhead and my waiting car.
I took a few minutes to wash off my muddy boots in a nearby small stream at the trailhead before I left. I decided that I wanted to come back and hike more of the Baker Trail, figuring on continuing from the crossing of route PA359. I was a bit disappointed with the shape of the trail where the ATVs had torn it up. I hope that when I come back to explore more of the Baker Trail that the trail will not be nearly as muddy. Another experience like this outing and I may be hesitant to do any additional hikes on this trail, at least not during a wet spring.