Baker Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features Commonly Backpacked · River/Creek

Although the southern terminus of the trail is designated as being at Rt 356 in Freeport, runners are warned NOT to attempt to follow the trail across the railroad bridge over the Kiskiminetas River. Unfortunately there's not any particularly viable alternative route for foot traffic. When beginning from the south, consider treating the parking area at Godfrey Rd as the southern terminus.

There are nine open/AT-hut-style shelters accessible via spurs off the trail. Unfortunately, there aren't consistent signs/blazes pointing to the shelters, and some are a considerable distance from the blazed trail. (Please contribute/update if you have details on shelter locations and conditions.)

As with other trails in the area, the Baker Trail runs across some private land in addition to public and utility land. The trail occasionally has to be rerouted to accommodate changes in land ownership, etc. When in doubt, always follow the blazes.

The Baker Trail is 130+ miles of running on trails and rural roadways in western Pennsylvania, crossing farms, creeks, and utility right-of-ways through many counties and towns along the way from Allegheny State Forest south to Freeport, PA. It runs concurrently with the North Country Trail for a while in the northern portion.

The trail is home to the "The Baker Trail UltraChallenge", a 50-mile ultra-marathon that runs each year on one of three subsets of the trail. The trail is maintained through work days organized by the Rachel Carson Trail Conservancy, however some overgrown sections do exist and can pose a challenge to runners. It does not appear that the trail is frequently thru-hiked.

As of June 2018, the trail is well-blazed and well-traveled around the Crooked Creek Lake and dam area. This area makes a decent day trip with interesting views.