Pennsylvania trails · Mason Dixon Trail
Mason Dixon Trail
A 188.2-mile point-to-point in Pennsylvania, with 1,095 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 — 55% of the ascent, between mile 62.7 and mile 125.5. It gives back about 15,499 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. About 30 min drive (18 mi) from York. 40.08673, -76.96717 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:49 a.m., the sun rises at 7:17 a.m. and sets at 6:30 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:57 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 13 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 188.2-mile route works out to roughly 70 h 15 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 + Mason Dixon Trail + PennDel Trail / Mason-Dixon Trail — 3.7 mi loop, 119 ft gain
- White Clay Creek Preserve Trails + Mason Dixon Trail — 4.6 mi loop, 157 ft gain
- Mason Dixon Trail + PennDel Trail / Mason-Dixon Trail — 8.0 mi loop, 640 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 13.9 mi
- Kings Gap State Park Trails — 16.7 mi