Goal Training Hikes

This series of training hikes is intended to prepare you to take on the Challenge on Saturday June 20. These hikes not only help you build your endurance, but they also allow you to field test your gear. Your new shoes or pants may seem fine on your ten mile hikes, but only when you approach 20 miles over hilly terrain do previously imperceptible problems become incapacitating.

Any date Harrison Hills Park Bobwhite to Bull Creek Road	Leader: Jeff Sarabok 724-816-3824	7.3 miles 02:47 duration	Climbing 1444 ft Descending 1676 ft
Starting near the Springdale Veterans Association Hall in Springdale, we get in some road hiking and then come the hills, including Log Cabin hill, Lefever Hill, and Rich Hill. We finish in Emmerling Park.		Meet at the Emmerling Park lot. Directions: Take Route 28 to Exit #11 and follow Route 910 (Yellow Belt) west about 4 miles and turn right on Cove Run Road. Travel about 0.5 mile to park entrance on the right. Map
Any date Bull Creek Road to Freeport Road		8.9 miles 03:52 duration	Climbing 2407 ft Descending 2450 ft
On this hike we start at the Bull Creek Road checkpoint location in Tarentum and quickly encounter a steep uphill climb followed by even steeper ups and downs - including Crawford Run hill and Murray Hill. We pass through Agan Park and end in Springdale.		Meet at the Springdale Veterans Association Hall parking lot in Springdale. Directions: Take Route 28 to Exit #11 (Harmarville). After exiting onto Route 910 head towards Harmarville, turn left at the third traffic light onto Freeport Road and travel about 4 miles through 9 more traffic lights. The Springdale Veterans Association Hall entrance will be on your left just past the last light. Park on the far side of the lot. Map
Any date Crawford Run Road to Emmerling Park		12.8 miles 05:20 duration	Climbing 2807 ft Descending 2728 ft
We start near the Sheetz in Creighton and head west where we'll encounter a plethora of hills: impressively steep Murray Hill, Agan Park, Log Cabin hill, Lefever Hill, and Rich Hill. Then we'll end in Emmerling Park.		Meet at the Emmerling Park lot. Directions: Take Route 28 to Exit #11 and follow Route 910 (Yellow Belt) west about 4 miles and turn right on Cove Run Road. Travel about 0.5 mile to park entrance on the right. Map
Any date Log Cabin Road to North Park Harmar	Leader: Doug MacPhail 412-606-5998	14.3 miles 05:48 duration	Climbing 2962 ft Descending 2622 ft
This hike begins at the Log Cabin Road checkpoint location and covers Lefever Hill and Rich Hill. We'll glide through Emmerling Park, then through Hampton and Crouse Run and into North Park, ending at the Harmar Shelter, the endpoint for the Challenge.		Meet at the Harmar Shelter in North Park. Directions: Take I279 north to the McKnight Road exit and travel 6.4 miles north. Take the North Park/Ingomar Rd. exit east and turn right at the third traffic light onto Babcock Blvd., then take the next left onto Hemlock Drive, then left again into the swimming pool lot. Follow the perimeter drive all the way back and bear right. The Harmar Shelter is ahead on the left, behind the guardrail. Map
Any date Eastern Terminus to Crawford Run Road		14.1 miles 06:01 duration	Climbing 3201 ft Descending 3604 ft
This hike starts at the eastern terminus of the Rachel Carson Trail, a part of the trail which Challengers never see. We'll hike through Harrison Hills Park, past the Bobwhite Shelter, then over Burtner Hill and down Crawford Run hill to Creighton.		Meet at the parking area behind Sheetz in Creighton. Take Route 28 to Exit #13. At the bottom of the ramp, turn right and in about 30 feet turn right again into a gravel parking lot surrounded by a low chainlink fence. Map
Any date Freeport Road to North Park Harmar	Leader: Doug MacPhail 412-606-5998	18.9 miles 07:47 duration	Climbing 3763 ft Descending 3346 ft
On this hike we'll cover the second half of this year's Challenge course. Starting in Springdale near the Springdale Veterans Association Hall, we'll hike through Springdale then hit Log Cabin Hill, Lefever Hill, and Rich Hill. Then we'll stick the landing in North Park.		Meet at the Harmar Shelter in North Park. Directions: Take I279 north to the McKnight Road exit and travel 6.4 miles north. Take the North Park/Ingomar Rd. exit east and turn right at the third traffic light onto Babcock Blvd., then take the next left onto Hemlock Drive, then left again into the swimming pool lot. Follow the perimeter drive all the way back and bear right. The Harmar Shelter is ahead on the left, behind the guardrail. Map
Any date Harrison Hills Park Bobwhite to Log Cabin Road	Leader: Doug MacPhail 412-606-5998	20.8 miles 08:56 duration	Climbing 4648 ft Descending 4844 ft
This hike was specifically chosen to be the final, longest and most difficult hike prior to the Challenge. We begin at the Bobwhite Shelter in Harrison Hills Park and wind through the park. Once outside the park, we pass through a horse farm, then up and down hills - including Burtner hill, Crawford Run hill, Murray hill, and Log Cabin hill. We end at the Log Cabin Road checkpoint location.		Meet at the Log Cabin Road parking area. Take Route 28 to Exit #12. Turn right at the end of the ramp, then right at the stop sign onto Little Deer Creek Road (aka Russellton Road). Travel about 1.5 miles and turn right on Log Cabin Road. Park about 100 yards ahead on the right. Map