Tuscarora Trail
The 252-mile (406 km) Tuscarora Trail is a long distance trail in the Ridge and Valley Appalachians that passes through the US states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.[1] In the south, the Tuscarora begins at a junction with the Appalachian Trail (AT) near Mathews Arm Campground, 0.4-mile (0.64 km) south of the AT's crossing of Skyline Drive at MP 21.1 in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. In the north, it rejoins the Appalachian Trail at the top of Blue Mountain just west of the Susquehanna River and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,[2] creating a 435 mi (700.1 km) circuit known as the Tuscalachian Loop.[3] The Tuscarora Trail was built as an alternative parallel route for the Appalachian Trail.[2] It was built farther west, in a more wild corridor, because it was feared that development would force closure of the AT, before passage of the National Scenic Trails Act of 1968.[1][4]
| Tuscarora Trail | |
|---|---|
 Northern terminus of the Tuscarora Trail | |
| Length | 252 mi (406 km) |
| Location | Eastern United States |
| Trailheads | South: Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia 38°17′34″N 78°40′45″W North: Appalachian Trail near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 40°17′39.9″N 77°5′26.9″W |
| Use | Hiking |
| Elevation | |
| Elevation change | 3,060 ft (930 m) |
| Highest point | Southern trailhead, Shenandoah National Park, 3,440 ft (1,050 m) |
| Lowest point | Potomac River, C&O Canal National Historical Park, 380 ft (120 m) |
| Hiking details | |
| Trail difficulty | Strenuous |
| Sights | Overall Run Waterfall (SNP) |
| Hazards | Severe Weather |
| Website | hikethetuscarora.org |
Trail Sections
The Tuscarora trail is divided into 22 sections with section 1 being at the northern terminus of the trail (the top of Blue Mountain) and section 22 being at the souther terminus of the trail (the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park).
| Section | Length | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | 12 miles (19 km) | Sterretts Gap |
| Section 2 | 13.2 miles (21.2 km) | Flat Rock |
| Section 3 | 8.1 miles (13.0 km) | Blue Mountain |
| Section 4 | 8 miles (13 km) | Amberson Ridge |
| Section 5 | 10.4 miles (16.7 km) | Knob Mountain |
| Section 6 | 15.7 miles (25.3 km) | Cowans Gap |
| Section 7 | 9.6 miles (15.4 km) | Tuscarora Summit |
| Section 8 | 13.9 miles (22.4 km) | The Lockings |
| Section 9 | 9 miles (14 km) | Licking Creek |
| Section 10 | 7.9 miles (12.7 km) | C&O Canal |
| Section 11 | 9.8 miles (15.8 km) | Potomac |
| Section 12 | 18.2 miles (29.3 km) | Sleepy Creek |
| Section 13 | 12.4 miles (20.0 km) | Shockeys Knob |
| Section 14 | 11.1 miles (17.9 km) | Gainesboro |
| Section 15 | 10.4 miles (16.7 km) | Devils Backbone |
| Section 16 | 7.8 miles (12.6 km) | Capon Springs |
| Section 17 | 11.2 miles (18.0 km) | County Line |
| Section 18 | 15.7 miles (25.3 km) | Sugar Knob |
| Section 19 | 6.1 miles (9.8 km) | Fetzer Gap |
| Section 20 | 13.5 miles (21.7 km) | Massanutten West |
| Section 21 | 15 miles (24 km) | Massanutten East |
| Section 22 | 7.6 miles (12.2 km) | Mathews Arm |
History
The Tuscarora Trail was originally built as two separate trails: the 142 mi (228.5 km) Big Blue Trail in Virginia and West Virginia, and the 110 mi (177.0 km) Tuscarora Trail in Pennsylvania and Maryland.[6]
Throughout most of the 1960s a number of sections of the Appalachian Trail were in danger of being closed by commercial land owners. To ensure the trail's continuity, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy began to consider alternative routes that could be used to bypass those sections which appeared to be threatened, with the goal of maximizing public land usage. Work began on the Big Blue Trail in 1967, just one year before the Appalachian Trail received protected status. Though a continuous footpath was now assured, the Keystone Trails Association and the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club decided to complete both trails for use as AT spur trails.[1]
By the 1980s, much of the trail in Pennsylvania had been closed due to a gypsy moth onslaught that had killed much of the surrounding oak forest. The trail became overgrown with brambles, briars and other vegetation to become impassable. The trail has since been re-opened and is now maintained by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.[7][8]
Today the Tuscarora Trail is an official side-trail of the Appalachian Trail and is blazed in blue.
The Tuscarora will eventually become a component of the Great Eastern Trail, which will extend from Alabama to the Finger Lakes in New York state.
References
Bibliography
- Keystone Trails Association (2008). Pennsylvania Hiking Trails. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3477-6.
- Lupp, Thomas; Brown, Pete (2013). The Tuscarora Trail: A Guide to the North Half in Maryland and Pennsylvania (5th ed.). Vienna, VA: The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. ISBN 978-0-915746-73-6.
- Mitchell, Jeff (2005). Backpacking Pennsylvania. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3180-5.
- Hargan, Jim (2005). The Shenandoah Valley & Mountains of the Virginias, An Explorer's Guide: Includes Virginia's Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains & West Virginia's Alleghenies & New River Region (1st ed.). Countryman Press. ISBN 978-0881505771.
- Schlimmer, E. (2005). Thru Hiker's Guide to America: 25 Incredible Trails You Can Hike in One to Eight Weeks (Thru-Hiker's Handbooks) (1st ed.). International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press. ISBN 978-0071433648.
Citations
- Keystone Trails Association p.3-4
- Lupp p.1
- Mitchell p.82
- "THE NATIONAL TRAILS SYSTEM ACT". National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
- "Hike the Tuscarora". The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. 2017. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
- "Tuscarora Trail". Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
- Lupp p.2-4
- "Tuscarora Trail". Keystone Trails Association. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
External links
- The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
- Gorp Guide
- York Hiking Club page including map
- Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
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