About the Adventure

About Our Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail Series The 70-mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail is a beautiful, single-track hiking trail that begins in Ohiopyle and ends in Seward, Pennsylvania. Following Laurel Ridge, the trail winds through hemlock groves, mountain streams, and hardwood forests filled with the sights and sounds of wildlife. It is one of the premier hiking trails in the eastern United States and a true gem of the Pennsylvania state parks system. 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail, and the Women's Adventure Club is celebrating by hiking all 70 miles together, one section at a time from May through September. We'd love for you to join us for one hike, a few, or all seven sections! Each hike is one way and requires participation in a self-shuttle. We'll meet at the day's ending trailhead, drop one car, then drive together to the starting point and begin hiking. When we finish, we'll return to pick up the remaining car. It's a simple system that makes point-to-point hiking doable! LHHT Hike #4 Route 30 to Rt. 271 LHHT Miles 45.8–56.8 | Approximately 11.7 Miles Activity Level 4: Strenuous Guide: Lindsay Picking up right where we left off, Hike #4 carries us north from the Route 30 trailhead through some of the quieter, wilder stretches of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail. This section winds through Forbes State Forest with a wonderful mix of ridgeline walking, dense hardwood forest, and the kind of peaceful solitude that makes long-trail hiking so deeply restorative. Our hike today will take us from Mile 45.8 to Mile 56.8 on the LHHT. Highlights include large thickets of Mountain Laurel with some rhododendron along Pickings Run and several impressive views into the remote valleys of Mill Creek on the NW slope of Laurel Ridge. We'll pass near the path of the old Forbes Road, a historic military route cut through these same mountains by General John Forbes in 1758 during the French and Indian War. The end of the hike offers a sizable collection of rock formations. Distance: ~11.7 miles point-to-point Elevation Gain: ~1,860 ft 💌 Registered participants will receive an email with meeting location, suggested gear, and other pertinent info before the event.