Length 80 mi (129 km) Trail difficulty Moderate to Strenuous | Use Hiking Season Spring to fall | |
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Location Fulton / Mifflin / Huntingdon counties, Pennsylvania, USA Trailheads North: Greenwood Furnace State Park near McAlevys Fort, Pennsylvania
South: Tuscarora Trail in Buchanan State Forest | ||
The Standing Stone Trail (SST) is an 80-mile (130 km) long main trail network with side trails located in the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians of Central Pennsylvania. The SST was known as the Link Trail, commemorating its connection from the Mid State Trail to the Tuscarora Trail, until its name was changed in January 2007. In 2006, the SST (then the Link Trail) was announced as part of the Great Eastern Trail network of footpaths intended to extend from Alabama to New York state.
Contents
Map of Standing Stone Trail, Belleville, PA 17004, USA
The northern terminus of the trail is at Greenwood Furnace State Park near McAlevys Fort, Pennsylvania. From here, the Greenwood Spur hiking trail connects the SST to the Mid State Trail. The southern end is a junction with the Tuscarora Trail in Buchanan State Forest near Cowans Gap State Park. The SST uses both public (state park, state forest, state game land) and private lands.
The Standing Stone Trail has many views offered by its placement on narrow ridges, and interesting cultural remnants such as Thousand Steps near Mapleton, Pennsylvania.
Marking
The main trail is marked with rectangular orange blazes. Blue blazes are used to mark other trails. The Standing Stone Trail club marks the trail with single rectangles and two rectangles to denote turns.
Hazards
While black bears, bobcats and rattlesnakes can present dangers, it is only if one is foolish or very unlucky. When bears and people cross paths in the wild, usually the bear just wishes to leave the area. Very rarely will a bear act hostile towards people. (See Bear danger).
The common rattlesnake of Pennsylvania, the timber rattler (Crotalus horridus), has venom of a medium potency that can cause painful injuries but is rarely lethal. Administering proper first aid, keeping calm and quickly receiving medical attention is the best response to a bite.