Pennsylvania trails · Rachel Carson Trail
Rachel Carson Trail
A 37.1-mile point-to-point in Pennsylvania, with 557 ft of climbing. Reaches Springdale Lake and other lake/viewpoint destinations. Managed by Pennsylvania DCNR.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 6,028 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Springdale Lake (lake)
- North Park Meadow Overlook (viewpoint)
Heads up
Getting there
Rachel Carson Trail access. About 32 min drive (19 mi) from Butler. 40.66540, -79.70315 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:01 a.m., the sun rises at 7:28 a.m. and sets at 6:40 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:07 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 12 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 37.1-mile route works out to roughly 14 h 01 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Scouts Trail - Harrison Hills Park + Wetlands Trail + Rachel Carson Trail — 5.3 mi loop, 881 ft gain
- Rachel Carson Trail — 4.3 mi loop, 1,099 ft gain
- Rachel Carson Trail — 6.1 mi loop, 1,810 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Great Allegheny Passage — 23.3 mi