Goal Training Hikes
Rachel Carson Trail Challenge - Saturday June 24, 2023
This series of training hikes is intended to prepare you to take on the Challenge on Saturday June 24. These hikes not only help you build your endurance, but they also allow you to field test your gear. Your new shoes or pants may seem fine on your ten mile hikes, but only when you approach 20 miles over hilly terrain do previously imperceptible problems become incapacitating.
- Everyone is welcome on these hikes; you do not need to be entered into the Challenge to participate.
- These hikes are strenuous. The objective is to train you to be able to complete the Challenge within the allotted time, so leaders will be maintaining an average pace of about 2.4 miles per hour, or a little over 25 minutes per mile.
- There's no need to notify the hike leader of your plan to attend. Simply show up on time.
- Please bring at least a quart of water (more if the temperature will be warm) and some energy snacks (e.g. Powerbar).
- Minimum unaccompanied age is 12.
- We will meet at the hike end point and carpool to the start point, leaving a sufficient number of cars behind to carry people back to the start when the hike is over.
- Although dogs are wonderful, please don't bring them on these hikes.
- All hikes meet at 8 AM. Plan for later hikes to take up to nine hours (including sign-in, announcements, car shuttling, and so forth).
- The hikes are free. A suggested donation of $3 per person may be given to the hike leader on the day of the hike.
| Sunday April 23 Harrison Hills Park Bobwhite to Bull Creek Road | 7.4 miles 02:59 duration | Climbing 1538 ft Descending 1770 ft | |
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| We begin in Harrison Hills Park at the start point of the Challenge and meander through the park. Then we climb, and soon hit Burtner Hill, one of the more infamous hills on the Trail. A nice view of the Bull Creek valley appears before a steep descent to the finish. | Meet at the Bobwhite Shelter in Harrison Hills Park. Take Route 28 to exit 16, turn east (right if exiting northbound) at the end of the ramp, then right again at the T-intersection with Freeport Road. The park is about one mile down on the left. Take the left fork of the Park entrance road and follow it 1/2 mile to the shelter parking lot on the right at the Bluejay sign. Map | ||
| Sunday April 30 Freeport Road to Emmerling Park | 9.1 miles 03:29 duration | Climbing 1975 ft Descending 1914 ft | |
| Starting near the Springdale Veterans Association Hall in Springdale, we get in some road hiking and then come the hills, including Log Cabin hill, Lefever Hill, and Rich Hill. We finish in Emmerling Park. | Meet at the Springdale Veterans Association Hall parking lot in Springdale. Take Route 28 to Exit #12A (Pittsburgh Mills). At the end of the ramp, turn away from the mall on the main entrance road, then turn left onto Tawney Run Road. After about 1/2 mile turn right on Riddle Run Road. Follow this road until it ends at Freeport Road and turn right. The Springdale Veterans Association Hall entrance will be on your right in about 1/4 mile. Park on the right side of the building, on the gravel portion of the lot. Map | ||
| Sunday May 7 Bull Creek Road to Freeport Road | 9.4 miles 04:09 duration | Climbing 2591 ft Descending 2630 ft | |
| On this hike we start at the Bull Creek Road checkpoint location in Tarentum and quickly encounter a steep uphill climb followed by even steeper ups and downs - including Crawford Run hill and Murray Hill. We pass through Agan Park and end in Springdale. | Meet at the parking area at the intersection of Bull Creek Road and Ridge Road. Take Route 28 to Exit #14 (Tarentum). Turn north on Bull Creek Road for a very short distance, turn right on Ridge Road, then immediately turn into the parking area on the right. Map | ||
| Sunday May 14 Log Cabin Road to North Park Harmar | 14.5 miles 05:36 duration | Climbing 2966 ft Descending 2612 ft | |
| This hike begins at the Log Cabin Road checkpoint location and covers Lefever Hill and Rich Hill. We'll glide through Emmerling Park, then through Hampton and Crouse Run and into North Park, ending at the Harmar Shelter, the endpoint for the Challenge. | Meet at the Log Cabin Road parking area. Take Route 28 to Exit #12. Turn right at the end of the ramp, then right at the stop sign onto Little Deer Creek Road (aka Russellton Road). Travel about 1.5 miles and turn right on Log Cabin Road. Park about 100 yards ahead on the right. Map | ||
| Sunday May 21 Eastern Terminus to Crawford Run Road | 13.5 miles 05:37 duration | Climbing 3153 ft Descending 3557 ft | |
| This hike starts at the eastern terminus of the Rachel Carson Trail, a part of the trail which Challengers never see. We'll hike through Harrison Hills Park, past the Bobwhite Shelter, then over Burtner Hill and down Crawford Run hill to Creighton. | Meet at the parking area across Freeport Road from the eastern terminus. From Pittsburgh/northeast, take Route 28 to exit 16, turn east (right if exiting northbound) at the end of the ramp onto Millerstown Road and follow it to the traffic light at the T intersection with Freeport Road. There is a parking area on the left at this intersection. | ||
| Sunday May 28 Crawford Run Road to Emmerling Park | 13.9 miles 05:43 duration | Climbing 3188 ft Descending 3108 ft | |
| We start in Creighton and head west where we'll encounter a plethora of hills: impressively steep Murray Hill, Agan Park, Log Cabin hill, Lefever Hill, and Rich Hill. Then we'll end in Emmerling Park. | Meet at the parking area off Crawford Run Road in Creighton. Take Route 28 to Exit #13. At the bottom of the ramp, turn right and in about 30 feet turn right again into a gravel parking lot surrounded by a low chainlink fence. Map | ||
| Sunday June 4 Freeport Road to North Park Harmar | 19.6 miles 07:39 duration | Climbing 3930 ft Descending 3501 ft | |
| On this hike we'll cover the second half of this year's Challenge course. Starting in Springdale near the Springdale Veterans Association Hall, we'll hike through Springdale then hit Log Cabin Hill, Lefever Hill, and Rich Hill. Then we'll stick the landing in North Park. | Meet at the Springdale Veterans Association Hall parking lot in Springdale. Take Route 28 to Exit #12A (Pittsburgh Mills). At the end of the ramp, turn away from the mall on the main entrance road, then turn left onto Tawney Run Road. After about 1/2 mile turn right on Riddle Run Road. Follow this road until it ends at Freeport Road and turn right. The Springdale Veterans Association Hall entrance will be on your right in about 1/4 mile. Park on the right side of the building, on the gravel portion of the lot. Map | ||
| Sunday June 11 Harrison Hills Park Bobwhite to Log Cabin Road | 21.9 miles 09:10 duration | Climbing 5070 ft Descending 5266 ft | |
| This hike was specifically chosen to be the final, longest and most difficult hike prior to the Challenge. We begin at the Bobwhite Shelter in Harrison Hills Park and wind through the park. Once outside the park, we pass through a horse farm, then up and down hills - including Burtner hill, Crawford Run hill, Murray hill, and Log Cabin hill. We end at the Log Cabin Road checkpoint location. | Meet at the Bobwhite Shelter in Harrison Hills Park. Take Route 28 to exit 16, turn east (right if exiting northbound) at the end of the ramp, then right again at the T-intersection with Freeport Road. The park is about one mile down on the left. Take the left fork of the Park entrance road and follow it 1/2 mile to the shelter parking lot on the right at the Bluejay sign. Map | ||