Tuscarora Trail
| Tuscarora Trail | |
|---|---|
Northern terminus of the Tuscarora Trail
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| Length | 252 mi (406 km) |
| Location | Eastern United States |
| Trailheads | South: Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. North: Appalachian Trail near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Use | Hiking |
| Elevation | |
| Elevation change | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). |
| Highest point | Southern trailhead, Shenandoah National Park, Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). |
| Lowest point | Potomac River, C&O Canal National Historical Park, Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). |
| Hiking details | |
| Trail difficulty | Strenuous |
| Sights | Overall Run Waterfall (SNP) |
| Hazards | Severe Weather |
The Tuscarora Trail is a 252-mile (406 km) long bypass route of the Appalachian Trail that passes through the US states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.[1] In the south, the Tuscarora begins where the Appalachian Trail intersects Skyline Drive 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 (including the Big Blue section) 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]
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.[5]
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.[6][7]
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.
See also
References
Bibliography
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Citations
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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