Rachel Carson Trail

The 45.7- mile Rachel Carson Trail travels through mostly private land in northern Allegheny County, through suburban districts to the north and northeast of Pittsburgh. It was built by the Pittsburgh Council of American Youth Hostels in 1972–73. The trail passes near the birthplace of influential environmentalist Rachel Carson and is named in her honor. The route follows a salvaged portion of Baker Trail (see the Long-Distance Trails chapter), which originally started in Pittsburgh and went north to Allegheny National Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania. Part of that original trail in the northern Pittsburgh metro area was cut off by development and then added to the route of the Rachel Carson Trail. This trail has since suffered significant development pressures of its own, resulting in several recent trail relocations. At the time of this writing, the entire route is open.

The yellow-blazed Rachel Carson Trail leads you through a green suburban landscape skirting residential areas and farms, crossing several streams (without footbridges), traversing open fields and woods, and occasionally following steep bluffs. Some areas are surprisingly rugged for the suburban setting. The southwestern end of the trail is at North Park, the northeastern end is at Harrison Hills Park, and the trail traverses several other county parks in between. Spur trails lead to Hartwood Acres (see separate entry below) and the Rachel Carson Homestead. There are no shelters or feasible camping areas along the trail, and it is meant to be day-hiked in sections.

Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy has published a hikers guide to the trail, and it is strongly recommended that anyone planning to hike the trail have a copy because of special instructions for parking and crossing private land.  The point-by-point guidebook (2021) can be ordered from the conservancy website. 

Other resources:
►Rachel Carson Trail "Home" Page