Gifford Pinchot State Park

Hiking

18 miles of trails

There are more than 18 miles of marked and maintained trails at Gifford Pinchot State Park. Most trails interconnect to allow hikers to tailor their outing to meet their individual desires.

The park is open to hunting. Information on hunting seasons is available at the park office. For your safety, wear orange.

Gifford Pinchot State Park Map

Trail Blaze Colors

Yellow blazes mark hiking only trails
Red blazes mark hiking trails that are shared-use trails with mountain bike riding or horseback riding
Mason Dixon Trail is marked with a blue blaze

Trail Definitions

Difficulty Ratings

Easiest -- For beginner trail users. Grade is gentle with few obstacles.
More Difficult -- For the majority of trail users. Grade is steeper and trails narrower with embedded rocks or roots on the trail surface.
Most Difficult -- For trail users with advanced skills. Grade is steep and provides a definite physical challenge. Routes may not be well marked. Elevation gain or loss is severe.

Trail Route Type

Loop -- Start and end at the same location and follow a single trail to form a loop.
Out-and-back -- Start and end at a trailhead and follow a single trail to an endpoint or specific point of interest, then return along the same route.
Point-to-point -- Trails are generally longer in distance and parks may often contain only a portion of the trail within their boundary. Hiker starts and ends in different locations, often requiring a shuttle.
Connector -- Begin and end in connection with another trail or trails but do not terminate at a trailhead.

Alpine Trail

0.5 mile | Easiest hiking | Connector trail | Red blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking, biking
Trailhead amenities: modern restrooms, picnic tables

This wide, flat trail has a gravel surface. Alpine Trail has an outstanding crop of wildflowers in April and May, with bluebells and marsh marigolds. The trail begins on the east side of Conewago Day Use Area.

Beaver Creek Trail

1.5 miles | Most difficult hiking | Out-and-back trail | Yellow/blue blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking
Trailhead amenities: none

This trail runs between a small parking area off Squire Gratz Road and Mooring Area # 1 in the northwestern corner of the park. The trail meanders through low lying wooded terrain and can be muddy in wet weather. Sections of the trail can also be rocky. Many habitats, including wetlands, can be seen in this undeveloped section of the park.

Equestrian Trail

2.33 miles | Easiest hiking | Connector trail | Red blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking, equestrian
Trailhead amenities: none

This trail has it's own separate equestrian parking area off of Alpine Road. The trail offers a variety of loops and connects to Rosstown Road and Lakeside Trail.

Fern Trail

0.15 mile | More difficult hiking | Connector trail | Yellow blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking
Trailhead amenities: none

This short trail off Lakeside Trail can be reached from near Boat Mooring Area 3. Fern Trail has dirt and rock surfaces and steeper slopes, and winds through the most mature forests in the park. There are many wildflowers under the large oak, hickory, and tulip poplar trees.

Gravel Trail

1.2 miles | Easiest hiking | Connector trail | Red blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking, biking, cross-country skiing recommended
Trailhead amenities: modern restrooms, potable water

This wide trail follows an old road and has a gravel surface. A loop can be made by using part of Lakeside Trail, making a nice trail for hiking, jogging, cross-country skiing, and bicycling. Concrete supports from an old toboggan run can be seen along this trail.

Lakeside Trail

8.5 miles | Most difficult hiking | Loop trail | Yellow/red/blue blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking, biking on designated sections
Trailhead amenities: modern restrooms, potable water, picnic tables, benches

The longest and most scenic trail in the park, Lakeside Trail may be accessed from all major use areas of the park. Walking time is five to six hours. Many parts of the trail are easy walking with gravel surfaces, but some of the remote sections are often wet. Many hikers combine portions of this trail with other trails like Alpine, Gravel, Oak, and Quaker Race to make shorter loops.

Mason-Dixon Trail (National Recreation Trail)

6.8 miles in the park | Most difficult hiking | Point-to-point trail | Blue blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking, backpacking
Trailhead amenities: none

This 200-mile trail system runs through Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The trail has blue blazes and follows portions of Lakeside, Alpine, Pinchot, Ridge, and Beaver Creek trails as it traverses the length of Gifford Pinchot State Park.

The trail enters the park along Conley Road in the east and Squire Gratz Road in the northwest. Through-hikers may only camp at the park campground.

Many hikers combine portions of this trail with other trails like Alpine, Gravel, Oak, and Quaker Race to make shorter loops.

Midland Trail

0.25 mile | More difficult hiking | Connector trail | Yellow/blue blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking
Trailhead amenities: none

This small trail off Lakeside Trail can be reached from near Boat Mooring Area 3. Midland Trail has dirt and rock surfaces and steeper slopes, and winds through the most mature forests in the park. There are many wildflowers under the large oak, hickory, and tulip poplar trees.

Oak Trail

0.4 mile | Easiest hiking | Connector trail | Red blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking, biking
Trailhead amenities: modern restroom, potable water, picnic tables, benches

This short trail connects the campground to the Environmental Learning Center at the western end of the Conewago Day Use Area. The trail is gently rolling and wide with a gravel surface. The trail passes through a maturing oak and hickory forest and past a large diabase rock outcropping near the Environmental Learning Center. This trail connects with Gravel and Lakeside trails.

Old Farm Trail

1.0 mile | Easiest hiking | Connector trail | Yellow blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking, biking
Trailhead amenities: none

This trail runs along the northeastern border of the campground and is a connector between Lakeside, Oak, and Ridge trails. Old Farm Trail follows an old farm road to the top of Straight Hill.

Pinchot Trail

1.4 miles | Most difficult hiking | Connector trail | Yellow blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking, biking
Trailhead amenities: none

Wear good shoes on this trail because the surface can be rocky and wet. The trail begins at the Environmental Learning Center and climbs past a large diabase rock outcropping that once formed the beginning of the long abandoned toboggan run. The trail then crosses Gravel Trail and eventually splits into two branches that connect along the top of Straight Hill to form a loop. The habitat is mostly maturing oak and hickory forest. A number of old stone walls provide reminders of long abandoned efforts at farming.

Quaker Race Trail

1.7 miles | More difficult hiking | Connector trail | Yellow blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking
Trailhead amenities: modern restrooms, picnic tables, benches

This trail is best accessed from the Quaker Race Day Use Area or from the cabin colony for cabin occupants. This trail has a dirt or rocky surface, uneven terrain and one steep but short hill. This trail connects to Lakeside Trail at its end to form a three-mile loop that passes through diverse habitats.

Ridge Trail

1.2 miles | More difficult hiking | Connector trail | Yellow blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking, biking
Trailhead amenities: potable water

This trail begins near the campground entrance where it intersects Lakeside Trail, then meanders through old overgrown pasture, then climbs into a maturing oak and hickory forest along the top of Straight Hill. The trail surface is dirt and can be rocky and there are some wet areas near the campground entrance. Butterflies often congregate near the openings in the forest.