The Cakewalk

Overview

The Baker Trail Cakewalk is a 14.8-mile hike on the Baker Trail on August 23, concurrent with the Baker Trail UltraChallenge. It begins at the northern terminus at 6:30 AM, after the UltraChallenge runners have started, and ends at the Cook Forest fire tower.

Details

This is a very beautiful and scenic hike! You will park at the Cook Forest fire tower parking lot and ride a shuttle bus to the northern trailhead. Make it family weekend and camp at the Ridge Campground just down the hill from the fire tower. See the Cook Forest web site for details.

The bus will board at 6 AM. You must take the shuttle bus as there is no parking at the trailhead. You will have 7.5 hours to complete the 14.8 mile hike, or about two miles per hour — a cakewalk!

There are two aid stations along the course at mile 7.9 and 11.8 supplying water, Gatorade, and snacks. The station at mile 11.8 also offers flush toilets.

When you reach the fire tower finish, you'll receive a delicious cupcake as a reward. Relax for a while, and be sure to climb the fire tower steps for a lovely view of the surrounding Clarion River valley!

Afterwards, head over to the Brookville YMCA and help cheer in the UltraChallenge runners!

Map

A map of the Cakewalk is here (1.2MB JPEG).

Directions

Use these Google Maps links to get directions to the fire tower and the Bookville YMCA.

Registration

The entry fee is $25 per person and includes the shuttle bus, a t-shirt, and aid station food and drink. To keep the entry fee low, all registration will be done on-site starting at 5:30 AM on Saturday 8/23 at the fire tower parking lot, or Friday evening 8/22 between 5 PM and 8 PM at the YMCA in Brookville. Payment must be made there via cash or check (payable to the "Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy"). To sign up, please email cakewalk@rachelcarsontrails.org or call Steve Mentzer at 412-512-4544.