Rachel Carson Trail Challenge

Overview

The twenty-eighth annual Rachel Carson Trail Challenge will take place on June 21, 2025, the Saturday of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The Challenge is a 37-mile long, one-day, sunrise to sunset endurance hike on nearly the entire rugged Rachel Carson Trail. Unlike a footrace, the "challenge" is not to win, but to endure, to finish the hike in one day. This time, the Challenge starts in Harrison Hills Park at sunrise and ends 37 miles later in North Park. The deadline for finishing is sunset, 8:54 PM or 15 hours 4 minutes, whichever comes first.

If 37 miles sounds too daunting, we offer two shorter events that same day. The first is the Homestead Challenge, an 18-mile hike from near the Rachel Carson Homestead. The second is a 7-mile Friends & Family Challenge from Hartwood Acres Park. All events finish in North Park.

The Course

The Challenge has two dimensions: the first is to endure mile upon mile of tortuous hill climbing and descent in unpredictable weather conditions; the second is to stay on the trail without getting lost. Obviously, those who have hiked the trail before will have some advantage in maintaining the proper route. (Training hikes covering various sections and the entire trail are held beforehand).

The Rachel Carson Trail is a "primitive" trail in the sense that no special grading or surfacing materials are used. While the trail is blazed with yellow blazes, there will be an occasional missing blaze where a tree has fallen or when you are following a logging road, a power line or gas line; there will be blow downs, washouts, poison ivy, nettles, bugs, loose gravel and rocks, gullies, and wet stream crossings. There are no switchbacks on the trail; all hills — some are quite steep — are traversed directly up and down. You must be prepared to expect the unexpected and think the unthinkable. The better hiker you are, the better you will do on the Challenge.

All hikers will be given a course guide to assist them on their journey. There will be four checkpoints throughout the hike, offering water, Gatorade, various snacks, and basic first aid. Hikers are expected to carry all their own gear and necessities, including snacks, water, first aid and raingear.

The Challenge entry fee includes a t-shirt, shuttle bus, checkpoint support, cookout, and a course guide. The shuttle bus is available to take participants from the finish to check-in just before sunrise, and again later in the afternoon to take those finishers who parked at the start back to their vehicles.

Registration

The registration process for the 2025 Challenge will open on March 1, 2025.

Volunteers

The Challenge needs volunteers on Challenge Day! We will need people throughout the day, from morning registration to checkpoints and sweeps along the trail to the finish. People can volunteer for as few as two hours. If you'd like to help out, review the Volunteer Roles and Responsibilities and sign up!

Forum

Discuss, comment on, or ask questions about the Challenge on the Conservancy Facebook page.

Past Events

• 2024 Challenge: "Withering Heat Bests Hikers" | Images | Split Times
• 2023 Challenge: "Boomers Keep Booming" | Images | Split Times
• 2022 Challenge: "Where's the Heat?" | Images | Split Times
• 2021 Challenge: "There Are Limits, and Then There Are Limits" | Images | Split Times
• 2020 Challenge: Not held (pandemic)
• 2019 Challenge: "A Decade of Mud" | Images | Split Times
• 2018 Challenge: "Discomfort Zone" | Images | Split Times
• 2017 Challenge: "A Mini Mudfest" | Images | Split Times
• 2016 Challenge: "A Typical Challenge" | Images | Split Times
• 2015 Challenge: "A Mudfest for the Ages" | Images | Split Times
• 2014 Challenge: "The Challenge Yin and Yang" | Images | Split Times
• 2013 Challenge: "The Suffering Will End" | Images | Split Times
• 2012 Challenge: "It's a Test" | Images | Split Times
• 2011 Challenge: "It's a Personal Journey" | Images | Split Times
• 2010 Challenge: "Down a Notch" | Images | Split Times
• 2009 Challenge: "Rain and Shine" | Images | Split Times
• 2008 Challenge: "Just An Adventure" | Images | Split Times
• 2007 Challenge: "An Amazing Day" | Images | Split Times
• 2006 Challenge: "And miles to go before I sleep" | Images | Split Times
• 2005 Challenge: "The Many Paths to the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge" | Letters | Images | Split Times
• 2004 Challenge: "The Slip 'n Slide" | Letters | Images | Split Times
• 2003 Challenge: "Mudapalooza '03" | Letters | Images | Split Times
• 2002 Challenge: "Hikers Finally Conquer the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge" | Images | Split Times
• 2001 Challenge: "Mud Pie Challenge" | Images | Split Times
• 2000 Challenge: "Whew...! How I learned to love/hate the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge" | Letters | Images | Split Times
• 1999 Challenge: "The Sky Was Blue" | Split Times
• 1998 Challenge: Not held
• 1997 Challenge: "Rachel 50, Hikers 27" | Finishers
• 1996 Challenge: "... And Then There Were Five" | Finishers

Other similar events

• Wilmington Trail Club: Brandywine Trail End-To-End Hike, 28 miles
• Sierra Club: C&O Canal One Day Hike, up to 62.5 miles
• SATC: Iron Masters Challenge, 26.6 miles
• KTA: Susquehanna Super Hike, 26 miles

Articles

• Valley News-Dispatch: "Rachel Carson Trail serves up adversity, accomplishment"
• Valley News-Dispatch: "'So satisfying': Grueling Rachel Carson Trail Challenge entices hikers"
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "How hikers prepare for grueling 36-mile Rachel Carson Trail Challenge"
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "This father-son duo are The Rachel Carson Trail Challenge's top two finishers"
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "The Rachel Carson Trail Challenge is 36 miles long and 25 years old"
• North Hills Monthly: "Hardcore Hikers Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge"
• Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "For 1st time, woman crosses finish line first at 36-mile Rachel Carson Trail Challenge"
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Rachel Carson Trail Challenge marks its 20th year"
• Valley News-Dispatch: "Family finds bond in hiking Rachel Carson Trail Challenge"
• Valley News-Dispatch: "Hikers come looking for a challenge"
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Hot on the trail, the hills are alive"
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "And miles to go before I sleep ..."
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Rachel Carson Trail hike offers challenge"
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Looking for a challenge? Try 34-mile Rachel Carson Trail hike"
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "The Rachel Carson Trail is 34 miles of tough terrain and natural beauty"
• Associated Press: "Hiking Has Special Training Needs"
• The Walking Site: "How to Prevent Chafing and Blisters"
• Poison Ivy: What it looks like
• NPR: "Paper tape may help prevent blisters"

West-to-East Elevation Profile of the Challenge