Pennsylvania trails · Mason Dixon Trail
Mason Dixon Trail
A 186.7-mile point-to-point in Pennsylvania, with 1,094 ft of climbing. Reaches Whisky Spring and other arch/lake/pass/spring/summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by Pennsylvania DCNR.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 58% of the ascent, between mile 88.1 and mile 176.2. It gives back about 16,299 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Whisky Spring (spring)
- Bacon Hill (summit)
- Plum Creek Pond (lake)
- Straight Hill (summit)
- Susquehanna Point (pass)
- Balanced Rock (arch)
- Cow Pond (lake)
- Somerset Lake (lake)
- Highpoint Scenic Vista (viewpoint)
- Urey Overlook (viewpoint)
Heads up
Getting there
Mason Dixon Trail access. 40.09825, -77.12853 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:07 a.m., the sun rises at 6:34 a.m. and sets at 7:42 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:09 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 07 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 186.7-mile route works out to roughly 69 h 42 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- White Clay Creek Preserve Trails + PennDel Trail / Mason-Dixon Trail + Mason Dixon Trail — 7.5 mi loop, 608 ft gain
- Mason Dixon Trail + PennDel Trail / Mason-Dixon Trail — 8.0 mi loop, 640 ft gain
- Mason Dixon Trail — 12.3 mi loop, 862 ft gain