Baker Trail

Overview

The Baker Trail is a 134-mile (217 kilometer) hiking and backpacking trail, following forest paths, old jeep trails, paved roads and dirt roads through woods, farmlands, and along rivers and creeks. The Baker Trail traverses six counties (Armstrong, Jefferson, Clarion, Indiana, Forest, and Westmoreland), is a state-designated hiking trail, and is included on the trails map of Pennsylvania.

Map

Note: The trail route is subject to change; always follow the yellow blazes.

Trail Ethics

At all times while hiking the Baker Trail, please:

• Be courteous to people living along the trail.
• Remember, you are generally on private property.
• Respect the land and its owners. If asked to leave, do so.
• Stay on the trail.
• Do not camp or build fires along the trail except at designated shelters.
• Refrain from bringing dogs and bicycles on the trail.
• Keep off the trail with motorized vehicles.
• Carry out your own trash; help by picking up others’ litter.
• Recognize your limitations and your assumed risk. The Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy and the landowners want you to enjoy your hike; neither will take responsibility for personal injury or losses while using the trail.

Trail Alerts

• A detour is in place between SGL 74 and Summerville Drive in Clarion County. Southbound: do not turn right onto Summerville Drive; instead continue 0.5 miles on Work Drive and bear right on the next road (Frozen Toe Road) and follow it for 2.0 miles and resume following the blazes along the road. Northbound: do not turn left off Frozen Toe Road into the woods; instead continue on Frozen Toe Road for 2.0 miles to Work Drive, turn left and in 0.5 miles pass the Summerville Drive intersection and resume following the blazes along the road. This detour bypasses about 4 miles of trail. (21 September 2024)
• The trail between the southern terminus and the Kiski bridge in Westmoreland County is closed. A new location for the southern terminus has not yet been found. (August 2024)
• The Idaho shelter has been removed and the site is no longer available for camping. (May 2024)
• The trail between Godfrey Road and the south side of the Kiski bridge is closed until Armstrong Trails secures landowner permission to restore the Armstrong Trail along the former rail corridor and across the bridge. (January 2023)
• When parking at the Equestrian Park, please drive very slowly on the entrance driveway. Don't park outside the gate; park inside if the gate can be opened, otherwise park on the road. (Please close the gate behind you when arriving and departing.) The area outside the gate is private property. (January 2023)
• The northern trailhead parking area is closed every year from April 15th to May 31st by request of the landowner for hunting. You can access the trail through the game lands or park at the Route 66 crossing. (September 2020)
• The northern trailhead has been moved 0.5 miles north on Muzette Road to improve parking access and capacity. (6 July 2020)
• The fence around the Atwood shelter can be opened and closed. Additionally the shelter area is behind an electric fence, so be careful unhooking it. (8 August 2018)
• The Coon Creek bridge has been restored to its original position. (5 May 2019)
• The Coon Creek bridge (0.75 miles south of the northern terminus) was washed off its footings during high water and is laying on its side next to the creek. (1 August 2018)
• The trail has been rerouted between Kelly Station Road and Oldfield Drive. It has been moved mostly off Kelly Station Road, along the hill in the woods, and now crosses Taylor Run about 100 feet east of the cable climb. (21 August 2016)
• The Atwood shelter has been fenced off and is not presently accessible. (10 July 2016)
• The Kiski River railroad bridge has been closed to pedestrians for many years, effectively isolating the southern two miles of the trail.

Trail Condition

Presently the trail needs work in some areas. Volunteer work crews address problem areas in the spring. If you encounter any difficulties with trail conditions, blazing, or landowners, please email us at info@rachelcarsontrails.org.

Trail Guide

Currently, there are seven campsites with open-front Adirondack shelters located on side trails. There are no signs pointing to the shelters, so they must be located by consulting the Baker Trail guide. The guide includes a trail history, parking locations, information about campgrounds, grocery stores and restaurants near the trail, suggested hikes, topographic maps, an elevation profile, and more. The guide may be ordered at our store.

Trailhead Directions

• Southern trailhead (map)

  From Pittsburgh, take Route 28 to exit 17 (Route 356). At the bottom of the ramp, turn south onto Route 356 towards Freeport. Stay on Route 356 across the Freeport Bridge over the Allegheny River. Immediately across the river, look for the first road to the right. Signs at the turn indicate that this is the River Forest Country Club. Turn right on River Landing Drive and park anywhere along the road up or down the hill. Leave your vehicle and head back to Route 356. Follow Route 356 uphill, away from the river. Be careful as you walk along Route 356 as traffic moves very quickly. About 250 yards up the hill you will see a brown and yellow Baker Trail sign on the side of the road directing you into the woods. This is the southern trailhead.

  From northwest/southwest, take I79 to Exit 99 (Route 422). Turn east on Route 422 and pass through Moraine State Park. Continue east on Route 422 through the city of Butler, PA. Continue East on Route 422 until it intersects Route 28 near Kittanning, PA. Follow signs onto Route 28 south towards Pittsburgh. Leave Route 28 at exit 17 (Route 356). Follow the directions above to the trail head.

  From the turnpike, exit at interchange 48 Allegheny Valley. After the tollbooth, bear right toward Freeport Road/Pittsburgh. Turn right onto Route 910 and follow the signs onto Route 28 north. Follow the directions above to the trail head.

• Northern trailhead (map)

  From Pittsburgh/southwest, take Route 28 north to New Bethlehem, then take Route 66 north to I80/66. Take I80/66 west to exit 60. From here, follow the directions below.

  From the North/East/West, take I80 to exit 60 (Route 66) north. Follow Route 66 north approximately 20 miles to the small town of Vowinckel. Turn left onto McDonald Drive (across from the Vowinckel Hotel). and follow it north across the Clarion/Forest county line where McDonald Dr. changes its name to Muzette Road. In about 4.0 miles, turn right into the parking area where you'll see the wooden Baker Trail sign.

North Country Trail

The North Country Trail (NCT) is the longest in the National Trails System, stretching 4,600 miles between the middle of North Dakota and the Vermont border of New York. The NCT utilizes about 15 miles of the Baker Trail footpath, in and around Cook Forest State Park.

History

The Baker Trail was established in 1950 and named for the late Pittsburgh attorney Horace Forbes Baker, who was instrumental in the re-establishment of the Pittsburgh Council of the American Youth Hostels after World War II. The trail originally extended from Aspinwall to Cook Forest State Park (133 miles). However, extensive development along the Allegheny River caused the Aspinwall-Freeport section to be abandoned. In 1971, the trail was extended northward from Cook Forest Fire Tower to near the Allegheny National Forest, making the trail 133 miles long. A more detailed history from 1976 is here.

Articles

• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: First Person / Hiking the Baker Trail
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Hitting the Trails: An adventure-in-waiting on the Baker Trail

Archive Dustoff

Here are some interesting letters and documents from the Baker Trail archive.

• A 1973 trip report by Robert Beck of Chalfont, PA (410kB, PDF)
• A 1969 letter by Paul Smith of Beach City, OH about some family-related history along the trail (76kB, PDF)

Trail Stewards

These are the volunteers who have adopted and committed to maintain a section of the trail: