create account login
|
Welcome to budget-travels-tips.com create account login |
|
Charles F. Lewis Natural Area
A steep climb over some very scenic terrain. After you pull into the parking area you will find a post with a map of the hike. You have two option, first is the Rager Mountain Trail, or its cutoff the Clark's Run Trail. Both start by climbing up Rager Mountain and returns to this same parking lot. The hike starts and ends as you leave the picnic area next to the parking area. You proceed along Clark's Run and see many different small water falls. This is the nicest part of the hike, a joy to watch the water flow down Clark's Run. Watch for snakes and other cold blooded animals. They are protected in the Natural Area by order of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission. Under Pennsylvania Law, the Fish Commission has jurisdiction over cold blooded animals. i.e. salamanders, frogs, toads and snakes. The Game Commission has jurisdiction over Warm blooded animals. Thus under Pennsylvania Law one needs a fishing license to collect these animals not a hunting license. The first part of this trail is the hardest. After about one and half miles the grade starts to decline and you have two options, first is to go left on the access road for the power lines that cross the Conemaugh Gorge. This is the "Clark Run Trail". It is a cut off of the larger "Rager Mountain Trail". The access road is for the power lines that crosses the Conemaugh River Gorge. If you go left along the Access Road you will re-connect with the "Rager Mountain Trail" as it returns to the Parking Area. If you go right watch for the markings to continue up Rager Mountain. The climb will become steeper, but not as steep as the first part. When you arrive at the Power Line you are near the top of the trail. This is one of the better views of the Conemaugh River Gorge. Watch for the marking for the trail. One is on the base of the Power Line, but I have missed the next making as the trail re-enter the Forest on the other side of the Power Lines. If you are using "Fifty Trails in Western Pennsylvania" the Author mentions a "Mysterious (not shown on any map) red Blazed trail takes off to the left". This is NOT a trail, but the border for the "Charles E. Lewis Natural Area". You are leaving the Natural Area and entering Pennsylvania State Forest Lands. You will climb along the top of Rager Mountain for while, and have many views of the Conemaugh River Gap, the Deepest River Gap in the Eastern United States. You will pass numerous rock outcropping. The trial than turns to your left across a flat area with the remains of an old Charcoal beehive oven. The trail than crossing another road (Do not take it as a short cut, I did and was throughly lost, the trail does not re-cross the road. The road is an access line for the forest service for its purposes, do not try to use it for anything else). After you cross the access road you will continue to climb. It is a gradual climb compare to the earlier parts of the hike, but through some nice forest. You will finally re-cross the Power Lines. Stay on the path and you will cross the Access Road for the Power Lines mentioned earlier, and rejoin the Clark Run Trail. This brings you to my favorite part of the trail as you step from rock to rock. This is a large area of stone outcroppings and one must be careful. If one wants to, one can climb the nearby large rock outcropping. As you leave the rocks you enter a short area of flat ground, enjoy it, it will not last long. You will than proceed down the steep hillsides to an old road way opposite Clark's Run from the Parking Area. Please be careful, I once ran across what I believe to be a 400 pound black bear in this location. I believe he is still living in the hollow created when Pa 403 was built. The hollow is right next to the Parking Area and the Bear probably uses the tunnel built to carry Clark's Run under PA 403 to access the Conemaugh River. When I ran across the bear it was dusk, he ran the other direction, but be careful on this hike. On that particular day that was the Second Bear I ran across on my hike of this trail. Unless you come across the bear (if you do turn Right and walk to Pa 403 which will take you to the parking area) turn left when you arrive on the old road bed. If you look carefully you can still see evidence of asphalt on this road bed and it leads to two large concrete pilings. Up Clark Run you can see the remains of an old 19th century dam, but these Concrete structures are probably the remains of the old road to Johnstown. Now present Pennsylvania 403 was built in the 1920s, so these structures had to be abandoned at that time. Constructed in the 1880s? The 1880s saw an improvements in roads, so these are part of that earlier effort to improve highways in the Alleghenys Mountains, and like many efforts have now been abandoned. As you pass the concrete structure you come to Clark run, Cross the Clark's Run and return to the parking area. I have hiked this trail in three hours, I would recommend planing on four, through "Fifty Hikes" says 3 ½ hours.
Directions to Hike
Contact Information
 submit a new trail review
About Our ReviewsMany people ask us to recommend a place to go hiking. Instead of us deciding what places are best, we let the backpacking community help out. The reviews on budget-travels-tips.com have been submitted by our viewers. Some reviews are positive and some are negative. If you don't agree with a review, feel free to submit your own trail review.
|
SearchReady to Buy Gear?Sponsored Links
Great Outdoor Sites |
||||||||
